Final Days - London and Home

With our last rugby game over it was time to head off to London; our final destination. After a 5 hour bus trip we checked into our accommodation and headed off for a walk along the Thames visiting Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. The next two days gave the boys the opportunity to spend some time visiting the sites of London and buying those last minute gifts for home.

We also had our final dinner on the Wednesday night - a time for thank-yous and to award those that had excelled on and off the field.

Congratulations to:
Best and Fairest - Zac Thomson
Best Forward - Kye Henderson
Best Back - Harri Keir
Players Player - Terrence Rooney
Best All Rounder - Darcy Walters

It was then off to Heathrow for the marathon trip back to Townsville.

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Game 5 - Kirkham Grammar

Game 5

7 October 2019

IPC v Kirkham Grammar


Game 5, hasn’t it come around quickly? Having had several days off from our last fixture it was the staff and supporters who had picked up the ailments which had plaqued some of the lads over the past week. Rested and ready to go, it was all hands on deck for the last fixture of the tour, seen as our biggest challenge to date.


Being hosted by Kirkby Lonsdale they had been hit by multiple injuries and other sporting commitments so their sporting head organised a fixture against Kirkham Grammar, a College renowned for their rugby. Knowing fore-well that we really had to be on our game and toil extremely hard to come away with the chocolates, everyone was keen to go.  


Having travelled an hour to Kirkham and only getting 15 minutes to warm up in wet and cold conditions we were already feeling the pinch. Playing on a field which was extremely heavy under foot was quite different for our boys and made them work even harder in unfamiliar conditions. Told that they will have to tighten up their attack and be very direct and that getting off the line and sticking tackles were essential the boys ripped in.


Losing the battle for field position throughout the first half IPC had to work hard to keep Kirkham out and to make any headway up the field. Poor field position eventually took its toll with Kirkham running in one soft try and another before half time. However, IPC were always in the hunt and in one of the few times they were in the opposition quarter came away with a strong pic n drive try of their own. Having played well in the first half and coping well with the ‘gibber’ from Kirkham the boys went into the break 10 to 7 down but knowing they had more in them.


Asked to increase their line speed and aggression at the breakdown we went into the next half ready to empty the tank and have a real crack at the favoured Kirkham fifteen. Kirkham started well and scored a dubious try early but then had to dig deep as IPC pinned them in their own half for the majority of the second half. Having created several scoring opportunities the boys fell victim to lack of patience and fell short of the line on numerous occasions, finally going down 15 to 7.


While the boys may have been beaten on the score board and given the conditions, the coaching staff and team were very proud of the discipline, never say die attitude and the effort put in by the entire squad. In what was an extremely tough and spirited match, IPC stepped up to the plate and gave as good as they got – deserving of a well earned and passionate Iggy war cry. 


Tries: Terrence Rooney


Conversions: Declan Marchioni


MVP’s: (3) Zac Thomson – (2) Kye Henderson – (1) Jayvan Scarff

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Days 18 to 20: Kirky Lonsdale

Our four hour trip to Kirkby Lonsdale was broken up by two stops. The first stop was at the home of rugby sevens, Melrose, located in the Scottish borders.We were given the opportunity to explore the rugby club and immerse ourselves in the history of sevens rugby. They were in the process of putting in a new 3G pitch and renovating the grounds; their future certainly looks exciting for rugby fans.
The second stop was at the Housesteads Roman Fort to visit Hadrian's Wall, a 117 kilometre wall which was built by the Romans to keep out the unconquered people of Scotland. Construction started around A.D. 122, after a visit to Britain by Emperor Hadrian (reign A.D. 117-138), a ruler determined to consolidate the Roman Empire's borders. Walking amongst the ruins of the fort and along the wall it was not hard to imagine the life of a Roman soldier defending Roman Britian against the Scottish Picts.

We arrived in Kirkby Lonsdale later that afternoon and the boys met their new hosts for the next three nights.

Sunday was a day off, and the boys had the opportunity to spend the day with their billets exploring the picturesque landscape of Kirkby Lonsdale.

