Standing Tall Read online

  ‘Enjoying it?’ Mick asked at one point.

  Daniel just smiled in response. But the comments kept coming. They were sometimes about Izzy, sometimes about Daniel and his teammates. Sometimes they were whispered, sometimes yelled.

  ‘Our coach has way more experience than yours,’ Mick taunted. ‘He’s no flash in the pan – he used to be a real star.’

  He’s just jealous, Daniel told himself over and over again. But by doing so he lost his focus. Once Valley had finally made good field position, Daniel received the ball and dropped it forward. It was a knock-on.

  Mick laughed and pointed at Daniel. ‘Some captain!’

  Daniel clenched his fists. ‘Are you here to play the game or to just put us off ours?’ he yelled. But this just made Mick laugh harder.

  The scrum formed and South Shore won it. Daniel got himself into position. He knew Mick was about to receive the ball from their scrum-half. Daniel wanted to tackle him – and hard.

  He snapped off his position and flew towards the opposing captain. In the microseconds before his tackle landed, Daniel’s mind scanned its stores of knowledge for everything he had ever learnt about tackling – approach side-on, go for the body first, watch your posture. When his body clashed with Mick’s, there was little chance of injury and every chance of success.

  But Mick was too big and too strong. It felt like tackling a wall – a moving wall that grunted and then turned and laughed as it powered towards the tryline.

  On the ground, with dirt on his face and feeling as if he’d just been run over by a steam roller, Daniel looked up. He saw TJ, Valley’s last line of defence, bounce off Mick like a balloon. Daniel closed his eyes and hung his head. He wished it was all over. He wished he could hide. He wished he’d never even come on the tour.

  ‘We did it! We did it!’ Jake shouted once they made it to the change rooms after the game. ‘We’re in the finals!’

  That should have been the cue for everyone to start shouting and stomping. An announcement like that was supposed to get the room bubbling over with energy, but the only cheering Sione could hear was coming from the South Shore change room next door.

  South Shore had made Sione feel like a kid who didn’t even know how to play rugby. After losing by fourteen points, he certainly didn’t feel like he belonged on a rep team. Sione could think of hundreds of ways he could have played better. He slumped in the corner of the room, trying his best not to think about the fact his family had watched the game.

  ‘You should be happy,’ Jake said, thumping him on the back. ‘Come on, everyone – we’re in the finals!’

  But, like the others, Sione wasn’t ready to shout and stamp. He had to think this through.

  Izzy and Jeremy walked into the room carrying the team’s gear. The silence hung heavy in the air.

  ‘I know it’s hard, guys,’ Izzy said, dropping a bag of balls on the floor. ‘It feels terrible to lose. But I am proud of you. You all did your best and you deserve your spot in the semis.’

  ‘Wait, so what Jake is saying is true?’ Daniel asked.

  Izzy nodded. ‘We came second in our group of four. The top two teams from each group make the semis.’

  ‘Just don’t tell me we have to play them again,’ said Adam.

  Izzy shook his head. ‘We play a team from the other group.’

  ‘But if we make the Grand Final we’ll have to play South Shore again, won’t we?’ Daniel said.

  ‘Yes,’ Izzy replied. ‘You’ll have to play them if they win their semi-final.’

  ‘See? We are in the finals!’ Jake said excitedly.

  The boys gathered around their coach, all of them buzzing about how they had made it into the final four.

  Izzy laughed. ‘Now I know what it’s like living in a beehive!’ he said. Everyone settled a little and gave him some space. ‘I know today was tough – and that’s okay. We must learn from it, though, and move on and continue to play our best rugby this afternoon. I know we can do it.’

  ‘By the way,’ Jeremy piped up, ‘the final first-round match was just completed over on the main ground. Would you like to know who our opponents will be in the semis?’

  ‘Of course!’ Daniel said, and the rest of the boys nodded.

  ‘As you know, the top two teams from each group play the second-placed teams from the other group to mix it up a bit,’ Jeremy continued.

  ‘Yeah, so who are we playing?’ Adam asked. The anticipation was making him nervous.

