Pupils gear up for New Zealand rugby tour

FORTY pupils and six members of staff from Ballyclare High School will this weekend be jetting off to New Zealand as part of a three-week rugby tour.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jun 2010, 10:36 BST
Updated 24th Jun 2010, 11:06 BST

The trip, which has been three years in the making, will see the local lads play five games in total. Their fifth and final game will be played in the Cook Islands giving the squad the honour of being the first ever Irish school side to play there.

The Times visited the school on Monday as the new kit for the tour was exclusively unveiled by squad captain, Grant Bartley.

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The Year 12 pupil, who plays Number 8, said: "We are really looking forward to the trip. We have been waiting for it for three years and all the boys are, naturally, very excited. We have been training hard for six or seven weeks now and the atmosphere in the squad has been buzzing.

"We know we will be coming up against some big, physical sides. New Zealand have a reputation for that so we have to front up but we are ready. We have big players in the squad, so hopefully we will be alright."

The boys will take on Timaru Boys High School, Timaru, Kavanagh College, Denedin, Dunstan HS, Alexandra, St Bede's College, Canterbury before travelling to the Cook Islands to face Tukapa U15 and U17 teams at the National Stadium.

Read the full story in this week's Newtownabbey Times

Related topics:New Zealand