SANIX Rugby Tour

Report from Class of 2024's Olly McCracken

On 23 April, 29 of the College's best rugby talents boarded a flight to Japan to compete in the SANIX World Rugby Youth Tournament. After a 10-hour flight, the team and staff touched down in Tokyo, where we would spend the next day sightseeing and shopping in the city centre.

25 April marked the switch from “Tourist Mode” to “Rugby Mode” as the first training session was held at the Tokyo Black Rams facilities, a professional Rugby side.

Following this session, the boys headed to the Tokyo Dome to see one of the most electric games of Baseball we had ever witnessed. Strikeouts, lost wallets, and non-stop cheering from both the home and away fans kept us at the edge of our seats.

The following day, the squad boarded the bullet train for a six-hour journey (at 320 km/h) to Fukuoka, passing the famous landmark of Mount Fuji along the way. Upon our arrival at Global Arena, we were greeted by our energetic interpreter, Tony, who showed us around the campus and would later be crucial in helping captain Charlie Blank understand the questions asked in the post-match interviews.

Our first opponent was the Japanese High School, Iwami Chisuikan. Not long after kick-off, we quickly realised that the speed and defence of the Japanese were not to be underestimated. However, our team secured their first win of 47-12 and reported to Ross Pawson’s blow-up ice bath for immediate recovery.

An extremely quick turnaround saw the men in green and gold return to the field to take on Tokai University Sagami from Kanagawa, Japan. With the game-plan altered slightly because of the slippery conditions, Australia’s representatives carried out a gutsy win of 29 points to 14.

The next day we rested, exploring what Fukuoka city had to offer. In the evening, all teams had to individually perform an act in front of every other team. While we chose the safe option of singing ‘Lean on Me’, many of the Japanese teams somehow found themselves with less clothing on than they had to begin with. I think it is also safe to say that “Gangnam Style” was loved by all.

To round out the pool stage we faced the Chinese Taipei side, where we were victorious with a 39-3 score line. Thanks to Tony’s quick thinking, international conflicts were narrowly avoided after stand-in captain Zac Toole mistakenly addressed our opposition as China in the post-match interview.

On 1 May, we visited Nagasaki’s Atomic Bomb Museum as well as Nagasaki Peace Park. Learning about the impact of such an attack from the Japanese perspective was quite an eye-opening experience for many of the boys. That night, we learnt our semi-final opponent would be Toin Gakuen, another Japanese powerhouse.

In a tightly contested match filled with slick tries and big tackles from both sides, we fell agonisingly short, conceding a try on the bell, 22-29.

Although every person who was part of the College SANIX Squad wanted us to be in the grand final, we got the next best thing… a third place play-off against Southland Boys (NZ). The mini-Bledisloe started with a passionate Haka from the Kiwi boys, although we remained unphased and ready to stand on business. In arguably the team’s best performance of the tournament, we dominated our rivals from across the ditch in a classy fashion, 33-21.

And just like that, the tournament we had spent months preparing for was over in the blink of an eye. The night was filled with bittersweet goodbyes to new friends and some boys rejoicing at the thought of finally sleeping in their own beds. Following a thorough clean of the dorms, we left Global Arena on 6 May for a flight to Tokyo and then to Sydney – where we were greeted by a pack of proud parents.

Thank you to all parents, teachers, and students for their continuing support throughout the tournament. We hope you enjoyed watching us play as much as we enjoyed touring.