One of the most exhilarating sports tours of the year is the U13 rugby tour to the United Arab Emirates every October half term. Staying with host families, visiting some of the top tourist and cultural destinations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, bonding with friends and playing rugby in iconic stadiums…what more could a group of Second Year students want?
This year, 27 students attended and enjoyed the week-long trip, playing some fantastic rugby, conquering fears and making memories for life. The below diary entries were written by small groups of the students on their return flight home:
Monday 21 October
Today was the day after we touched down in Dubai and transferring over to Abu Dhabi. We had just stayed with our host families for the first time, and they had been very welcoming. We were heading towards the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque for our first outing. When we arrived, the majority of us were in awe. We first had a guided tour around the properties and the views were amazing, even though the sun was so bright it was blinding.
We then had a quick look at a famous F1 track which was very interesting before heading to Seaworld. There were fun rides and sea animals to look at and even touch; for example, some of us touched a stingray.
After all this fun, we had a training session calling our name. We trained at the Zayed Sports Centre which is a gargantuan sports facility with exquisite flooring and grass. We needed to get used to playing in the heat and adapting to the conditions of the country before our proper matches.
Tuesday 22 October
The next day, we headed to Ferrari World which has some of the highest rated rides in the world i.e. the most thrilling, the fastest etc. Unfortunately, the fastest ride in the world was shut so we didn’t have the chance to zoom around Abu Dhabi at amazing speed. Flying Aces was everyone’s favourite ride because of how thrilling it was, it was really high and fast. I went on it six times! The owner of Ferrari World gave Adam and Jacob a treat for their birthday which had lots of goodies and souvenirs inside. Then we went to our rugby game against Abu Dubai Harlequins.
We put an amazing effort in and played three thirds so we could try out different teams. In each game Trinity put all their effort out onto the pitch, so it was a shame we lost the first third which was against their U14s, who were very strong. The second third we played, all contributing, and it finished with a close win, with a last-minute try. The final game got a little bit heated; we ended up losing the game, but we were all exhausted from jet lag and were still getting used to the scorching heat. We played an amazing game, and the day was fun, with Ferrari World being some of the boys’ highlight of the tour.
Wednesday 23 October
On Wednesday, we went back to Dubai after saying goodbye and thank you to our Abu Dhabi host families. They had been amazing to us, washing our clothes, giving us food, and keeping us safe.
When we got to Dubai, we went into the incredible Dubai Mall to get food. It is the biggest mall in the world, and some of us tried to challenge that by thinking we could walk around the whole mall (bad idea). We then went outside to see the fountain show, but it was sadly closed due to some technical issues, so we went back inside.
Next came the most exciting part of the day, going up to the 124th and 125th floors of the Burj Khalifa. We saw wonderful views of the city and took many beautiful pictures. However, some people were afraid of heights and were nervous to go up and look about. In the end, they were all very brave and faced their fears, looking out, and also taking photos. Afterwards, we went back down to the mall, and looked around, with some of us buying souvenirs.
We took the coach to The Sevens stadium, where we played against the Dubai Hurricanes. After some very good games, we ended up winning, and to enjoy the victory, we went inside their clubhouse to have dinner and talk to the other team, which was a great bonding time. Finally, we went to meet our Dubai host families and had a great night’s sleep, recalling the fantastic days spent, and the many that still lay before us.
Thursday 24 October
On Thursday morning, everyone was incredibly excited to celebrate Adam and Jacob’s 13th Birthday as well as having an incredible day out at the world’s largest water park (Aquaventure). The day started with a bright and early meet at the Arabian Ranches where all the boys were prepped with sun cream and pumped for a full day at the Atlantis water park. Once we arrived at the water park, we were told by Mrs Long numerous times to apply suncream until the message had sunk in. Then everyone went off cheerfully to go on all the rides.
The highlight of the excursion was when Mr Hardman and Mr Kimmins went on the fastest slide at the park’s Tower of Poseidon. Every Trinity boy burst out in laughter as Mr Kimmins and Mr Hardman screamed as they went down the slide at speeds of light.
After that we played Dubai College. The team were all tired and although there was a brilliant effort by the A team, they sadly lost to a well drilled opposition. The B team had a great second half and ending up winning their match. It was a fantastic performance from both teams. Then we went back to our host families in Dubai and went to sleep before a big day at Wild Wadi Waterpark and a desert safari.
Friday 25 October
The great thing about Wild Wadi was the smaller number of rides with less queues. It had a few quite long rides and one drop tower, which was the only drop ride we could all go on as for some drops you have to be above a certain weight. The anticipation for the drop was like nothing else, the park was split by a ride that crisscrossed the land as if it was a map.
After good time at the waterpark, we were picked up in jeeps and set off on our way to the desert. A quick stop to relieve the pressure of the tyres from full to around 15 psi was needed as the journey to our destination was more like a rollercoaster than a trip in a car. We went up and down massive hills of sand as tall as the cars themselves: it was so fun!
When we eventually arrived, luckily with no use of the sick bags, we were able to ride not a car, but a camel! We were in pairs and so far off the ground. We then went on a short journey to the belly dancing and food place. There was quite a big stage raised above the ground with a surprising amount of people there. The food was really nice, and everyone tried something new. As the night went on there were some traditional dances and belly dancing which some found interesting, and others were not so interested. Then we went back home. We went, we saw, we went back home!
Saturday 26 October
Saturday, our final full day, was another action-packed one which began in the early morning at the well-known 7s stadium which is host to the Dubai 7s. We played against the Dubai Hurricanes, a strong team who we had played earlier in the tour. In the end we won comfortably thanks to great efforts from the whole team, as well as great individual performances from Aaron, who scored a great try and was handed man of the match, and David who came out of his comfort zone and played in a completely new position and gave a fantastic show for those on the sidelines. It really felt as if we gave all we had.
Afterwards we went to their clubhouse and enjoyed a lovely bacon roll. After a pit stop to shower and change it was now time for the host families to treat the boys to an afternoon out and this ranged between each family. A few boys were able to go to TopGolf, which is situated in the Dubai Marina and everyone who was able to go enjoyed the food and thought it was a real laugh, even if they were holding the club the wrong way round when they were trying to swing it.
However, most people were hosted by Sheldene who is one of the Hurricanes managers. She was kind enough to take everyone to a water park / pool with a great lazy river which most of the boys went round about 25 times. After relaxing by the pool and recharging a bit after a day in the heat, we headed to a barbecue area where we were to have dinner and hang out in the evening.
Whilst we were there, I’m pretty sure everyone enjoyed the outdoor gym, climbing frame and best of all a ‘shoulders on’ rugby match which ended up transforming into an Australia – New Zealand match up with Ed David putting in some solid challenges. All in all, everyone had a great day and are now happy to be going home for some well-deserved rest.
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