What a weekend! None of us were quite prepared for what awaited us on tour. After a long drive, we were greeted by perfect sunny weather, hundreds of kids and supporters (which soon became thousands), and all that Butlin’s Minehead had to offer.

While there was plenty of rugby, the highlight was watching the kids (and parents) build friendships both on and off the pitch.

The standard of rugby was much higher than we are used to, but the kids rose to the occasion. They got stuck in and competed toe-to-toe in all their matches, improving game by game despite tired legs and some big knocks.

One of the small things that made me particularly proud was watching the response to players going to ground or getting a knock. Whether it was a teammate or an opponent, there was always a TJs player ready to check on them and offer a hand up. Seeing them play the game so hard yet in such good spirit is a pleasure as a coach.

Thank you to all the parents for taking the time out for the tour, the coaches for doing an outstanding job, and Elsa for all her work behind the scenes to make it happen.