  Jeremy laughed. ‘We’ll be playing River Region this afternoon, and the other game will be Western Plains versus South Shore.’

  ‘South Shore’s match is on before ours, so I thought we could go and watch it to see what playing in the main stadium is like,’ Izzy suggested.

  ‘But they are horrible, mean players,’ said Harrison. ‘They don’t deserve a finals spot.’

  TJ shook his head. ‘I can’t believe we might have to play them again,’ he said wearily.

  ‘Now wait a second,’ said Izzy. ‘We should be immensely proud about making the finals. We deserve our spot and South Shore earnt theirs as well. They’re a hard team, but now we know what to expect. We can do it.’

  ‘Don’t let your fears defeat you,’ Jeremy added, loading some witch’s hats into a large, netted bag.

  Sione sat down, deflated once again. But Daniel seemed to stand up even taller. ‘That’s right,’ he said, raising his voice for everyone to hear. ‘Come on, Valley, don’t be afraid. We can do this! First things first – we have a semi-final to play this evening. I’m going to run my guts out because I want our names written on that trophy!’

  Sione smiled. He was glad that Daniel had been chosen to be their captain.

  ‘Daniel’s right,’ said Izzy. ‘Let’s celebrate our performance after the competition is over. We have to stay focused for the next game – the game you’ve earnt your place in. It isn’t for a few hours, so let’s do some stretches, stay warm and have a rest while we watch the other match.’

  Sione looked around the main stadium in awe as he walked out onto the tiered seating. They were much higher up than he had expected. The grandstand went right around the ground; it felt more like a bowl than a football field. Every noise from the crowd echoed around them. This was legit.

  ‘I can’t wait to play down there,’ Daniel said as they sat down to watch the game.

  ‘But would you want to play down there with them?’ Sione asked. He pointed at South Shore, who were handing out one hard-hitting tackle after another. They were meeting the Western Plains offence so hard that Sione could hear and feel every tackle from way up in the stands.

  ‘Of course,’ Daniel answered. ‘We’re going to beat them next time.’

  The game against River Region began before Sione was ready for it. This competition didn’t seem to give them any time to think. All of a sudden, there he was in his green jersey, running, passing and tackling a team from a part of the state Sione had never even heard of before.

  The sun dropped lower in the sky as the game wore on. This was a semi-final and everyone seemed to have increased their desire to win accordingly. Despite it being both team’s fourth match in two days, no one gave up from exhaustion. They just pushed on.

  At half-time, Izzy pulled Sione aside. ‘I’m putting you on as hooker,’ he said.

  ‘No!’ Sione gasped before he could control himself. ‘I’m sorry, Izzy,’ he said after he’d composed himself. ‘I just want to play where I’m best. This is the semis.’

  ‘And we need you in the forwards,’ Izzy said firmly. ‘Everyone is sore – especially Adam. His foot still isn’t a hundred per cent, though he’d like you to think it is. You’ll be helping out the team. Adam needs a rest.’

  Sione nodded. He understood, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  ‘Remember on the Gold Coast when you fought the idea so hard? You found your way in the end, didn’t you?’

  Sione looked up at his coach. How does Izzy always f
ind a way to turn a bad situation good? ‘Okay,’ he sighed. ‘If the team needs me to.’

  Izzy smiled. ‘That’s the spirit! Thanks, Sione. You’ll be great.’ Izzy winked at him then ran over to gather the rest of the team together.

  Sione took a deep breath, trying to get into the right head space for his new position. He hadn’t even thought about the score. He was bruised and battered and the world seemed blurry. He knew they had been playing well, but how well?

  ‘What’s the score?’ he whispered to Daniel.

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Daniel laughed. ‘You don’t know?’

  Sione shook his head. ‘We’ve been running upfield away from the scoreboard and I was kind of too afraid to look.’

  ‘We’re in front thirty-one to seven. Wake up!’

  Sione gasped. He had no idea they were playing that well! He puffed out his chest and ran into position with a burst of new-found energy.

