Quotes from Clients

De La Salle Palmerstown
“We took twenty five boys from our under 13s to Soustons over the May Bank Holiday week-end. Nigel Osborne put together a great programme that had everyone on the go for the whole week-end. Highlights of the trip included the tour of Biarritz Olympique's ground including the dressing-rooms and gym. We also played their under 13s and it was a good introduction to rugby as they play it in the South of France! We went to see Bayonne play Montpelier in the Top 14 - a great match and a cracking atmosphere. We even managed to fit in a swim on the beach at Biarritz on that action packed day!”

“The facilities in Soustons are fantastic with great rugby pitches, a host of activities on site including sailing and high-wires. And yes the balmy, sunny weather was a welcome change from Ireland. If you want a varied and well run programme that includes rugby, activities and good accommodation in a lovely part of France then look no further that the Rugby and French Centre in Soustons.”

Mick Downey
DLSP Under 13s May 2008

Some recent quotes
“My son Ben attended the camp in the summer 2007. He had an amazing time and couldn’t stop talking about it when he got home. He found all the coaches really friendly and very encouraging and it did wonders for his self esteem both on and off the field. He made lots of new friends and still keeps in touch with many of them. However, the real testament to the great time he had is that he is going back in 2008 !!”

“Thanks so much, our 15 year old who normally is not the most talkative kept us up for 3 hours telling us about his wonderful time at camp. The training sessions, matches and the scandal.”

“Thanks so much, not a day goes by without a mention of soustons, his rugby has come on in leaps and bounds particularily in the contact area.”

“Thanks for the 2nd year in a row you have managed to get a 10 out of 10 from a group of 15 year olds who want to go again next year.”

Various clients 2007

Presentation College Cork
All the boys got home safe and sound, they had a fantastic time and seemed genuinely very impressed with the set up and the quality of the coaching. They are talking about August next year as they will be in competition in September and it would be an excellent pre-season. Thanks again for looking after them so well and hope the rest of the Summer goes smoothly for you.

Parent
Presentation College Cork July 2007

Garryowen U16
Thanks for a superbly organised trip to Biarritz for our U-16 Squad in April last. The organisation of the full trip was second to none and it really bonded the boys for the remainder of the season culminating in the winning of the U-16 Cup. I will be recommending this trip for future Garryowen tours. Best wishes for the the future.

Tom Barry
Garryowen U16.

Shannon RFC
All are in agreement that it was an excellent weekend and that the standard of both coaching and activities were top class.

A really great time was had by all.

I would like to thank Kelvin and you especially for the very hands on approach that was taken in making sure that we all had a great weekend.

John Murray
Shannon RFC Under 16 Tour 2007.

Crescent College Comprehensive S.J.
Our visit to the French Sports and Language Centre, was well worth while on many fronts. The quality of the rugby coaching, team preparation and the individual skills, was excellent, while the extra activities of surfing and sailing were instrumental in developing team spirit. I would recommend the centre to any individualor team who want to progress to the next level in their personal rugby development

W.Dudley Herbert.
Senior Coach Crescent College Comprehensive S.J.
Munster Schools U.18 Head Coach.

CBC Monkstown SCT 2006/7
On behalf of all form the CBC senior cup team who travelled to Soustons this autumn I wish to thank you for the welcome, the excellent coaching from yourself and Kelvin Leahy, the water activities and the game against Biarritz Olympique and all the excellent food and facilities made available to our team. Our senior cup team hope to return again next October.

Pat Fox head coach SCT rugby, vice Principal

Kings School Macclesfield
The pre season u 15 trip to the south of France was a huge success. The French sports and language centre ltd proved to be an excellent venue providing a disciplined environment with groups from various sports combining language lessons, training for their respective sports and a whole range of on site water sports. The discipline of communal regular meals for all groups and the expectation of cleaning up after themselves (including sweeping the floors) set the tone. This was combined with a huge range of fun activities and quality rugby training sessions. We played 2 games against Kings' Ely and against a group of Irish boys .the tour finished on a high when we were guests at a famous rugby restaurant and hotel owned by a former Biarritz player. The walls were adorned with jerseys from players from all around the world. The tour party was addressed by Richard pool Jones (ex Kings' school 1st xv captain) his inspirational speech about his life in rugby and his time at kings hit just the right note. Richard was captain of rugby at kings, played of England schools, England students and the full England xv .he played in 2 varsity games for Cambridge was the youngest barbarian for their centenary match and the first Englishman to play in the French cup final. He played for Biarritz and twice played in the European cup final for Stade Francais. He is now a commentator on French TV and described as the French ‘Gary Linekar’

