Wallace teams enjoy warm weather trip to Portugal

It was for a week of hard training, conditioning work and a match against local Loulé rugby club.

With temperatures averaging 16 degrees in Portugal, conditions were very different from the wet and windy pre Christmas weather at home. Each session was intense with recovery cold recovery baths after each session.

Each day started early, with a strength and conditioning session on the pitch. These sessions were tough and intense designed to improve stamina and fitness. Two or three pitch training sessions were held each day focusing on core skills, patterns of play and defence. A spinning session was also organised for late afternoon.

After dinner a light half hour session of active recovery was held for forwards and backs, followed by a team meeting, which often focused on goals that we wanted to set for ourselves.

The match against Loulé rugby club was in the early evening under floodlights. The Medallion team were up first and recorded an emphatic win 83-0 with a variety of well taken tries from the likes of Gary Chan, Sammy Moore, Ben Pentland, Andrew Irvine, Ikenna Nzewi and Max Troughton. Other notable performances came from Ryan Wilson and hit of the match had to go to Andrew Weir.

The 1stXV replicated their junior counterparts with, winning emphatically by 80-0. Adam Dickson, Jordan Heatley, David Scott, James McCallan, Cal McIlwaine, Adam Dickson and Jordan Grattan had very good performances.

There was no respite in the next game despite the excellent scoreline with an end-ball tournament involving both squads and a team of coaches. Following this there was a short trip to the beach for another strength and conditioning session – the toughest of the week. The party returned home safe and sound at lunch time on Christmas Eve.

The Portugal trip was tough, but will hopefully pay dividends for the cup runs which lie ahead.

1stXV Squad: M. Gilkinson, M. Ballantyne, A. Gilkinson, A. Dickson, S. Arneill, C. McIlwaine, Z. McCall, C. Knowles, P.Weir, J. McCallan, D. Scott, J. Grattan, J. Heatley, J. Davis, J. Collingwood, R. Moore, B. Brackenridge, J. Connan, J. Ard, A. Smyth, J. Baird, C. Irvine, S. Gilmore.

Medallion Squad: N. Todd, A. Weir, G. Malley, D. Ballantyne, J. Anderson, P. Ferguson, S. Moore, B. Pentland, N. Kilpatrick, R. Wilson, J. Stewart, A. Irvine, M. Bell, A. Cardosi, M. Troughton, G. Chan, I. Nzewi, P. Hylands, C. Guiney.