PSA Academies successfully delivered the first ever Stowmarket RFC underage tour abroad when the squad and parents/supporters recently made the journey to Limerick on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
An action packed itinerary kicked off at 3pm on Friday 6th April when the squad and supporters making the journey met up at the Stowmarket rfC clubhouse, before heading to London Stansted for the Ryanair short hop to Shannon Airport. It was after 10pm before the group arrived at the Strand Hotel and needless to say tired travellers were happy to hit the hay before long.
After a good sleep and hearty Irish breakfast, the Saturday was all about rugby as the squad headed to University of Limerick to face a UL Bohemians side coached by Justin O’Connell, brother of the great Munster Rugby, Ireland and British & Irish Lions second row and captain Paul O’Connell. A tough but good quality match saw the Stowmarket squad acquit themselves well, with lunch going down a treat afterwards. Then the squad got a chance to provide the guard of honour for the Ulster Bank All Ireland League Div 1B tie between Naas RFC (coached by PSA Academies’ Johne Murphy and Johan Taylor) and the host side UL Bohs, who edged proceedings by 29 – 20. The evening included a recovery pool session, dinner in the hotel and a movie night for the squad.
Sunday saw the players make the journey back to the UL all weather pitches for the High Performance Charity Rugby Clinic delivered by RugbyCamps.ie and PSA Academies, with coaches Johne Murphy, Ben Swindlehurst and Rob Cassidy plus Tour Lead and Operations Manager Cory Brown, in support of charity partner UNICEF Ireland. The squad got to mix with 25 local players representing 12 different club or school sides in completing the half day clinic programme that focussed on developing core skills in attack and defence, plus SAQ drills and decision making/teamwork games. After lunch, the players and supporters headed back to the Strand Hotel for a recovery pool session, free time in Limerick and dinner in the Whitehouse Bar, owned & run by ex-Munster & Ireland hooker Damien Varley.
On to Monday and the last day of the trip. After a final breakfast in the Strand Hotel, the party headed to Thomond Park for a high intensity team coaching session with PSA Academies head coach Johne Murphy. The session was followed by a packed lunch and guided tour of Munster Rugby‘s famous home ground, Thomond Park. Then it was back to the Limerick City Centre for a final look around, check out at the Strand and a short trip to Shannon Airport for the delayed and lengthy trip back to Stansted.
As ever, customer feedback is the key measurement of satisfaction and we were delighted to get a 100% NPS for the trip (all survey respondents would highly recommend PSA Academies to their friends, with specific testimonials including;
The PSA Academies Tour was a great experience, with the team and myself learning a lot
My child had a superb time on the trip, with the staff and the programme being excellent. The accommodation and food were outstanding so an all round top trip. He has made memories for a lifetime.
For more information on how PSA Academies and partners can deliver your team’s next high performance tour, at home or abroad, please contact sales@psaacademies.com or call freephone 1800 938772 (IRE) or +44 (0) 1449 742707 (UK).
