Forty-five pupils in Years 9 and 10 represented Haberdashers’ Adams on the Hockey & Rugby Tour 2026. Travelling to Spain during the second week of the Easter holiday, the tour spent three nights in Lloret de Mar, north of Barcelona, and 3 nights in Castelldefels, south of Barcelona.
Three teams (U14 XV, U15 XV and U15 XI) played fixtures against Spanish, French and other touring British teams. They were kitted out thanks to our generous sponsors: QA Kitchens, Type Approval Services, Randle Building Solutions, Galliford Try, Clarkes Solicitors and Forge Fitness.
There was time to visit the beach, play padel, mini golf, and go bowling. The pupils also got to explore Barcelona, visit Nou Camp stadium of FC Barca and PortAventura theme park.
Hockey
First up for the hockey team was an evening match against Atletic Terassa Hockey Club. It was a fantastic first match and effort by everyone in the squad to secure a 1-1 draw. Next, they faced Castelldefels Hockey Club. The team worked very hard against experienced opposition. The final score was 4-1 but the team had made significant progress as a team and were happy to finish with a well-worked goal.
Rugby
A mixed rugby team began with a fixture against GEiEG in Girona and then enjoyed watching their 1st XI play.
On Day two, both rugby teams headed across the border to Perpignan, France, for the day. The U14 team enjoyed a training session with USAP while the U15 team played FHLV Perpignan, coming away with a brilliant 55-14 victory.
Back in Spain, the rugby squads enjoyed a training session in Sitges. The U15 team then played the Spanish BUC U16 team winning 17-5 and then suffered a narrow loss against the Northern Rugby Club U15 team from Newcastle. The U14 team finished by securing a convincing win against the BUC U14 team.
On the final day, the group headed into Barcelona to explore Las Ramblas before enjoying a tapas lunch in the heart of the city. This was an opportunity to celebrate the tour and present awards before heading to the airport.
The first international sports tour since 2018 was a great experience for all involved. We now look forward to South Africa 2027.
