Ben in Canada This trip was the biggest adventure I’ve ever taken—both professionally and personally. It was a journey of firsts: my first long-haul flight, my first solo flight on the return leg, and most importantly, my first time flying with one of our touring groups.   That distinction brought a new level of responsibility, especially when it came to shepherding 79 enthusiastic Nantymoel RFC boys through Gatwick Airport. But with Tour Operator Ben Cooley by my side, we took it all in stride.  Getting onto the flight went smoothly, especially with the bonus of the lads breaking into song at the airport: a video that hit half a million views inside a week! After landing in Toronto, we guided the group to their coaches and on to their accommodation in the heart of Downtown. At that point, I had to break away to Union Station to catch a 90-minute coach to Niagara Falls for my next duties.  NIAGARA FALLS - TORONTO In Niagara, I met MSG’s very own Canadian, Julia, and stayed one night at the Great Wolf Lodge. An early morning wake-up call allowed me just enough time for a whirlwind tour of the Falls – an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime sight that more than made up for the short visit. Afterward, Julia and I joined two school groups, assisting with their inbound airport check-ins, before returning to Toronto to reconnect with Ben and Nantymoel RFC.  The next four nights were spent soaking in everything Toronto had to offer. I explored the city, took in a Toronto Blue Jays game alongside both Nantymoel RFC and the newly arrived Ystradgynlais RFC. The highlight, though, was Nantymoel’s first fixture against Crusaders Rugby Club. The match was a nail-biter, with the Welsh side edging out a 31–26 win. The post-match celebrations in the clubhouse – full of singing and players being arm in arm – truly embodied the spirit of rugby touring.  Thankfully, my singing initiations didn’t go viral.  OTTAWA & MONTREAL On awakening, I boarded a coach for the journey to Ottawa, rejoining Julia in her hometown. My accommodation for the night was certainly unique – the Saintlo Jail Hostel.  At least I got a cell to myself.   Julia gave me a fascinating city tour before exploring some of the local hotels and sights that house our touring school groups each year.  I wrapped up the tour with a final night in Montreal, where I established a great taste of the city. A personal highlight was jet boating through the Lachine Rapids – a must for anyone visiting the area.  The next day, upon arriving at Gatwick, I reunited with Ben and the Nantymoel squad at baggage claim, helped them onto their transfers home and headed north to MSG offices, officially bringing this incredible tour to a close.  WHAT I LEARNT I learned so much on this trip. First off – Canada is huge! I had no idea the journey to Ottawa would take over five hours.  But more than anything, I realised how special what we do really is. Seeing the faces, hearing the singing, and feeling the pure joy from the Nantymoel lads during that game is something I’ll never forget.  I also grew a lot as a person. Being able to use my CPD budget to build travel confidence was a massive plus, and I’m so grateful to MSG Tours for giving me the chance. 

We continued our Let’s Get Touring: ‘Club Together’ fundraising evenings, this time at Ammanford RFC.   Our Head of Events, Ross Harries adopts the hosting duties and brings together club members, tourists and special guests from the world of rugby to help raise money for the team’s tour.  The main event featured former Wales lock, Lou Reed, who joined Ross on stage to share stories from his playing days with the national team, the Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, and Sale Sharks.  Returning for their second MSG tour after taking Texas by storm in 2023, 68 players and supporters from the senior team will be embarking on an 11-day tour to South Africa in May 2026, starting in Cape Town and including Stellenbosch, and an overnight safari.  Get in touch to help plan your next touring adventure and fundraising evening. 

Our bucket-list IV trip didn’t get off to the easiest of starts with a fire outbreak at a power station near Heathrow putting the whole trip into jeopardy. A cancelled flight, 3 hours on hold to Virgin Atlantic and plenty of itinerary re-arrangements later, we were finally on the road, 24 hours later than originally planned.  A day in the life for us tourism folk!’   Straight off the plane, we picked up our rental car and took the short drive to the iconic Newlands cricket ground (where the Western Province and Durban Dolphins women’s sides were warming up for a top of the table clash in the Pro20 series). With the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain, a stadium tour or live cricket fixture at this incredible venue is an absolute must-do for any sports tour heading to South Africa.  The rest of the morning focused on inspecting some of the great hotels that we use for our groups staying in Cape Town. Josh and I stayed at Never @ Home in Green Point. A stone’s throw away from the DHL Stadium and a short walk away from V&A Waterfront and the City Bowl, the accommodation is in a fantastic location. A perfect stay for large groups on more of a budget, with spacious dormitory and private rooms, a lovely breakfast and even a small swimming pool for recovery or relaxation. If you are looking for a good hotel in Cape Town, then my pick of the inspection would be StayEasy in the City Bowl.   Some of our previous groups have been lucky enough to experience Gold Restaurant in Cape Town, which Josh and I were able to sample thanks to our hosts’ invitation. A sumptuous 14 course African taster menu, with participation African drumming in between courses: what’s not to like! This would be my final night recommendation for Cape Town to sign your tour off in style’  Day 2 started with a 5am wakeup call for our guided hike to the summit of Lion’s Head. We completed the 5.5km incline to around 700m above sea level, in about 50 minutes, which according to our guide was a ‘good time’. The climb is certainly not for the faint-hearted with some tricky terrain and occasional rock scrambles but the views from the top are well worth the hard work. Incredible 360 views of the City Bowl, Sea Point, Camps Bay and back around to Table Mountain!  Later that morning, we headed to Aquila Game Reserve, 2 hours outside of Cape Town, for an incredible game drive experience. An overnight stay here, is an absolute must-do for any group tour heading to Cape Town. Our groups are allocated into the well-appointed hotel-like rooms in the main building, some of which overlook the stunning pool with swim up bar which is accessible throughout the day.   We were lucky enough to see 4 of the big 5, missing out on the leopards who are almost nocturnal. If staying overnight, groups also do a game drive the following morning where you are more likely to see all the big 5. Finally, the buffet food at Aquila is also incredible!  Our final day in and around Cape Town was spent in Stellenbosch, with the first stop taking us to the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS). A fantastic sporting facility for our groups to base themselves for a couple of nights and make use of the pristine pitches, indoor training centre and recovery pool.   There are also plenty of top sports clubs and schools in the area for a fixtures. The town-centre is a 10-minute walk away, boasting many restaurants and cafés with outdoor terrace seating. If staying in the centre, then The Stellenbosch Hotel with its old Victorian charm is the place to be. As Stellenbosch is part of South Africa’s wine capital, a vineyard visit with a wine tasting is a must do for our adult groups and I would recommend Vredemheim estate or Spier Wine Farm based on our experience.  The day left us with just enough time to make it back to Camps Bay to see sunset from a beach-side restaurant. Again, a must do on any tour to Cape Town and for us, a perfect way to end a magnificent 72 hours in this thrilling and vibrant capital city. 

