Judges Road youth’s France tour is successful

The Judges Road club were fulfilling a reciprocal visit by Barbeziuex Rugby Club to Derry last May when 65 parents and children visited the North West for a week of rugby and culture.

This time around 71 players, parents and coaches set off from Dublin for their week long trip where the children were hosted by their French counterparts. The Derry players attended school for a day with their hosts and competed in two rugby tournaments against local clubs from the Cognac region.

They enjoyed a trip to a waterpark and visit to the seaside to play Beach Rugby and coupled with training and other social outings they enjoyed a hectic schedule.

The tour party received a Civic Reception from the Mayor of Barbezieux and were presented with some of the local Brandy as gifts. The week was crowned by a guided tour of the local Hennessy Distillery by all the adults.

The funding for the tour was raised over the last year by parents and children doing supermarket bag packs, raffles, social events and supplying food at games. The generous sponsorship of Greg Mitchell Motors, Higgins & Sons Butchers, Moores Fuels, Curtis Opticians and Michael Flanagan also contributed enormously to the funding effort.

The Tour Manager Scott Pollock and his assistant Andrew Gill were delighted with the success of the tour and the educational experience gained by all concerned in both rugby and cultural terms.

“We were really impressed by the hospitality we received from everyone associated with Barbezieuz Rugby Club especially from my opposite number there Colin Devlin,” stated Pollock.

“The experience gained was invaluable to the growth of our children in social and rugby terms and it gave City of Derry RFC a vehicle to connect families from different backgrounds and allow them to work for and embrace the game of rugby. We have issued an invitation to Barbezieux to once again visit Derry next year so we can continue this unique project.”