Page 79 - All Shapes & Zebras From Treorchy
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Nonetheless, naturally, ‘T’ can’t stand for ‘Tour’ here. Instead, how about ‘Travel’? Naturally, by touring, teams will travel far and wide. Seaside spots in the UK are always a popular choice, and as time goes on amateur teams seem to be going further afield. In the past it was commonplace for teams to follow the Five – and then Six – Nations schedule, coinciding a tour with a full blooded international. But today, clubs launch excursions into far flung reaches of Europe, the US and Canada – and Lions Tours, on their four year cycle to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, still remain the Holy Grail of the rugby trip. But the truth is, rugby players only need to leave their home village, town or city aboard a coach filled with alcohol to get those familiar tour-like feelings coursing through their veins.
“Much of their knowledge concerning the geography and topography of the South Wales valleys will not have been gleaned from the pages of a textbook... it will have been formed from coach trips or ‘satnav’ directed journeys to various rugby clubs... ”
ALL SHAPES & ZEBRAS FROM TREORCHY 77
