Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD
Providing our students with the supports, tools, and diverse opportunities needed to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world
- Kenmore Town of Tonawanda UFSD
- Overview
Rugby Team Explores History, Culture & Rugby in Wales
For 21 rugby players from the Ken-Ton School District, it was the trip of a lifetime: seven days in an area of the world where the sport first originated.
During spring recess, rugby coach Bill Conrad and Kenmore East football coach Pat Veltri accompanied 21 players from the Kenmore Rugby Club and nine parent chaperones on a journey to Wales, including several locations that are significant in the history of rugby.
Wales is a nation of the United Kingdom with a distinct cultural identity to that of the rest of Great Britain. The trip not only allowed students to experience a new culture and access historical sites dating back to the medieval era and beyond; it also allowed them to grow as individuals, build comradery as a team, and explore the rich traditions and history of the sport of rugby.
The team departed Kenmore West High School after school on Thursday, April 18, the last day before spring recess. They arrived in London on Friday, April 19 and had the opportunity to tour the city before traveling to Bridgend, a historic town of approximately 40,000 people in southern Wales.
The team visits Morganstone Brewery Field to watch a match between the Bridgend Ravens and the North Walians RGC, two professional rugby teams
On Saturday, April 20, the team had the opportunity to watch an exciting rugby match between the Bridgend Ravens and the North Walians RGC, two professional rugby teams which compete in the Welsh Premier Division. The students proudly displayed a Town of Tonawanda banner during the game at Morganstone Brewery Field, the local rugby ground which is home to the Bridgend Ravens. The students trained with professional Welsh players while in Bridgend followed by a hard-fought match against the Bridgend College Rugby Academy team.
On Monday, April 22, the team departed Bridgend for Brecon, another historic town in central Wales. They spent a couple of days at Christ College, the oldest school in Wales founded in 1541 by Henry VIII and one of the top-ranked institutions of its kind in the U.K. The following day, the Kenmore team played a match against the school’s rugby program which has produced many semi-professional and professional rugby players throughout the U.K.
The team competes against the Christ College rugby team in Brecon
Wednesday, April 24 saw the team in Cardiff, the capital and largest city in Wales, where they had the chance to tour the iconic Principality Stadium, which was constructed for the 1999 Rugby World Cup and is home to the national rugby team of Wales. They met their hosts from Bro Edyrn, a Welsh-speaking secondary school in Cardiff. They also played an impromptu basketball game against the Bro Edyrn basketball team which ended in a tie, 32-32.
The team visits Principality Stadium in Cardiff
The next day, they played their final rugby match of the trip falling 22-26, barely edged out by Bro Edyrn’s rugby team at Cardiff Arms Park, a historic rugby stadium that was the previous home of the Wales national rugby team.
The team plays Bro Edyrne's basketball team, which ended in a tie
The team plays Bro Edyrne's rugby team
Before departing, they toured Cardiff Castle, an 11th Century fortification in the center of Cardiff, including World War II-era tunnels and air raid shelters built underground.
The team visits Cardiff Castle
The overseas trip was the result of meticulous planning which began in August, and it would not have been possible without the support of the students’ families, sponsors, and their hosts in Bridgend, Brecon, and Cardiff.
“We took a group of boys, a majority of whom had two years or less experience, and brought them to Wales to play a considerably higher standard of rugby,” Conrad said. “We watched our players evolve on and off the pitch, and we look forward to what lies ahead of us.”
Rugby is a club sport with more than 30 players from Kenmore East High School and Kenmore West High School spanning Grades 8-12. The team has a distinguished history going back to 2004 including numerous appearances in the division championships and New York State semifinals, with many Kenmore players going on to compete at the college level and beyond.
The team competes in the West Division of Rugby NY, the official New York State high school rugby association recognized by USA Rugby. To learn more, visit kenmorerugbyclub.org.