A once-in-a-school-lifetime adventure has landed Nudgee College in Johannesburg for the St John's College Easter Rugby Festival.
In all, 40 boys in Opens and Under-16s will joust with some of the best schoolboy rugby teams in South Africa.
School BBQs, selling raffle tickets, coaxing jersey sponsors and other fund-raising ventures have helped make this possible with two years of planning.
The First XV standard-bearers in GPS rugby will get a tough test against Grey College and Hilton College at the festival before a second stop in Cape Town for further games.
Forwards Aiden Luke, Denver Bradford, Jack Burton, Xavier Hill and Harrison McIver plus sharp-moving backs Chilli Tonelli-Smith, Billy Spicer and Pierre Poluleuligaga are just some of the leading Nudgee players with recent experience in Queensland Reds under-age teams.
For Nudgee College Director of Rugby Sean Graham, the excitement for the tour is on multiple levels.
"We've had boys sign on for this two years ago so there's been a lot of planning, fund-raising and anticipation," Graham said.
"Sometimes you do get caught up in your own bubble so this is a great opportunity for the college to spread its wings.
"The chance to play against different styles of play, against some of the best schoolboys in South Africa and gain more perspective on rugby and life in a different country are important things in my view.
"We know we are in for tough games but that's the variety and challenge we are up for."
It's also a full circle moment for teacher-cum-coach Corey Braithwaite, a player when Nudgee College attended the same festival in 2006.
The tour is another layer to the rugby education that Nudgee College is embracing.
The annual Youth Rugby Coaches Forum in January is a trendsetter in Australia.
"It's a proud direction for Nudgee College when you can gather more than 300 coaches from schools and clubs across the country," Graham said.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt was a headliner at the event in 2025. Queensland Reds Head Coach Les Kiss, Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron and long-time ACT Brumbies and Wallabies mentor Laurie Fisher have also attended over the years.
The world-class two-day program features presentations from coaches, on-field demonstrations and much more. Discounts for certain regional Queensland coaches to attend is an opportunity that spreads the expertise even wider.
"Joe did some on field coaching and boys couldn't believe how good he was in remembering names inside 10 minutes and providing individual feedback with players," Graham recounted.
"I think a big takeaway has been the care-and-connection that coaching groups need to make with players because it's not just about wins and losses," Graham said.
Queensland Reds assistant coach Zane Hilton has been a regular contributor and advocate of the Youth Rugby Coaches Forum.
"You can't just replicate how a senior team is coached with a junior team," Hilton said.
"There is a certain way to deliver skill acquisition and develop younger players. To have all these youth coaches talking to each other, sharing knowledge and building the coaching network is huge.
"They are all guiding kids of similar ages so the 'how' to do it, as much as the 'what', is so important."
