RAF High Wycombe/Halton Bulldogs v’s the Rest of The World Rugby Tour 2010

Arriving at RAF High Wycombe guardroom in a gold Goddess style dress complete with tiara might be the most surreal moment in my career to date. It could spell only one thing however…Rugby tour! 19 team members from Brize Norton, Halton, High Wycombe and Lyneham embarked on an epic journey to Dendermonde in Belgium. We were on our way to take part in the biggest 10-A-Side rugby tournament in Europe with 60 teams competing from around the globe - Flanders Open Rugby hosted by Dendermondse Rugby Club. It was clearly an exceptionally slick operation – within 20 minutes of arrival our registration was complete and we were settling into our 20 man tent in the Canvass Village. The main stage was set; surrounded by stands and a replay screen that would rival most premiership teams’ was the most lush pitch a player can hope to grace. It was at this point skipper Danny Briggs broke the news – our first match was on this hallowed ground! No pressure! The team decided a quick dinner followed by a gentle training session and an early night would be the ideal preparation for such an event, however, the Belgians had other ideas, and boy do they know how to party! We held our own against some tough opposition and retired victorious in the ‘boat race’ leaving even the most hardcore Vets teams broken at out feet!

“GOOOOOD MORNING DENDERMONDE!!!” Was the cry over the sound system 0800 the following morning – that sound will haunt my dreams until I die and at the time I thought I only had moments left! A hearty breakfast cleared the “cobwebs” and we donned the infamous Tiger stripes to face Cameroon International in the first of three group games. The temperature was already soaring in the 20’s and it was only 0930. The combination of the quality of the arena and the cheers of crowd seem to give everyone that extra 10%. Just after half time the Cameroon team put the game to bed by scoring their 6^th try and so it was time for some showboating! “GRENADE!!” came the call and the immediate action of hitting the deck for cover was carried out by all 19 squad members impeccably! This got the biggest cheer of the game and all I can say is apologies to Scotty Lowe who was just about to catch the kick-off when I called it! It was an exceptionally intense game and I can honestly say I’ve never been so exhausted after a match. The final score was 10-30 and we were proud to have scored two tries against such formidable opponents. We’d also created quite a stir, the Dogs were back in town! Our next match was against a Venlo, a Dutch team with rumours of quality. We made our way to our next pitch 10 minutes away – proving the vastness of the tournament grounds. It was time to put right our disappointments of the first match. The mood changed and the focus and atmosphere sharpened. From kick off to final whistle lady luck was on our side. Every move, tackle, pass and run seemed to be blessed with that little element and it separated the Dogs from the Dutch. Forming the tunnel and ‘clapping off’ a broken Venlo team I found myself regretting we’d let one consolation try through – I was beginning to take this competition a bit too seriously. 30-5 was the final score and a special mention must go to Ross Healy for his try; a 60 m solo run with a side step that would Shane Williams would’ve been proud of. So what next? Back down to Earth with a crunching tackle - Roubaix, France was our final group match. It was obvious at this stage fatigue was beginning to set in. The boys looked broken and the factor 50 was out in force. It was unsurprising then that after dominating the first half 5-0 with some great rugby, the cramps tweaked their way in and our performance dropped. We conceded four tries in the second half leaving us winningly challenged at 5-20. Post our final match of the day the team decided, as before, a quick dinner followed by a gentle training session and an early night would be the ideal recovery routine for the following day’s competition. However, you guessed it, the Belgians had yet more distracting ideas!

The theme was Ice Age and the plan was a bar-b-que followed by rivers of the finest Belgian Beer! Despite our lacklustre performance on the field in our final game there was no sign of lack of commitment to the fancy dress. Award for bravest fancy dress has to go to Chris ‘Tug’ Wilson for his little leopard skin swimsuit and bone necklace number complimented by his ‘Re-Hydrating’ camelback! The evening raged on to the early hours and our expectations for the next days performance drained with each beer! Our efforts on international relations became the priority mission – mission accomplished!

The voice of the announcer boomed out and was less welcome than yet another Europop ‘hit’! It was clear the hardest challenge of weekend lay ahead – the Plate Competition. Our first match was against a canny team from Denmark who had stayed in bed and decided to head off in the early afternoon – Rugby is not for everyone! This gave us a little respite before facing two Firey French teams. Agincourt had nothing on these games. The first was against Lasalle Beauvais and the French did exceptionally well to put us off our stride before we had even begun. It was the first match we hadn’t scored in in the entire competition and we were spat out defeated 0-20. They’d won the battle it was time to win the war! Les Planners were tipped to be the best team in the Plate and so the task seemed daunting. In British fashion we Clover, Thistle, Leek and Rose to the challenge. A spirited and committed performance helped bury the previous French victory and restore pride at 20-0. It was then time for our final match, the filthy Tiger strip was to roam the plains one final time. We were up against the Warsaw Frogs, a Polish team that should have been despatched by the mighty Dogs. With our energy sapped something had to give and it was a disappointing end to our roller-coaster journey by losing 5-15. Like Dallaglio it was time for the Tiger strip to retire and we wave a fond farewell. We finished a respectable 8^th in the Competition and cannot fault the commitment of our men on and off the field. Flander’s open Rugby is one for the diary for next year and for many more to come.