The next day was our final match. Although we were originally going to play Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale, their Rugby Coordinator, Dan Williams, who has brought teams to Townsville on a number of occasions organised a game against Kirkham Grammar. After the game the boys spent their last night with their Kirkby billets and prepared for the journey to London the next day.

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Day 15 to 17: EDINBURGH

We spent the next two days in Edinburgh. This was a great time for those feeling unwell to get a couple of days rest and recharge. The boys spent their time exploring the history of Edinburgh as well as taking the opportunity to do some shopping. I am sure there will be a lot of tartan inspired gifts handed out when the boys get back. Highlights included; touring Edinburgh Castle, one of the most exciting histroic sites in Western Europe and the site of many historical conflicts; exploring The National Museum of Scotland with its galleries of Natural History, Technology, Art, Design nd Fashion and Science. Hours were spent discovering treasures from around the world; and many other cultural and historical experiences.

On the second night the boys were put into teams of five for a Masterchef inspired competition. With a budget of 15 pounds and a list of criteria, the teams had to come up with a mains and dessert for their dinner that night. It was a close run competition and the boys had an enjoyable time testing their culinary skills.

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Day 13 to 14 - Garbally and Edinburgh

After the game against Garbally the boys spent the night with their billets. The next morning we were happy to get some great feedback from a number of host families on how well mannered and behaved the boys were. They were so impressed that they were going to put a motion forward at their next P&C to organise a trip to Townsville. Hopefully it gets through. After packing everyone back on the bus we drove to Dublin to catch a flight to Edinburgh. Arriving in Edinburgh we checked into a hostel and spent the afternoon walking to and then up Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano that sits 251m above sea level, and provides a 360 degree view of the city. The next two days would give everyone the opportunity for some free time and the chance to explore the history, culture and shops of Edinburgh.

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Game 4 - Garbally College Ireland

Game 4 versus Garbally College

1^st October 2019

Visiting Garbally College – founded in the 1860’s on the 300 acres Garbally Estate, originally owned by the Lords of the time – was quite the experience. Set in the unique countryside of Western Ireland the surrounds were stunning – beautiful part of the world. Having not played in this area before we had no idea what to expect, apart from the fact that they had won the Senior School trophy for the past few years.

With the College’s grounds flooded by the recent rain the game was changed to a very impressive 4G synthetic field about forty minutes away. What a setting, deep in the countryside, surrounded by green rolling hills, the field was amazing.

Faced with the great unknown the team was asked to go out and start with quick line-speed and aggression at the breakdown – set the scene first. This happened and IPC very quickly showed they were ready to play. Unfortunately, Garbally were first on the board with a try against the run of play. Pinned on their own try line for an extended period, IPC really aimed up and keep Garbally from crossing the white line again for the half.  During the half IPC was on the receiving end of the field position battle with Garbally dominating this and really making us work to create scoring opportunities.

Battling poor field position and decision making at times the first half became a real arm-wrestle when Northern and Southern rule interpretations clashed causing IPC to receive two yellow cards – reducing the player count to 13 at one stage. With the odds against them IPC still managed to muscle their way down the paddock and scored two tries of their own before half time. Half time score 14 to 5 IPC.

Half time saw the IPC coaches willing their troops to stick to the game plan and to watch their discipline, body height in contact, lower their tackle focus and making sure they stuck their tackles. Once again, Garbally started well with a try against the run of play and followed this up with another try due to mistakes made by IPC. IPC, not to be outdone soon settled into the job at hand and began to dominate possession but found themselves in hot water again receiving another three yellow cards in the half – five yellow cards in total?

Faced with minimal time with the full compliment on the field IPC continually dug deep to defend their line admirably and to show a lot of grit to slowly but surely work their way down the field to finally score two additional tries. These tries were enough to seal the win and give IPC a record of four wins from four games with a score-line of 26 to 22 IPC.

Tries: Terrence Rooney, Finn Andreassen, Lachlan Ryan and Dean Gillham.

Conversions: Declan Marchioni (3)

MVP’s: (3) Terrence Rooney – (2) Aiden Scott – (1) Patrick Tarttelin, Dean Gillham & Kobe Gallagher

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PHOTO GALLERY

A photo gallery has been created here if you want to view or download any photos from the tour. This will be updated during the tour.