Australia’s Queensland Reds visit Clifton College

We were delighted to welcome the Queensland Reds to Clifton College last weekend to use our facilities as part of their training for their match against Bristol Bears. 

The Super Rugby side have traveled to the UK to play friendlies against the Bears this week before heading to Belfast to take on Ulster the following week. 

The traveling squad made use of our Sports Centre’s gym, weight room, swimming pool and ice baths to acclimatise after their journey from Brisbane. 

A group of the players returned to the College on Friday to use our weights room and made some time to meet with pupils from the Pre-Prep and Prep Schools. The players answered questions from our pupils and even accepted the challenge of a foot race across The Close and allowed a few pupils to try and tackle them to the ground. 

Of the 34-man travelling squad, 17 have represented Australia internationally and will be looking to build on their progress made last year when the Super Rugby Pacific season starts next month. 

Director of Rugby, Matt Salter, said “It was a pleasure to welcome the Queensland Reds to the College. One of the most important lessons we teach our players is that world rugby is a great community, so it’s a privilege to play our part in that and share our facilities with visiting teams. I’d also like to thank them for their time to meet some of our youngest pupils, who I’m sure will remember this for a long time, I wish the Queensland Reds all the best for their tour and the upcoming season.”

Matt Ireton, Head of Athletic Performance, Queensland Reds said “It was great to be able to use the facilities at Clifton College, in what was a crucial recovery session as we acclimatised to new conditions and a new time zone. The College staff went over and above to make us feel welcome and the facilities were perfect for a professional team. Our players were able to personalise their recovery to suit their individual needs, and we’re very grateful to Matt Salter and his staff for making us feel so welcome and aiding our preparation for our match against the Bristol Bears.”