Five reasons your rugby team needs a trip away
It could easily be escape, escape, escape, escape and escape:
It all depends on multiple factors as we all know. Nothing is simple when it comes to life or taking a rugby trip away. The most important factor apart from the multiple factors is the good old fashioned break.
It also helps to rejuvenate and re build team bonding and team leadership. They are the critical factors but they may not necessarily be the prime motivator in the urge to take a trip away.
Destination
Let us consider first of all, a destination. Somewhere that is easily accessible from the Emerald Isle. Wales has got to be top of the list as it is the spiritual home of rugby. While the provincial teams may be hitting a rocky patch, the smaller clubs in the towns and valley’s are thriving. The Welsh are our Gaelic first cousins, so to speak and share our tastes and humour. They would also bite your hand off for a chance to compete against an Irish club team. Most of the rugby teams in this country would have contacts with their Welsh counterparts so setting up a challenge game with a lash of pints afterwards, hotels and transport would be just a formality. Failing that the local IRFU branch would be well capable of steering a club in the right direction. Now that the location has been suggested, let’s get back to the reasons for such a trip. Of course it will have a lot to do with team building, team bonding, team friendship and team development but there are other aspects as well.
Reasons for the Trip
One of the principle reasons, depending on the time of year could be team reward. The season is long and tough and if the team ends up doing well or even winning the division title, then what can be a better team reward than taking the squad to Wales for a game of rugby and a good old knee’s up. It certainly helps pay back for the long torturous hours pushing a scrumage machine around a muddy surface with fellow team mates sweating bricks and ignoring the lashing rain in mid winter.
This is what separates the men from the boys but it also shows the commitment to the team and team building. That type of team bonding and team closeness cannot be purchased off a shelf in a sports store. Most team members would just love and away trip like that to Wales. Both countries are well served by air and sea connections.
Team Rewards
Another reason for a trip away to Wales could just be a thank you for the team that did not set the world on fire but showed great team spirit and drove on hard during the miserable winter months when the option of being coerced in to watching one of the soaps on television from the comfort of the couch often had more appeal. These are the players that deserve that break away. They may not be world beaters but they are the life blood of any club. These are the future of any club. These are the real team players. The team leaders going forward;
Underage teams are not just the present, they are the future. The future players, the future senior teams and the future team leaders. Team leaders in this context does not necessarily mean team rugby players but team leaders in society. Business team leaders, hospital team leaders and political team leaders.
What they learn from team playing will stand to them all through their lives and so arranging a trip to Wales for the underage group will help with their development.
Developing international friendships by taking teams abroad helps to build relationships with people that don’t live in the same parish as us. Also understand how they view life and how they see us in a way that we don’t see ourselves. It goes towards building international team relationships with ultimately bring peace to all.
The final reason, of our five reasons your rugby team needs a trip away. We touched at the top; Escape.
