While the tour was about far more than just rugby, there's no doubting Central West's stunning, undefeated run through last month's Kids' Rugby World Cup in Japan was the perfect preparation for this weekend's NSW Country Junior Rugby Union Under-12 Championship at Tamworth.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Central West co-coach Rob Nixon couldn't speak highly enough of the trip, lauding the unique opportunity for his troops to learn about new cultures and themselves as people as well, before focusing on their stunning on-field performance.
"It was an incredible experience for all us. It was a bit eye-opening for the boys being in a new country and away from their parents but they handled it really well and I think they learned a lot about themselves, it was a very unique opportunity for 10 and 11-year-olds," he said.
They blew us away, they exceeded our expectations and then some. To see them do so well and learn so much about rugby was incredibly pleasing.
- Central West under-12 co-coach Rob Nixon
"They did incredibly well on the field. They're straight out of Wallas rugby and hadn't played on a full field before so we weren't really sure what to expect from them. They blew us away, they exceeded our expectations and then some. To see them do so well and learn so much about rugby was incredibly pleasing."
While there was no presentation for winning teams because the event was more about "participation and bringing different nations and cultures together through rugby", Central West was dominant regardless.
They won both their friendly games against Japanese rugby schools before downing invitational sides from England, Indonesia and the host nation too.
"It's funny, at our training session at Wellington on Sunday I was saying to (co-coaches) Will Gaden and Pip McIntosh a week earlier we'd been playing at Nissan Stadium, where the World Cup final be played. From there to Wellington," Nixon laughed.
"The game against the English side was like a real Test match for the boys. They were from St Ambrose College, which is a rugby school, and it was our biggest win so they were very proud to get that one."
The biggest takeaway from the trip in rugby terms, Nixon said, was the confidence it will bring ahead of the Country Championship, in which Central West faces Far North Coast, North Coast and Hunter in their preliminary games.
"At this age kids can get overwhelmed going away to play on a bigger stage under pressure like the Country Championship brings but these boys have done that now and flourished, so I think we're past that and that brings a lot of confidence," Nixon said.
"We're all fired up now. We're throwing our hats in the ring and we want to be the first Central West under-12 side to win the Country Championship.
"Hunter are traditionally very strong and they're probably going to be our toughest game I think, but I think we'll go really well because of that preparation. We've seen where we're at and worked out our best combinations, I think this team's capable of bigger things.
"But that preparation, the tour, wouldn't have been possible without our sponsors so we need to thank Fletcher's International Exports, Dubbo City Toyota and Central West Brakes and Clutch Services, and all the supporters too. We had quite a few parents and that sort of thing and they were fantastic."
Central West's under 13s and under 14s will also head to the Country Championships this weekend, also at Tamworth. The preliminary games will be played on Saturday before the finals on Sunday.
WANT MORE ORANGE AND REGIONAL SPORT?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...