Friday morning, 25 April – ANZAC Day

Just arrived in London after what has been an enjoyable Scottish experience. The last two days were spent in Galashiels, very close to the village of Melrose where we watched the Sevens competition at the start of the tour.
We were again treated to excellent hospitality by the Gala Team, with the boys quickly establishing new friendships. The Gala boys are now very keen to fundraise for their own overseas tour.
Wednesday saw us travel to Galashiels through Newcastle. We had a stop in Newcastle where the boys saw the impressive bridges over the river Tyne and had a chance to unwind and look around the shops.
After lunch we made our way into the scenic Scottish Borders region. We had an important stop at the border for photo opportunities and a chance for Mr Leslie to finally feel relaxed and at ease after three days in England.
Thursday saw us drive to the village of Pebbles for a look around and a swim, before heading back to Galashiels to prepare for the game.
The boys went into the game ready to finish the tour off on a strong note. However, the Gala team was very impressive and put took us to task in the early part of the game. They had strengths all over the field and dominated the first twenty minutes scoring two well executed tries. The All Saints boys regained composure and fought their way back into the game, demonstrating the improvements they have made on tour. The forward pack was able to get on top of the Gala boys out rucking them and giving the backs some good opportunities. Only excellent defence stopped us from scoring.
After half time the boys continued to play well particularly around the ruck. Some good strong running from the backs allowed good metres to be gained, however, the well organised Gala defence was able to hold out our attack. Gala went on to score a couple of tries before we hit back with our own.
Gala were the strongest team we had played on tour and boys did themselves proud by remaining in the match and committing themselves right up to the final whistle.
The improvement in skill will definitely benefit the boys as they return to play in Australia. Their attitude to training and commitment in games augers well for the future of Rugby at All Saints. The coaching staff has been most impressed with the manner in which the boys have conducted themselves on the field.
After the match we were again treated to good Scottish hospitality and well fed by the parents at Gala. We really appreciate all the efforts of every billet family, rugby supporter, club and school that has helped us during our tour.
An early start out of Galashiels saw a smooth run to Edinburgh airport but sadly we said goodbye to our legendary bus driver, Aaron. (we are now Celtic converts) I have never seen a more nervous wait for baggage at Stanstead terminal nor such joy when all bags were received.
Now on to the final leg of the tour and the sites of London.....

We had a lunch stop at St Paul's Cathedral after our driver give us a short Tour of some sights on the way. From there, we drove to the Houses of Parliament and had opportunities to take some photos and video. Our main objective of the afternoon was the 'flight' on the London Eye. We were met Mr Leslie's brother who has lived in London for some years and was able to point out various landmarks from our pod. The weather was good enough to see right to the horizon, it was magnificent.

After leaving the Eye, we stopped the bus 'round the corner' from Liz's place. We walked round in front of her house, where we had a photo taken - as seen on blog.

Tomorrow, we have a big day of sightseeing, followed in the evening by our Tour Dinner.