Ball Boys Catch World Cup Fever

To coincide with the Rugby World Cup, the International Defence Rugby Competition (IDRC) took place throughout October. The competition pitted twelve military teams, made up of hardened soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines against each other. Teams from across the globe were hosted by the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF for pool matches in Portsmouth, Aldershot and RAF Halton. The final was played at the Stoop - home of Harlequins RFC - between Fiji and the British Army, with Fiji just clinching the win.

The boys from Lower School were invited to be ball boys for some of the pool matches at RAF Halton. Ten pupils were chosen for the task, and headed to the match accompanied by Head of Lower School Mr Paul Jones and Director of Rugby Mr Sam Beckett. The accolade was in recognition of their commitment to rugby at Shiplake so far this term. The pupils helped with the smooth-running of the Tonga vs Georgia, and South Africa vs RAF matches.

Mr Jones commented that ‘the pupils were a credit to Shiplake College, and were entirely professional throughout the day. We were very lucky to witness such high-quality rugby, with several of the military teams featuring full international players. We are extremely grateful to Wing Commander Gordon Ferguson, one of our Lower School parents, for offering us this unique opportunity!’ Year 7 pupil Archie Arnold added: ‘it was a great experience and my favourite part was watching the Tongan Sipi Tau up-close. I’m really happy to have been chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime chance!’