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South
Island New Zealand Tour 2001
Touring
Party: 23
Club
Members on Tour: Chris Andrews,
Steve Beckett, Scott Brahmenr, David Coverly,
Tyler Conant, Dustin Dickson, Phil Flatau, Kyle Gann, Barr Haworth, Ryan Huskey,
Jeff Jacobsen, Darin Johnson, Matt Knee, David Libby, Greg Lundell,
Dan Noland, Nat Rinehart, Mathew Scott, and Brett Zundel
Alumni
on Tour: Robert Aruthur
(Trainer), Kevin Battle, Joe Huarte, Ken
Jacobsen
Games;
Westmont 40- Oxford Invitational 43, North Canterbury, Sunday March 25th
Westmont 19 – Otago University Reds 27, Dunedin, Tuesday March
27th
Westmont 27 – Soutern Colts 31, Mid Canterbury, Friday March
30th
Tour Summary
Westmont College departed
for their 2001 tour of New
Zealand’s South
Island after months of preparation. In 1997 the club toured the North Island and
was eager to return to New
Zealand and experience the South
Island. We arrived
in Christchurch, early
Friday morning after a stopover in Auckland, picked
up our vans and headed to our first tour hosts, the Oxford Club
of North Canterbury. The
first game was scheduled for Sunday afternoon to give the guys some
time to relax and adjust to the time change and recover from the
long flight. The Oxford club
which is located about an hour out of Christchurch in the
foothills below Arthur Pass, arranged for us to stay at a campground just out of town,
next to one of the local rivers.
We used the campground as a base for the next 3 nights. attending a Super 12
match between the Crusaders and Queensland Reds, visiting sheep
& dairy farms, training for our first match, and exploring the
local area. The guys were a bit anxious about the first
game as it was the first tour for a lot of the players, and it showed
in the first half. The home
side quickly put on 5 tries in the first half through some pretty
weak defense on the part of the Warriors.
Realizing this was going to be a long tour at this pace the
team regrouped at halftime and put on 40 points in the second half
closing the final score to 43-40. Player of the match with to Philip Flatau who scored 4 tries in the second half. The game could be summarized as a game of two
halves with the Warriors leaving a powerful impression on the hosts.
Monday left little time to recover from a physical game as we headed
to Dunedin with
a stopover at the Rangitata River.
The afternoon was spent river rafting Class 3,4, and 5 rapids and was very helpful in sorting out the sore
bodies. In Dunedin we had
time to sort out some of our mistakes in the first game with a good
training. Our host the Otago University
Club was very impressive. The
club has produced a lot of All Blacks such as Anton Oliver, Taine
Randell, Marc Ellis, etc.
We played the Otago University "Red'
( 3rds side) side on Tuesday evening. The guys open brilliantly closing the first
half 19-5 in the lead. The
second half found the Otago side bringing
in some fresh legs and the intensity of the game picked up.
Westmont was
unable to convert some impressive drives and the Otago
side made some quick breaks from loose play putting Westmont on the
back foot. The final score
was Westmont 19,
Otago 27. The guys
left the game a bit frustrated knowing they let this one get away
from them but as evidenced in the second half of the Oxford game
guys strength was the fiercely contested breakdowns. Player of the match went to Matt Knee. Onto Queenstown and 2 days
of R&R. A group
of the guys used the opportunity to visit Milford Sound while the rest of us rented some motocross
bikes and had free reign of a 40,000 acres farm. Friday we drove through the mainland of the
Southland past Mount Cook on our way to our final host club, the
Southern Club of Hinds (just south of Ashburton). Friday night we played the Southern Colts who
had won the Mid-Canterbury Colts competition the year before. We kicked off at 7:00 in front of a good size crowd and the guys were
eager for a win. The lead
went back and forth and the physical approach of the Warriors saw
Senior Greg Lundell going out with a concussion and Scott Brahmer with a sprained ankle. In the end the home side was too strong scoring
a try in the last 5 minutes, bringing the final score to Westmont 27 -
Southern 31. A tough one
to swallow but once again I was simply amazed at the guys
commitment to each breakdown and the intensity with which they played. Saturday was the last full day in New
Zealand and we spent the day shopping
in Christchurch looking
for last minute gifts. The
city was abuzz with excitement for the Super 12 rugby match that
night between the Wellington Hurricanes and local Crusaders side.
We had tickets to the sold out affair which didn't disappoint. We were silently rooting for the Hurricanes
as Christian Cullen's parents were staying at our hotel. Saturday night most of the guys spent the night
checking out the nightlife in the city while some of us watched
the Hong Sevens tournament on TV back at our hotel.
All of the Kiwis were full of praise for the US Sevens side
and their recent display at the Wellington Sevens.
All in all the trip was fruitful in raising the level of the player's
games. The guys were obviously
disappointed at not winning a match but all of the games were within
a score or two. Everyone
got playing time and I think most of the guys elevated their game,
with a lot the guys playing like seasoned players in only their
first or second year of playing the game. The most impressive aspect of the Kiwi's game
is how fiercely they contest each and every break down, something
the guys adapted to and dished out as well.
It was an honor and blessing to have so many guys dedicated
to improving their rugby and making this trip a success.
The school and USA rugby were well represented. Until the next tour, to be announced, GO WARRIORS!
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