Tour Aid : Addax U13 Dairy

7 March 2008, 10:17 am

Addax U13 Dairy - Day 1

Will Ferguson, son of the Founder of Addax RFC, Peter Ferguson, is assisting his father while the U13 team is over in the UK. He will be keeping a diary during their stay. Read details of their arrival in the first part below. The team has ten members from the ages of 10-13, they are

Addax U13 team arrive in the UK

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We were all very apprehensive and anxious to meet the boys at the airport. We were expecting to have to wait for the team to get through immigration, but thanks to the help of Des Steel, who travelled with the boys from Lagos, they were waiting for us! The boys were huddled together in the terminal wearing their woolly hats, looking a little stunned when we arrived. There were some smiles but also many blank faces, the U13's Addax team had arrived at last!

Prince, Kunle, Yemi, Victor, Nosa, Kelechi, lawal, Idris, Salam and Benedict.
Soon the Papplewick boys arrived with their Headmaster, Tom Bunbury, carrying a box full of warm school fleeces for our cold new friends. The Papplewick boys met the Addax team and we headed off to the minibus and drove to the school. The boys were warmly welcomed by the school at breakfast, they had all made an effort to make the team feel at home by wearing something green in their uniforms, the colour of the Nigerian flag.

After breakfast we met in the changing rooms and got the team showered and kitted out in their new rugby gear. Because the boys were given so much new kit we numbered them and their kit from 1 to 10 – you know how little boys lose things. New boots, hats, tracksuit, shorts, socks, scrum hats, gum shields and tops were kindly donated to the team and were really pleased with their new outfits.

The boys appeared timid to start with but as the day grew older their colourful characters began to shine through. As we started to get their names right (eventually) and spent more time with them, we realised what a special group of boys they are. They seemed very eager to train and when that time came they rose to the occasion. The boys progressed so well within the first coaching session led by Andy Berry of Touraid, ably helped by Andrew Franco from London Nigerians and Caleb Taylor. We must not forget that this was the first time they had played on a flat, fully grassed pitch and they had been playing rugby for under a year, training only once a week. Their communication, running lines and team discipline all improved and when Papplewick provided some competitive opposition the Addax boys showed glimpses of their power and pace.

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The boys had time to experience school life at Papplewick, participating in art, design technology and I.T classes and afternoon activities including fencing, football and swimming. Seeing them swim together was great, this was the first time we saw them all smiling. The boys seemed to love the school’s scooters that are available at break time, and they whizzed around on them like crazy at every opportunity.

We finished the day with a positive team meeting. It's only been a day but it feels like we have known these boys for a lot longer. We know come Wednesday it will be hard to say goodbye to this charming group of boys. The school has been a fantastic host and the Papplewick boys have made a great effort to befriend the Addax team. I'm sure some lasting friendships will be made during their short stay.

In our meeting we asked the Addax boys for some feedback about their first eventful day in England. Kunle said the flight was "scary with lots of shaking in the air!! The plane was 38,000 miles in the air!" All the boys found the journey exciting and enjoyed the landing. They told us that the school was "kind and friendly" and they enjoyed "everything about the day". When we asked them about the English boys they told us that they were "more friendly than Nigerian boys". They really like England because it is much safer and quieter than Nigeria and one boy noticed our "beautiful country side". The boys loved their new rugby kit and when asked what they most looked forward to on the tour, Idris replied "winning the trophy" at Rosslyn park.

One of the Papplewick boys commented "it was great up in the dorms after lunch when we really had a chance to get to know them better". The Headmaster said "The Addax boys have been so enthusiastic, they look like Papplewick boys already!"

It's amazing to see how much confidence the boys have gained within the day. They are a delightful group and we can't wait to work with them again tomorrow.

Author: William Ferguson