For two Merritt teenagers, a recent 15-day visit to the United Kingdom will be an experience they will savour for a lifetime.
The pair — Michael Peterson and Paz Morrison-Rainville — were part of a rugby tour to England and Wales organized by the Kamloops Rugby Club for its Raiders junior team.
The two-week trip in March of this year included four games against British club and school sides as well as a host of sightseeing and cultural opportunities.
“It’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” said 17-year-old Peterson, a Grade 12 student at Merritt Secondary School and a member of the school’s senior boys rugby team.
“It was my first time travelling overseas,” added Panther teammate Morrison-Rainville, 16 years old and in Grade 11 at MSS. “It was the most amazing trip.”
Both Peterson and Morrison-Rainville have been part of the KRC’s junior program for more than a year now.
Morrison-Rainville was one of four Merritt players who joined the Kamloops Raiders junior rugby team last spring on a YMCA exchange trip to Ottawa.
Both trips were organized by Raiders coach Trevor Johnston, who welcomes the involvement of Merritt players.
“The boys we’ve had come up from Merritt have been terrific,” said Johnston. “They’re fine young men.”
The rest of the Raiders’ junior team is comprised of athletes from four different Kamloops school. The majority of the players are 16 to 17 years of age, with one 18-year-old and two 15-year-olds.
The head coach of the junior program at KRC said planning for the trip to England and Wales started quite late — not until this past November.
“It all came together rather quickly. We trained indoors twice a week right through the winter at different Kamloops schools. We didn’t get on a field outside at all until we landed in England.”
After busing to Vancouver and flying directly to London, the 30-member Raiders squad made their way to Birmingham for their first game — against the Sutton Coldfield Greens, a club side. Amazingly, the Kamloops team pulled off a victory, 15-14.
“It was a great start for our team,” said Johnston. “The boys’ sheer enthusiasm is what did it. The whole group always wants success and they just feed off each other. They aren’t satisfied with being second best.”
“We came out hard, and just kept pushing throughout the game,” said Morrison-Rainville who played flanker in the forward group throughout the tour.
The Kamloops team made their way to Pontypool, Wales for their second match — against another club team, New Panteg. They were blanked 10-0.
“They were a last-minute replacement when our original hosts pulled out,” said Johnston. “They were a big squad with four or five boys who were 19 years old. They were the difference in the game. They were stronger and had more rugby sense.”
“They were tough to play,” said Peterson. “It blew our minds that we couldn’t score against them. Every time we broke through their line, there was always someone else there to make a tackle.”
The visit to Wales was made all the more memorable by the last-minute accommodation that was arranged for the visiting Kamloops team.
“They didn’t have time to organize billets, so our entire group ended up staying in one room of their clubhouse – all 29 of us. It was interesting to say the least,” said Johnston.
The visitors from Canada returned to England for two memorable games against prominent school teams. The first was Bancroft’s School, an independent co-ed institution located in Woodford Green (Greater London).
The Kamloops Raiders junior rugby team takes time out for a picture at historic Bancroft’s School in Greater London. Photo submitted
Founded in 1737, Bancroft’s beautiful grounds, venerable buildings and hallowed halls were actually considered for the setting of the Harry Potter films.
“We ended up losing to them 19-7,” said Johnston. “The Bancroft’s coach held a training session with our boys in the morning and really sold them on how good they were, and how they were going to steamroll over his lads. I think our players got the feeling that all they had to do was show up and they’d win. Well, they didn’t. It was a good lesson for our players in rugby strategy and gamesmanship.”
The Raiders’ final match was against Campion, another Greater London school and the number-one state side in England.
“Their rugby program is very good,” said Johnston. “Last year, they toured Singapore and New Zealand. Next year, they’re going to South Africa.”
Johnston went on to say that the Kamloops-Campion contest was constructed to be an “exhibition-friendly” in every sense of the word.
“It was our last game, and I wanted all our team to get plenty of playing time. So, as coaches, we decided to basically break the match into two separate games with lots of substitutions. They ended up beating us 19-5 and then 21-5. It was a good result for us when you consider that they toured Canada two years ago and beat an Alberta rep team by over 80 points.”
Despite a 1-3 record, the Merritt boys were more than happy with their team’s effort in all the games.
“The competition was really stiff, but I think that we held our ground,” said Peterson, who will move in from his fullback position with the Raiders to play either scrum half or fly half with his MSS team.
The Raiders’ time in England wasn’t all comprised of “punishment on the pitch.” The Canadian contingent took in plenty of sights, including Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Piccadilly Square and the British Parliament Buildings. In Wales, they toured Caerphilly Castle and the Big Pit Coal Mine.
“It was awesome,” said Peterson. “I think my favorite thing was St. Paul’s Cathedral, with all the incredible artwork.”
Peterson also enjoyed the London Eye — a humongous enclosed ferris wheel built for the Millenium celebrations in 2000.
“It was cool,” he said. “It gave you an amazing view of London from a different perspective.”
The boys also took in a pair of high-level rugby matches. First was Scotland versus Wales in an international friendly, followed by the Harlequins against the Saracens in an elite-level club contest in front of 83,000 people at the world-famous Wembley Stadium.
Morrison-Rainville found the billeting with families to be incredibly meaningful and rewarding.
“I think it was the best part of the trip,” he said. “You really got to learn a lot about their culture.”
Food was a real eye-opener for both Merritt boys.
“Lots of beans,” Morrison-Rainville said with a laugh, “even for breakfast!”
By the end of the tour, Johnston conceded that his young crew was exhausted.
“I don’t think that the boys were prepared for the amount of walking that we did, and the amount of travelling by planes, trains and automobiles. It really wore them out. And, of course, they wanted to have their fun, too. It all took its toll. By the end, I think they were all glad they were coming home…for a rest.”
Peterson and Morrison-Rainville’s involvement in Raiders’ rugby is not finished just yet.
“In July, Bancroft’s School is paying a return visit to play us,” said Johnston, “and a Scottish touring team has also contacted me about playing a game in August.”
Johnston welcomes the Merritt boys’ continued participation.
“Both boys couldn’t be better ambassadors for Merritt. They’re wonderful lads. I’d take those kids anywhere.”
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Paz Morrison-Rainville received a $1,000 bursary from the Chris McGoon Memorial Fund to help with the expenses of his trip.
The CMMF has been set up to honour the former Merritt Secondary School student and athlete who passed away suddenly in 2004.
Each year, Chris’s friends and classmates from MSS, along with family members, get together for the John Wayne Classic golf tournament to raise funds for the educational needs of Chris’s daughter, Neveah, and to provide financial assistance to worthy student-athletes at Merritt Secondary.
“It was a real miracle to be able to go, and experience a trip that I will never forget. My family and I thank the Chris McGoon Fund and everyone else for their tremendous support and help.”
– Paz Morrison-Rainville
