Amazing—it’s a word that is used all too often these days, probably because it’s used when someone cuts some coloured sand with a knife or reviews a cheeseburger for the 10th time from the local fast food chains. I’m sure all of these events, in their own way, are ‘insert adjective here’, but what they are not is amazing. What is amazing is the Noosa Dolphins rugby club, the community that supports it, and most importantly, the people. This is the short story written from the perspective of a coach, a manager, a father, a husband, and one of those people.
I had seen what was involved in fundraising and organising the NZ tour when my oldest son went through a few years ago. He didn’t tour that year for health reasons, but the support we received as a family, from the club, from people, was amazing. The small conversations that people had with me during this time gave the strength that I needed at certain times. Those conversations should never be underestimated, and I’ll use that word again—amazing.
For the 2025 U-15 team, we began fundraising 12 months ago. From a fundraising perspective, I was more or less a blister—turned up when most of the work had already been done. The fundraising committee, made up of mums and dads of the playing group, were fantastic. All of them managed the balance of work, family, life, while at the same time contacting local businesses for donations and sponsorships, organising events and raffles and not succumbing to fundraising fatigue, which is—here comes that word again—amazing. Credit should also be given to all of the local businesses who gave donations and supported the tour. They do not need to do this, but it just shows what a special community we have.
There is an unwritten rule that this tour and the fundraising that goes into it is an opportunity for our boys to grow into young men. Simple things like eye contact with people when selling tickets, being confident when speaking (even when you’re terrified on the inside), turning up on time to events, handling money correctly are all obvious life skills that I feel are falling away in society. This group of boys never failed to surprise me, and I feel have learned a lot over the past 12 months, especially seeing that as a team and with the help of their parents, they can achieve significant financial goals with persistence and hard work.
Like any good story, it needs tragedy, and for us it was our captain, who broke his cheekbone the game prior to us leaving for New Zealand. The way that this young man and his family handled the physical pain, the disappointment of missing the tour, and how he carried himself in the days up to us leaving is an inspiration to all of us.
Before leaving for New Zealand, the club has a sponsors’ evening and send-off. This is an opportunity for the players and families to thank those businesses that have supported the team. It is also an opportunity for the club to instil in the boys what a privilege it is to tour in another country, to represent your community, your club, and yourself while abroad. There is also a big emphasis on making this tour a rite of passage, where boys can mature into young men. This is not about toxic masculinity or to degrade any other virtues that our young men receive from all other parts of the community and their families, but I feel this is very important for boys to understand their roles in the community, to represent themselves, and to be strong leaders.
The tour officially started on Friday 27 June. Twenty players, two coaches, and two dads left the club, bound for Christchurch. We arrived in Christchurch in the early hours of Saturday morning, 2:30am to be precise. Meeting us was Don, our tour leader and absolute legend. Don has led many Noosa Dolphins tours over the years and lived up to his reputation over the tour.
We spent the next two days in Christchurch, went for a swim in freezing water next to the New Brighton Pier, and were honoured to learn a haka and paddle a waka down the Avon.
The Christchurch Rugby Club was founded in 1863. Their club is like a rugby museum, and while I’m sure it’s the Deep Heat, you can literally smell the history. They are, however, seeing a decline in junior rugby participation and general sport participation, something we are seeing here in Australia too. What the cause is, who knows—I have some ideas, but they are not for this story.
The team participated in some training sessions early Sunday from some of the club’s elite coaches. These were excellent. Our time in Christchurch culminated with a match against the Christchurch Rugby Club. To say the boys were nervous was an understatement. After a tough first half, they improved significantly in the second. They lost the match but learned some important lessons.
Tuesday was game day. The team had learned a lot from their first match and training sessions in Christchurch, and you could tell they were much more prepared for this match. Their opposition was Wakatipu High School XV, and the match was played at Jack’s Point. If you have ever been to this part of NZ, you will know what I’m talking about. This area is spectacular with The Remarkables towering over the field and other peaks in the distance, no clouds, blue sky, and warm!
The performance from the team in this match was excellent and kept their opposition scoreless until late in the second half. Excellent defence and ruck work was shown throughout the match. There was precise ball movement from the backs, and a number of short kicks and chips led to tries. Overall, a much better performance against a spirited team who had taken time out of their school holidays, and some sick snow conditions, and in the end, finished up with a solid win.
With game two played, the team had two days of activities and relaxation, and what better place to do it than in Queenstown. The weather was again stunning but at times bitterly cold. Temperatures during the Shotover Jet were below freezing, not that being warm would make those boulders feel any further away and the boats any slower! The boys also had sessions up at the luge, jumped off a bridge at AJ Hackett Bungy, and enjoyed some great food at many of the restaurants in Queenstown.
Friday was our last game day. We travelled to Cromwell to play Cromwell College. On arrival to the college, we were honoured with a traditional Maori welcome. Finally NZ put on some of its renowned weather—cold, grey, wet—to give the team a real playing experience. The performance from the team in this match was again excellent and kept their opposition scoreless. It was tight early with excellent defence again shown and lineout jumping work. Line speed and competition at the breakdown were highlights too. All of these factors led to a number of tries across the board. An excellent way to finish the tour, against a team who had also taken time out of their school holidays.
The last day was a chance to experience Cromwell’s renowned go-karts and paintball. A chance for both players and adults to shoot each other with paintballs is something that shouldn’t be as fun as it is.
We said goodbye to Don—what a legend, what a great tour leader. He has left a mark on all of the tour group. Goodbye to NZ, what a spectacular country. I believe the boys have matured into young men. It was clear to see how much closer they became as a group over the time on tour. That’s not to say there weren’t moments, but that is life, and learning to live with people and compromise is part of it.
We should all be proud of what we did as a community, club, parents, and players to make this tour a possibility and a success. At the end of it, we want our kids to squeeze as much out of life as they can and succeed, whatever that looks like.