  Sione seamlessly transitioned into his role as hooker, drawing on what he had learnt the week before, and it helped that Valley were already so far in front. Valley played smooth and tough in every play, and River Region continued to falter. As the sky darkened and the stadium lights came on, the scoreboard showed they had almost doubled their half-time score. Sione couldn’t believe it.

  What was even harder to believe were the events after a scrum near the Valley tryline. Sione put his head down when the scrum engaged, and after the River Region scrum-half fed the ball into it, he helped to push the scrum forward so strongly that he soon saw the white paint of the tryline beneath his feet. The ball bounced around in the scrum like popcorn in a pan. Sione managed to scoop it up with his foot and push it backwards.

  ‘It’s out!’ Harrison shouted, and the scrum disintegrated.

  Valley had won the ball against the feed!

  Jake managed to gain possession of it and steamed towards the line but was held up above it by a number of defenders. Sione charged into the pack, pushing Jake and the others over the line. Jake reached out and planted the point of the ball in the grass.

  The team went beserk.

  Sione looked up into the stands and was greeted with the sight of green streamers unfurling through the air and banners waving frantically. He could see his dad pumping his fist. Daniel wrapped his arms around Sione and gave Jake a high five. Sione knew then that nothing would ever compare to this.

  ‘I’m wrecked!’ Daniel said, collapsing onto a sofa. He stretched his entire body out along the cushions.

  ‘Hey!’ Adam yelled. ‘Make room for us, you chair hog.’

  Daniel reluctantly pulled up his legs, allowing Sione and Adam to sit down. Jake and the others were sitting on chairs or spread out across the floor. The entire team had brought blankets and sleeping bags from their rooms and were now either lying down or nodding their heads as they sat, fighting the urge to sleep. All twenty players were sore, bruised and drained of energy but ecstatic, too.

  ‘You know what’s terrible?’ said Adam. ‘Tomorrow is the State Championships final, and the next day we have to go to –’

  ‘Ugh! Don’t say it!’ Daniel groaned.

  ‘– school.’

  Jake covered his ears. ‘Shhh! You’re ruining my night!’

  Jeremy, Tom, Mary and Izzy had set up their own little camp sites around the room. Everyone sat facing a giant screen on the back wall. Usually used for slide show presentations during seminars or conventions, tonight it was Valley’s personal movie screen.

  Izzy stood up and made his way to the front of the room. ‘As you all know, this will be our last night together,’ he said sombrely.

  Daniel swallowed.

  ‘The last two weeks have been special – transformative,’ Izzy continued. ‘I will never forget this trip, and it’s not because of all the fun things we did, places we saw or games we played. It’s because of you. You’re a great bunch of boys and I wish you all luck in your rugby careers.’

  For the first time in ages, Daniel could feel his eyes welling up. He wiped his face.

  Tom and Mary stood up next. ‘We have kids of our own,’ said Tom, ‘but they are grown up now. This trip has been a pleasure for us. It’s been lots of hard work, but spending time with you boys has also been lots of fun.’

  ‘Just remember to pack your bags well in the morning,’ added Mary. ‘There’ll be no lost property!’

  Daniel and the others laughed.

  ‘It’s been great managing this tour,’ said Jeremy. ‘Your behaviour has been impeccable. I’ve seen you grow as a team, as rugby players and as young men. Win, lose or draw tomorrow, we are proud of you. That being said, I do have a feeling you will win.’ He gave them a wink and sat down.

  Should I, as captain, get up and make a speech? Daniel wondered. Does Izzy want me to, or will the other boys think I’m a massive try-hard?

  Izzy looked over at Daniel and flicked his head towards the front of the room. That was all the invitation Daniel needed. He stood up and walked to the front.

  ‘Thank you to all the adults for a great tour,’ he said, his voice trembling. ‘It’s been lots of fun and I won’t forget anyone here, either. I think I might have made some new best friends, which is pretty cool.’

  Daniel took a deep breath. There was more he wanted to say. He hoped the words came out of his mouth right.

