Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club’s Colts International Rugby Tournament to Hilversum
On Friday 29 March 2024, a group of 53 tourists including a 23-man playing squad left Birmingham International Airport at 9 20am, to commence their rugby tour to Holland. We arrived at our Centre Parcs location in Zandervoort mid-afternoon to commence a 4 day International Rugby Tournament to Hilversum.
We ended the day holding firmly to our tour pegs, sadly losing two bikes, & we won’t mention the mirror! With some free time, we enjoyed a stroll around the local village taking in the beautiful scenery around Centre Parcs.
Early the next day, we received a warm welcome from Eemland Rugby Club, for our first friendly game.
Eemland Rugby Club was founded in 1977, and has a lovely, green ground, and a welcoming club house. What a way to start our tour!
At the end of the game, Eemland Rugby Club sang to our boys Op den top der blanke duinen.
Such a heartfelt and warming gesture – bedankt Eemland Rugby Club, for your kind hospitality: nothing was too much trouble for you as you welcomed us into your club.
Birmingham Moseley Colts started strongly against a talented Dutch squad with several representative players. Early pressure resulted in a successful 40m penalty to give our Colts a 3-0 lead. Fierce defence on both sides ensured attacks were cancelled out before Moseley’s physicality showed with 3 quick tries scored giving a 22-0 half time score.
Eemland bounced back strongly in the second half with some slick back play and 2 quick tries to pin Moseley back to 22-14. Birmingham Moseley Colts then took control again with 2 further scores before Eemland completed the scoring with a consolation try. Final score Birmingham Moseley Colts 34 – RC Eemland 21.
The fun did not stop there though. We played the wibbly wobbly race after the game, great fun! Eemland RC, we thank you for a great day, great game, and embedding a strong friendship for the tour ahead.
The following day, at 7.30am sharp (except for the Colvin family, late arrivals in the form of Bobafett, Rey and Miles Morales Spiderman, superheroes tut tut!) we headed off to Hilversum to start our International Youth Ruby Festival Tournament at RC Hilversum. Our team of 23 playing legends, and 30 superhero parents & guardians, were joined by Kyan Zetzema & Jasper Smink from Eemland RC who were warmly welcomed to collaborate with Birmingham Moseley Colts, which encapsulated the rugby spirit of both clubs.
Birmingham Moseley Colts arguably had the easier of the 3 first phase groups with matches against Wanstead RFC and RC Groningen from the Netherlands. Our opposition teams played out a 0-0 draw in the first match of the group. Moseley’s first match was against Wanstead and proved to be a one-sided affair with the Colts running out comfortable winners by 24-0. This meant avoiding defeat in the final group game and would see the lads through as group winners. Groningen offered a little more fight but were soundly put away 22-5.
This placed Birmingham Moseley Colts first in the group and in the cup round for the final two matches of the tournament.
Group opposition in the final stages was much tougher and included Hildogs Colts, the Hilversum home team, and Minchinhampton from Gloucestershire. Both had also won their respective groups. In the first match against Hildogs, Birmingham Moseley Colts were on top for long periods of the first half but just could not make the final passes count. Hildogs capitalized twice with some scintillating back play to score 2 tries and take a 12-0 lead close to half time. With time running low, the lads dug deep and ground out a crucial score just before the break to go into half time at 12-5. The second half continued the same way with Birmingham Moseley Colts dominating possession and both forwards and backs making significant ground with physical carries and huge yards made. The home side were unable to hold back the relenting pressure any longer with Birmingham Moseley Colts scoring 2 further tries to run out 15-12 winners.
The final match of the day was against Minchinhampton. Again, knowing a draw would seal the overall title, Birmingham Moseley Colts never held back and went for the jugular!
2 tries in the first half saw the opposition start to wilt as they saw their Cup hopes fading. Birmingham Moseley Colts took full control in the second half with a further 2 tries to run out convincing 19-0 winners. Absolute scenes erupted at the final whistle as 23 Birmingham Moseley Rugby Colts and 30 superhero parents, guardians, club sponsors, and even the Club President ran onto the field to join in the celebrations.
On the day, Birmingham Moseley Colts were top scorers, conceded fewest points and had the top try score.
It must be said, the boys were not only a credit to their parents & guardians, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club, but, more importantly, themselves. Well done lads, we are tremendously proud of you all!
That said any touring team from Britain would not have been the same without some form of dressing up, our 30 superhero parents & guardians, increased to 53 superheroes with Birmingham Moseley Colts turning from rugby playing legends into their superheroes.
Of course, it is not all about rugby, and whilst there were many fun events, a couple must be mentioned.
Following the Hilversum International Rugby Tournament in true tour style court was held. Chaired by our Ministry of Fun, Melvin Byrne, many a superhero was in for a true whipping in every sense of the word. Everyone involved in court rose to the challenge with dignity.
To end the celebrations, we saw our first tour wedding with Shrek marrying the lovely Fiona, married by our own Master of Ceremony, Carl Colvin.
Our final day was spent in Amsterdam, exploring what can only be described as a cultural, warm, and colorful city.
All I can say is what goes on tour stays on tour!
As part of our International Rugby Tour congregation, we were joined by Chairman & President of Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club “it was a very good tour indeed well done the organizers, coaches, parents, hangers on, and especially the team. I will take this opportunity to thank all of you for representing Moseley so very well and setting a very high standard of Rugby and I am sure you will remember it forever. I hope to see you all back at Moseley as soon as possible, when or if you return from College / Uni and to the lads staying with us next year. There is always a place / Team at the club for players and coaches that you can join and enjoy. It takes time to develop, and size & strength are probably the most important things so be patient”.
To end this article, special thanks must be given to:
Craig Bennett & Louise Colvin, for such excellent team management & organization, the tour was seamlessly managed.
Melvin Byrne, Robert Sheldon, Dean Spencer, Will Bassett, Carl Colvin, & Gerard McMahon, who coached the boys throughout the tour, refereed, & managed the line well, and not forgetting our first aider Dawn Feeney.
All the players, coaches, parents, & guardians back home for all their virtual words of support.
To Kyan Zetzema & Jasper Smink of Eemland Rugby Club, for collaborating with Birmingham Moseley Colts. Boys you are a credit to your club, bedankt.
Thank you to all the parents & guardians, for ensuring our boys were well looked after and providing lots of entertainment. And a special thank you to all the mums who worked their way through an enormous amount of washing on return, in record time!
Finally, to Birmingham Mosely Rugby club, for allowing Birmingham Moseley Colts the opportunity to represent our club at the Hilversum International Rugby Tournament wearing the club’s colors with pride.
I speak on behalf of everyone involved in this International Rugby Tournament: boys you did it & have made us all so very proud!
The 23 playing legends in alphabetical order:
Saeed Ahmed Daniel Bassett Harrison Bennett
Noelle Byrne Oliver Coldicott Jaden Colvin
Archie Davies Charles Ebenezer Mason Edwards
Henry Feeney Theo Hall Lewis Heaver
Jack Hogan Oren Jepson JP Kelly
Francis McMahon Callum McRobie Sam Paice
Joseph Pemberton Ben Sheldon Lewis Simpson
Will Simpson Charles Spencer
