#Trinity60‍

As I wrote my piece for the last magazine, we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the French rugby team, following our selection as a training base for last autumn's Rugby World Cup.

The estates team and groundsmen worked incredibly hard to ensure the pitches were in Twickenham-quality condition. Meanwhile, our newly refurbished Strength and Conditioning Centre, officially opened by Sir Clive Woodward, ensured our training facilities were truly of an international standard.

'Les Bleus' arrived at Trinity on Sunday 13 September, welcomed by a cheering crowd of pupils, parents, and staff. They made full use of the 1st XV pitch, sports hall, pool, fitness suite, Strength and Conditioning Centre, and sports pavilion. They repeatedly commented publicly on the quality of Trinity's facilities (while also finding time to complain about Croydon!). French coach Philippe Saint-André's own words were, "Trinity's pitch is better than the Stade de France!"

The French team repaid Trinity's hospitality by engaging generously with the school community. The highlight of their stay was the open training session, where pupils and parents watched in delight as the players went through their practice routines. Frédéric Michalak kindly gave a one-on-one training session to the 1st XV Captain, Charlie Fatoma, and was interviewed by him for the pupil-run Trinity News programme. (You can view this and other recent news on our monthly video bulletin by typing "Trinity News" into YouTube.)

Philippe Saint-André also came to speak at a Whole School Assembly. In addition, the captain, Thierry Dusautoir, visited some French lessons during the week alongside four of his players. They answered all sorts of questions from pupils and signed a plethora of autographs.

As Director of Rugby Aaron Liffchak said, "We could not have wished for a better team to host."