Expressions of interest are now being sought for our Bi-Annual tour to Argentina in February 2014.
In February 2014 HSOB Rugby will be making its 7th tour to South America to compete in the Patagonia Cup. The club has a proud tradition having won the first tournament in 1999 and then again in 2001 and narrowly losing in the final in both 2010 and 2012. Teams from South Africa and Australia compete in the tournament along with 3 or 4 local sides from Bahia Blanca.
The tour will depart around 11th of February and return either 28 February or 1 March 2014. The tournament is held some 600kms south of Buenos Aires and we will be based at Bahia Blanca for 1 week to play the tournament. Either side of the tournament we will spend a few days in Buenos Aires relaxing and enjoying the sights and vibrancy of this magnificent city. While in BA we will stay in hotels and during the tournament players will be billeted with the host club, El Nacional.
We will be looking to take up to 26 players and at this stage the indicative cost will be $2000 per person. The cost of the tour has been impacted by the withdrawal of Aerolineas Argentinas and therefore the airfare costs have increased quite dramatically. There will still be a requirement to raise funds to bridge the gap in funding and by expressing your interest in the tour you need to commit to the fundraising activities. Your own personal spending money is additional to your tour contribution.
The cost per person includes the following:
· Domestic and International Airfares (Travelling LAN Chile)
· Airport Transfers and Taxes
· Tour clothing and apparel
· Buenos Aires City tour
· Bus transport to training venue in BA
· 4 night’s accommodation in a 4 star hotel in BA
· Bus to and from BA to Bahia Blanca
· Billeting for 1 week with host families
Expressions of interest close on 10 March 2013. To be considered you need to email Ken Pope on kandrpope@xtra.co.nz confirming your contact details, player position(s) and age. This is the only way you can register your interest for the tour.
A team will be selected by the coaching staff Craig (Paddy) Blanchfield and Jeremy Griffiths and will be announced in the first week of the season opening. Our aim is to select a team that is capable of winning the tournament.
Important:
You will be committing one (1) year out from the tour and things can change over that time so you need to be committed 100%. A deposit of $200 will be required within 1 month of being selected. This is non-refundable. History tells us that we have 7-8 players drop out of the original selections so please be sure before expressing your interest that you have lined up your finances, leave and work commitments.