All Blacks not left blue despite defeat on the Danube

After a long and hard-fought domestic season, Gosford All Blacks made their way East for their traditional post-season tour. This year was a truly international tour with the All Blacks touring party taking in two of the most beautiful and historic cities on the Danube – Vienna and Bratislava.

In order to shake off the early flight from Luton, the tourists headed to the Prater park – famous for its enormous Ferris Wheel (familiar to film buffs due to the Third Man) – for a leisurely wander and a balanced meal. A team meeting followed where roles and responsibilities were allocated, the players and support staff appraised of the task in hand for such a ground-breaking tour.

Having allowed lunch to settle, the playing squad went to the Augarten park for the Captain’s Run training and light touch rugby session in the shadow of Gefechtsturm Augarten to sharpen the ball skills in time for the weekend. This was followed by a team bonding session in the form of a sing-song before an early night.

The journey up the Danube to Bratislava was so uneventful as to barely warrant mention, though there were rumours in the local press the next day of a band of handsome pirates aboard a ship heading downstream, a crocodile on the loose near Vienna, along with Mermaids and giant parrots. Needless to say none of the side saw any of this.

The tour committee had organised some more team building exercises on arrival in the historic city of Bratislava. This came in the form of an engineering challenge – the conveyance of liquid through a series of connected drinking straws over an obstacle course. Before this experiment could show success there was an unfortunate intervention from a local health & safety busy body. An extensive board session was held in a local ‘conference centre’ with some very frank exchanges of views among some players, at times some more senior members of the party may have seemed judgemental, but team spirit was maintained throughout…

Having booked into the plush accommodation, local cuisine was sampled before another early night.

Fresh-faced, having enjoyed a balanced breakfast and luncheon, the squad and extensive backroom staff headed to RK Slovan’s out of town ground.

The side were hit by the last minute withdrawal of lynchpin number 8 and club stalwart, Liam Beesley who’s knee injury flared up. Bullocking centre Merlin Llewellyn-Pratt passed a last minute fitness test to be included in the starting XV, which was skippered by senior squad prop, Myles Selvey. The ‘development’ side fielded by Gosford included a number of guest players and a 45 year age range – Luke Newton at 21 was youngest, Bill Faulkner at 66 the eldest (joined by cameo appearances from Vince Scully and Stephen Longthorp in the over-50 club).

The match proved to be a feast of running rugby, played under a scorching spring sun. The opponents, RK Slovan, fielding a development side themselves as key players were rested ahead of the next day’s key league match, began in efficient and uncompromising style, soon establishing a lead – taking advantage of the optional approach to defence favoured by some GAB players. However, mid-way through the first half tourists seemed to shake themselves from their torpor (despite the excellent preparation, there seemed to be a few sore heads in the side for some reason).

Centre and GAB player of tour, Ben Bodinham took the ball well inside his own half and galloped through the despairing Slovan defence like a true thoroughbred to touch down. The conversion was struck in style by fly half Bill Smith – again using tour to try out an experimental scrum-cap – this time from Panama. Indeed, so well-dressed was the tourists’ number 10 that you’d be forgiven for thinking he was actually wearing a blazer whilst taking the kick. Bodinham was soon over the whitewash again after latching onto a zinger of a pass from Welsh pocket rocket Merlin Llewellyn-Pratt whose bustling performance in the midfield was very close to a man of the match performance. Slovan were ahead as the sides turned around, but only just.

In the second half, the hosts found an extra couple of gears and played some lovely, expansive rugby, their beared scrum half literally played with a smile on his face as Slovan took advantage of some ‘voluntary’ defending, and a slapstick approach to dealing with the high ball. The Slovakian side got the game in a vice-like grip which they would not loosen. GAB however, refused to be cowed and ran in three more tries – a hat-trick score for Bodinham; a remarkable mazy run (Phil Bennett meets Roadrunner) from Tim Ellis yielded a score out wide (Myles Selvey missed the conversion), and Welsh Wizard Merlin barrelled over for the last GAB score which Andrew Dubowski converted in typically judgemental style.

RK Slovan ran out deserved winners of a match played in great spirit and with a slight injury to one member of the touring party, which did require stiches…

The Gosford All Blacks touring side were very well looked after by the hosts, with a pint of exceedingly well-chilled local beer and a barbecue. Thanks to all the SK Slovan team for organising a fantastic afternoon, both players and support staff. Club ties and shirts were awarded to the men of the match and captains in customary style. The touring party then returned to the historic city of Bratislava by coach for some local cuisine and a night at the opera.