After plenty of organisation from the Tour Committee, and in particular the Moleman, we met at 6am ready for what was set to be an epic weekend. Couple of late arrivals… obligatory chop your drink! By the time we arrived at the “Bryan”, all tourists were suitably warmed up… with the exception of one who decided it was a sprint and not a marathon! Smooth ferry crossing, more alcohol consumed and we had arrived at Dendermonde. Dump the bags, quick change, and out for the first night of activities.

With so many “tour virgins” in our midst, it was going to be an all new experience… that I think nobody will ever forget. Court session completed with the aforementioned sprinter bearing the brunt of Court Master Simpson’s wrath! Then representing WSM RFC in true fashion we set about the task of trying to drink the bars dry and make sure everyone knew we had arrived…

Saturday 23rd
Plenty of very bleary eyes and sore heads from the night before, we all met for the obligatory breakfast at 8am. Next up was the rugby… had we really come here to play??!

First up were the Moore Stephens Lions from Belgium. Warming up and looking like a true rugby outfit in comparison to our bunch of reprobates, we felt an early exit was on the cards. Cue the first scrum, which with a specialist front 5 we reversed the poor unsuspecting Belgians at a rate of knots! Good all round performance by the lads to open the account with a 40-5 win.

Next was Orlowo Terror from Poland who had already managed to lose 5 players to injury. In sporting fashion we leant them a number of players to fulfil the fixture. Great spirit shown by all and eventual winners 20-5. It was fantastic to see the celebrations as their captain crossed for a try towards the end of the game. Also a certain Moleman was already winning the hearts and minds of the crowd with a big swan dive try and celebratory bow to his adoring fans!

Final game of the day, and the decider against French team Roubaix. We started strong, but were making basic errors allowing the opposition back into the game. Eventual winners 15-10 and progressing to the knockout stages, with a certain female referee who was clearly a fan of our play!

The lads had all played well and initiation ensued… that’s all that needs to be said about that! However, this time the sprinter was late… blasphemous behaviour! We all changed into our various Oriental costumes for another night of drinking and frolics! By this time the rumour had got around about our playing and drinking prowess!

Sunday 24th
Round 2 of bleary eyes and sore heads… but could we actually win this thing?? Glorious weather all day, and first up were Sivvy’s Stags who’d been giving it the big one the night before about the strength of their scrum. What ensued for the first half can only be described as Champagne rugby. Seven tries in 10 minutes, and Sivvy’s were out of sight. 45-0 the final score.

Next up were Falents, a physical and talented group of Irishmen who we duly had a sing off with later that evening. Father Abraham went down a storm! Tough encounter and we won 15-5. On to the semi finals we march.

Being played away from our favoured Pitch 1 we had what proved to be our toughest test. A very bitty game littered with penalties… but eventual 5-0 winners. Men’s Beer Cup Final 2015 here we come.

Here we faced a strong French team Pays de Meaux in front of a packed crowd of circa 4000, being played live on the big screen as well. Superb ball retention and skill prevailed in what was a very entertaining final. The crowd showing their clear love for Weston’s number 2… and he signed off with a trademark swan dive try to his adoring masses and seal a 25-10 victory!

Time to celebrate!! Tour shirts on – big thanks to our main sponsor The Loft and others including IEWC, Thatchers, Freak Events and Reko for all your generous donations towards our tour. We partied hard into the night lapping up the recognition from everyone there about our approach to the whole tournament, rugby and drinking alike!

Also, a special mention to Tom “Moley” Wheatley for collecting the Men’s Player of the Tournament award. Fully deserved and the icing on the cake for an epic weekend.

Monday 25th
Leaving day. We packed our stuff, got picked up by Tim and headed for Calais. There was a sombre and quiet atmosphere, with all tourists contemplating the part they had played in making the weekend such a success. I’d like to personally thank everyone, but you all know who you are. Now back to reality I’m pretty sure we have a number of very weary men (and woman) going through the motions of day to day life… oh how we all miss Flanders!!

Looking forward to next year with a return to Flanders, and hopefully a team in each of the different men’s competitions – Cup, Beer Cup, Vets. I’m confident we already have 26 tourists again, and I’m sure the rest of WSM RFC will want to partake in what could become a fantastic annual trip.

#YesWest