Andy Rice Head of Rugby, Kings School Macclesfield

Haberdashers Aske’s School, London
Many thanks and congratulations on the wonderful experience you have created for the boys in the South of France. They were delighted with the insight into the country and also with the rugby they played. Special thanks for the extras like the meal at the bon coin and the rugby festival .they are already very keen to organise next year’s trip

C Bass ,Haberdashers Aske’s School, London.

Ballymena
“Thank you very much for everything you did for the lads, they had a brilliant time and want to go back again next year.
Their faces said it all when I met them at the airport.
They are back raring to go and started straight into the Medallion Shield training on Tuesday and of course they are the fittest. There are a few envious boys here in Ballymena and I bet you will have some more recruits next year from here.”

Satisfied Parent

The French Sports and Language Centre Newpark Comprehensive U14’s October 2006
A trip with an U14’s side can pose difficulties no matter where you travel but travelling abroad brings its own extra potential difficulties. However the key is to keep them active all the time and give them plenty of space to do itin.

When we arrived in Bordeaux to a very calm easy to negotiate airport we were extremely well looked after. We travelled on a more than comfortable bus to Soustons where we were whisked very quickly in for dinner. One of the really excellent things about the centre is the routine particularly surrounding meals, because of the space available everyone is fed at the same time every morning, lunch time and evening, therefore preventing any confusion and the boys know exactly when things are happening. The food was well balanced and nutritious with both lunch and dinner being plentiful and out of 30 boys we had no complaints.

We stayed in chalets close to the centre which were warm, comfortable and well contained, we spent most of the day either at the centre or at the beach so it was only in the evenings that we returned here and not usually until after 9pm. The activities during the 4 days really kept the boys focussed and added an extra element, surfing, sailing, canoeing were all great supplements to the rugby.

We played 3 games while there, Biarritz and Crescent Comprehensive School Junior side, it was a fantastic experience for the boys to be playing matches abroad and mingling with players from other areas that they may not get to meet otherwise. The coaching and advice they received was very high quality and they are still talking about it 2 weeks later. This side were enthusiastic already but this enthusiasm has been rejuvenated by their trip.

The situation is beautiful, the weather was good and all of our students developed both their rugby skills and their personal skills too. The French Sports and Language Centre was a very enjoyable experience for all concerned and I am sure we will be returning again.

Morgan Lennon Newpark Comprehensive School Blackrock Co Dublin

Christian Brothers Cork
"On behalf of all from C.B.C. who travelled to Soustons this Autumn I wish to thank you for the welcome. the excellent coaching from yourself and Kelvin, the water activities and the visit to Biarritz Olympique and the food and facilities available to our boys. Our S.C.T hopes to go again next year."

Pat Fox, Christian Brothers Cork

ST ANDREW’S COLLEGE JCT PRESEASON CAMP AT RUGBYANDFRENCH.COM FACILITIES IN SOUSTONS FRANCE.
The camp is ideally located just a short flight from Dublin via either Bilbao or Bordeaux. From the moment we touched down in Bilbao everything was run very efficiently. Transport was always on time throughout our trip which makes traveling with 22 teenagers much more tolerable!

The facilities are superb with dormitories or tents for the players and dormitories for the accompanying coaches that were spotlessly clean with plenty of sheets, pillows and hot water. The food is excellent raging from paella to cous cous to ratatouille with plenty of bread and cheese thrown in. We chose to get our team up at 630am for their first rugby / fitness session. But officially the first session is at 9.30am with another one in the afternoon depending on when the afternoon activity of sailing, surfing, canoeing etc finishes.

