Special visitors: Local families billet players

COBOURG - 

It wasn’t your typical local high school rugby game.

For starters, it’s summer and there is no school, but this game was educational for the Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East Comets.

Cobourg East hosted a team from Amman Valley, Wales last Thursday for the third time. The fact that the Welsh squad, from Ysgol Dyffryn Aman school, won by a large margin did not matter. This is a sport they’ve all played since a young age.

“You get really quick on your feet against a team like this because it’s such a high calibre,” said Cobourg East captain Cameron Tinney. “It’s a great experience getting to know their culture and you learn a lot about the game of rugby.”

Visiting players are billeted by the families of the Cobourg East players, which provides that much more of an opportunity for interaction.

“They become really good friends and we keep in touch afterwards for awhile,” said Tinney, who enjoyed the same experience two years ago.

Ceri Rees, the captain of the Welsh visiting team, agreed the experience was much more than just on the rugby pitch. In addition to spending time with the Cobourg players, they also spent time around town, including the beach.

“(People) can’t do enough for you,” Rees said.

Scott Caister, who coaches the Cobourg East Comets with Dean Smith, said the Welsh team was also visiting Lindsay, Ottawa and Brantford during their trip to Ontario. He was pleased to see them back in Cobourg.

“We look forward to it every two years,” he said. “We have a good reputation with the coaches. They know when their kids are billeted out it’s to nice families. It says a lot about the community that they want to keep coming back.”

On the pitch, Caister said his players were sure to benefit from the experience.

“They get to see how the game is supposed to be played,” the coach remarked. “They move the ball faster and it’s a lot smoother game. It’s the kind of game we keep on striving to get to.”

Smith, meanwhile, said he was “extremely proud of how we played.”

jeff.gard@sunmedia.ca

Special visitors: Local families billet players