Page 78 - All Shapes & Zebras From Treorchy

In a book dedicated to amateur rugby, T should stand for Tour. But, we all know the old adage: “What goes on tour, stays on tour.” This phrase is enough to make even the most tolerant of rugby wives (or husbands) roll their eyes and shake their heads but it’s worth noting a few things...
At worst, some hear the phrase and assume that all rugby tourists are paralytic, loutish adulterers, like men possessed who have been given 48 hours freedom from the wife and kids. This isn’t the case, although, naturally, paralytic, loutish rugby tour adulterers do exist but like I said, what goes on tour...
In reality though, “What goes on tour, stays on tour,” encapsulates that things done on a rugby tour belong just there. Stories of tours may be funny, bizarre, confusing or unique. Some may be all of those things. Recounting and relating stories and tales of hijinks and general nonsense to people who weren’t there on tour seldom goes well and it’s a classic case of “you had to be there.”
A better writer than myself may be able to recount tall tales from rugby tours past but I suspect they’d do well to do the stories the full justice that they deserve. Monochrome words on a page would in all probability fail to convey the joy of such colourful times. Admittedly, some of the things rugby teams get up to on away trips would come across as puerile and banal in the extreme when printed. But, when you’re there in the moment, watching the events unfold before your very eyes, memories are created that will last a lifetime, vivid enough to survive through the haziest of hangovers. It goes without saying that on rugby tours, the bonds between teammates and friends are strengthened and forged even stronger by such trips.
76 ALL SHAPES & ZEBRAS FROM TREORCHY