  ‘I started this tour thinking that I should be captain. I thought I was the best player here and I hadn’t even seen any of you guys play before.’ His eyes dropped down to his feet. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Daniel looked up to see Izzy smiling at him and he found the strength to keep going.

  ‘I know that if I had been made captain on day one I would have stuffed it up. All of you would’ve hated me. I was … difficult and headstrong. But over the last couple of weeks I feel I have grown a lot – both on and off the field – and it’s because of you guys. I am so proud that tomorrow, when we run out for the Grand Final, I will be your captain. Thanks for everything.’

  Everyone clapped and, as Daniel made his way back to his seat, the boys patted him on the back. A few other kids took his lead and said a few words. A warmth washed over Daniel. He knew this night would be something he would never forget. This feeling became even clearer when Sione, the last person Daniel would have ever expected to stand in front of the group, got up.

  ‘Um …’ Sione began. ‘I’ve never done a speech before, even at school. I can’t do them, but … I can tonight, I think. I was shy before the tour – and scared. I still am, but I know everyone here is my friend. I didn’t know that before. I think on tour I have learnt that usually everyone is nicer than you expect. My rugby’s better, too.’

  Everyone clapped harder and louder than for any of the other speakers. Izzy stood up and gave Sione a high five. Soon the lights were turned off and the movie began. Within ten minutes, most of the boys were sound asleep. Daniel looked around at his teammates, visible in the flickering glow of the projector screen, and smiled.

  Then, unexpectedly, his phone vibrated. Daniel wriggled it out of his pocket and saw that he had an email from his mum. He took a deep breath and opened it.

  His mum began the email by saying how proud she was of Daniel and apologising for not replying sooner. She explained that a flight from Perth at short notice was tricky and that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the tournament. Though it was sad news, Daniel smiled as he read it, especially when he got to the end:

  Good luck, Daniel. I’m sure you will do well. Write back and tell me how it goes.

  Love, Mum.

  Daniel read the email over and over again. She cares, he thought, and she does love me. He felt calm, like he didn’t have a worry in the world, and hoped he might see her again soon.

  Sione had heard people say they had butterflies in their stomach, but he’d never understood what the saying meant until today. Being nervous usually made him feel sick. But now, as he was about to run out onto the field for the Grand Final, he finally got it. The mix of nerv
ousness and anticipation felt like a thousand little butterfly wings flickering inside him.

  The feeling had begun earlier in the morning at a thank-you morning tea for the players’ families organised by Izzy, Jeremy and the Parkers. A small room had been reserved for all the players and parents to mingle before the big game. As soon as Sione saw his family, the butterflies began to stir.

  They had stood around chatting for what seemed like forever. There were hundreds of questions about the trip as Mele raced around the room and Sione ate more than his fair share of egg sandwiches. He’d laughed when Aunty tried to discuss their plans for gathering Sione’s belongings and the journey home.

  ‘Please, Aunty,’ he’d said, ‘I can’t talk about that now. I just need to focus on the game.’ He knew she was just trying to be organised, but with the biggest game of his life about to start, Sione didn’t want to worry about what time their train was leaving.

  Izzy had wandered over and shook hands with Sione’s dad. They also exchanged a few words in their native Tongan. Sione didn’t quite catch it, but his dad’s face lit up as they spoke. They ended up laughing and bumping fists, which pleased Sione. He’d never seen his dad relax and talk to other people like that. He wasn’t even sure his dad had any friends. Maybe Dad and Izzy will become best mates! Sione thought excitedly.

  Sione had held back asking about his mum for the entire morning tea, but when it came time to go, he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. ‘Aunty?’ he said softly. ‘Is Mum going to come and watch the game?’

  ‘Oh, Sione,’ Aunty said, holding out her arms to hug him, ‘I don’t even know how to reach her. The number I have just rings out. I’m so sorry.’

  Sione nodded and hugged her back, letting his aunty’s green shirt soak up his tears. ‘It’s okay,’ he said eventually, pulling away. ‘Thanks for trying. I’m glad you’re here anyway.’