Argentina Tour 2012

In just over a month our bi annual tour to Argentina will depart to compete for the Patagonia Cup. A lot of preparation and fundraising has gone on to ensure that we can take a competitive team. As is usual there has been a revolving door of squad members coming and going however we have now settled on the final squad. The final tour party is:

Forwards: Peter Chaplin, Sabastian Siataga, Daniel Leinert-Brown, Sione Lea, Reed Princep, Tom Whitehead, Ashton Hyde, Zane Brown, Levi Dwan, Logan Keyes, Nick Cording, Tom Stanley

Backs: Simon Caird, Josh Taylor, Jo Taylor, Nick Pope, Ben McHardy, Stephan Van Gruting, Ben Bailey, Jarred Percival, Will Topps, Eru Rongonui

Coaches: Nathan Mauger, Craig Blanchfield   

Managers: Ray Metcalfe. Mark McHardy

Waterboy: Cam Rattray

Referee: Chris Wratt

We are also taking 2 supporters (Anne and Greg Stanley)

For the first time we will be travelling with the HSOB/Burnside women’s hockey team who will be competing in a tournament that runs alongside the rugby cup. We are very pleased that they have taken the step to travel and as far as I am aware they will be the only international team playing. Hockey is of course very strong in Argentina and very popular.

The squad will land in Buenos Aires on Tuesday 14 February and we will spend the next 2 days taking in the beautiful sights of Buenos Aires. On Thursday we will travel south some 8 hours in a bus to Bahia Blanca where we will be based for 10 days for the tournament. We will look to renew old acquaintances and no doubt meet new friends.

There are 7 teams competing this year. There are 5 Argentinean teams (local) and Southern Districts from Sydney and us. This year the tournament will be structured a little different and we will play Saturday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday and the finals on the Saturday. On at least 2 of these days we will play 2 games (they are normally 25 minutes each way).

It will be a demanding tour however; we are committed to bringing home the trophy which we won in 1999 and 2001. Having come second last year and rightly felt aggrieved by not winning we are looking to taste the sweet taste of victory.

We will spend a couple of days back in Buenos Aires on the way home relaxing before we return home arriving on 1 March 2012.

I would like to acknowledge the great support we have received from our sponsors who all believe in the value that this tour gives to the club and the opportunity it provides for our young players. A list of our sponsors is attached.

Apart from our sponsors the squad has been working hard raising funds through refereeing touch on a Thursday down at Nth Hagley, Cleaning Up Hagley Park after rugby world Cup events and Carting hay. I am very proud of the effort that the squad has put in to date and i am personally looking forward to our time away together where I believe we will represent both our club and country with pride.

Look out for a couple of things coming up – the Press article to be run the week before we depart and also the results which we will get posted on the website as we play.

Ken Pope