All coaching sessions from the very first one on the day of arrival to the last one before departure were conducted professionally keeping the emphasis on skills and performing them in game like situations. Both Nigel Osborne and Billy Davison were excellent in their ability to coach the specific skills we wanted and even after 10 years plus of rugby coaching I learnt a lot of different angles to teaching skills that I will be able to use for the future.

The location in the south of France allowed us to visit Biarritz for some sightseeing and also attend a Leinster vs Dax preseason game. The village of Soustons itself is within easy walking distance of the camp and there is a local shop and a market on the weekends. All in all from this first preseason camp we have had a marvelous experience and it has been ideal preparation for the JCT team. I can’t recommend this camp enough and we are already planning to take our SCT team to Soustons next August. Many thanks Nigel and all at Rugbyandfrench.com for a fantastic start to our season.

David Jones
Head of Rugby St Andrew’s College Dublin

Sevenoaks School
“Absolutely superb week! Very well organised great coaching and facilities. The boys improved massively as a team thanks to the time available to coach and the quality of coaching received. The multi activities that the lads took part in were fantastic and helped the boys develop a good team spirit. I would recomend anyone to go and will hopefully be returning myself in October with our U15.”

Sean Holden Master i/c Rugby, Sevenoaks School.

Wanderers
“Just a brief note of thanks for all the organisation that went into making the lads stay enjoyable and successful in Soustons. The kids really enjoyed the rugby experience and your coaching in particular, I've learnt a lot myself from watching and plan to put it into action at our next session. I wouldn't mind keeping in touch and getting some ideas from you on session planning and improving areas of the team and individual performance as they arise.”

Wanderers U12's Tour

Galwegians
“Everyone had a fab time. The lads that didn't travel were very disapointed. I have pictures and I will send them. The word is, 'it was the best weekend they ever had!' Thank you for everything............Yvonne”

Crescent College Comprehensive j.c.t
“Situated in Soustons near biarritz the rugby and french camp is ideal preparation for a cup team. Run by Nigel Osborne, the facilities are excelllent, he will tailor make a training regime which will suit most teams.There are also high quality games available in this region one of the hotbeds of french rugby.”

Chris Cullinan
Crescent College Comprehensive j.c.t

“M. managed to get selected for the Leinster schools u16s squad this week (as did nJ, who was also on the camp), and although it was just ten days last summer I think you helped enormously in building his confidence, his enjoyment of the game, and his skills level. So thanks”.
Satisfied parent

Craig really enjoyed the trip and would definitely recommend it to others, he made a lot of friends from other schools that he will play against for the next few years. He really appreciated your coaching and drills.
Satisfied parent

Thurles RFC
“The rugby training was out of the top drawer, the relationship that developed between coach and players U14's and U16's was exceptional over a short period of time. I could wax lyrically about this trip, as could the other coaches and the players, actions speak louder that words. We will be returning in 2005.”

Myles Mc Partland,
U14 Coach,Thurles RFC

“He was very impressed with the training and encouragement he received from all the crew. Anytime we spoke to him during the 10 days the words that were repeated time and again were, Brilliant, super, Fantastic, excellent, class!!!. This applied to both the rugby and non rugby activities. I will be recommending your trip to all and sundry with any interest in rugby”.
Satisfied Parent

Harrow School, Middlesex
“Harrow staff and pupils were delighted with the rugby atmosphere in particular and the sporting ambience in general that we found... The coaching sessions were well organised and presented and one was very aware of Tim Horan's influence in the selection of work that was covered. Nigel Osborne and his staff were very professional in delivering just what we required. A few days to get a team gelled together, expose them to new ideas and most importantly have a lot of fun doing it.”

Roger M Uttley OBE, MA Former British and Irish Lions Coach and England Manager and Coach.

“He is now playing on the U-14 'A' Squad. He had a marvellous time in France and said it was the best camp he had ever attended. He is also more enthusiastic about French and has asked to sign up for a night class in the Alliance.Thanks again for looking after him.”
Satisfied Parent