Grafton High to host English school"s rugby and hockey teams

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grafton high,

hockey,

rugby union,

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Rhys Hambly looks on as Josh Woods and Brodie Boorman lift Kyle Pera skywards in preparation for today’s rugby union match. Photo JoJo Newby / The Daily Examiner


THE United Kingdom may have had the wood on our national teams lately, but our local high schools are willing and ready to buck that trend today.






 






With the pain of defeats in the British and Irish Lions Tour and the first Ashes Test still fresh in Australian minds, England’s Wirral Grammar School are on a mission to keep British feet firmly on our throats.






They have sent three teams on the long trip from the Motherland to the Clarence Valley in search of more glory, but this is where their run of success will stop if Grafton High School have anything to do with it.






They will meet the English challenge head-on at Grafton High’s hallowed turf, with teacher Craig Howe leading the under-16s and opens teams with his trusty clipboard.






Howe said it was more than just a game of rugby for both schools, as his teams eagerly seek to restore some great Australian pride.






“It is a great experience for the kids,” Howe said. “We call it an international game for the kids so it’s a lot of fun for them.






“It’s more than a game of rugby, though. The Grafton kids get to play an international game of footy and spend time with other kids their age from the other side of the world.






“The Wirral School boys are out here to see Australia as well.”






The schoolboy Ashes-style matches will not be won or lost only on Grafton High’s footy field though, with McAuley Catholic College and South Grafton High School also getting involved.






Wirral and Grafton will also meet on the hockey field this afternoon, while a barbecue after the rugby game will give both sides another chance to trade tales.






“We have a few boys from South High helping us out and McAuley are playing a game against them tomorrow morning as well,” Howe said.






“If we had more time, it would’ve been good to get the other schools involved in a bigger capacity but that could be something for future.






“Teams from the two schools will play hockey over at the fields in the afternoon as well.”







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Grafton High to host English school"s rugby and hockey teams