We held our inaugural Let’s Get Touring: ‘Club Together’ fundraising evening last night at Aberdare RFC.  Hosted by Ross Harries, Head of Events at MSG Tours, our midweek events bring tourists and club members together to chat all things travel, high jinks and rugby touring.  76 players and supporters from ‘The Snakes’ will be embarking on a 12-day tour to Canada in May 2026, commencing in Montreal and taking in Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls.  In 2025/6 we’re moving dozens of teams around the globe that clearly demonstrates an appetite for spreading the rugby gospel to far flung places.   ‘Club Together’ nights are part-funded by MSG, allowing clubs to sell tickets and reduce travel costs. Wales and British and Irish Lion Man of the Series in 2017, Jon ‘Fox’ Davies joined Ross on stage to recall touring tales from his numerous trips around the planet, including a timely recollection of his Wales debut in Canada 🇨🇦   Get in touch to help plan your next touring adventure and fundraising evening. 

Ben and Sam from our business development team recently traded the office for the winter sun of Lisbon and Porto. The inspection trip offered an opportunity to meet our industry partners in person and experience the depth of both cities.    Experiencing our touring centres in person helps our team develop robust and well-matched itineraries relevant to each age category; a skill easily recognised by our clients who return each season in search of exciting touring programmes. The trip started by gathering intelligence for our Portuguese tournament packages at the Universidade De Lisboa. Boasting six football and two rugby pitches, the facilities are perfect to host many teams across weekend events.   A visit to Sporting Lisbon’s stadium club shop followed tour of the Estadio do Benfica, two enriching locations for any touring group. Next on the itinerary was Benfica’s training facility in Seixal. As expected, it is of the highest quality with multiple grass and artificial pitches. This facility is a MUST for any team wanting to experience professional training sessions. When it comes to rugby tours, Lisbon is an understated destination. Both the Grupo Deportivo Direito and Belem Rugby Park have amazing facilities with gyms, artificial and natural turf, padel courts and on-site restaurants. The generous year-round climate and progressive rugby levels mark Portugal as stand out among other coastal European resorts.  Porto was the perfect cherry on top of the Portuguese cake. Despite a very quick visit to Estádio do Dragão and the FC Porto Museum, the facilities are state of the art and are the perfect destinations for a sporting group. Alongside visiting historical landmarks across the city which pay homage to the deep-rooted history of the city and the formation of the nation.  “The takeaway from this inspection trip to Lisbon is that the facilities from the football & rugby pitches to the accommodation have all been of top quality. Any team, club or school coming here will be very impressed.” “To stay beach front, have a pro coaching session at one of Europe’s top teams and play against local teams; what more would you want from a football tour?” – Sam “This inspection visit gave us a great insight into all our Portuguese tours, especially our tournament packages. They are organised in conjunction with our friends at Move Sports and played at top notch facilities.” – Ben “It was great having Sam and Ben visiting our country! They are two sport enthusiasts who have a great passion for sports. Hopefully seeing firsthand the great potential our country has to offer in sport tours will translate in a fruitful relationship.”  – Pedro, Move Sports

With an eye towards 2025, we are looking to increase the number of footballing tours. The first stop on this mission was to Lloret de Mar and Barcelona where members of the team experienced the trips that enrich and develop groups’ skills.  Group Travel Coordinator Sam shared his insights after his first inspection visit with MSG:   “From the moment we gathered at the airport, there was a buzz amongst us as we looked towards our first Inspection Visit. Our arrival at Hotel Samba in Lloret de Mar set the tone with an evening buffet and balcony views of the town, even if we were greeted by the Spanish rain.   Lloret de Mar proved to be an excellent destination thanks to its convenience. Everything is within a 20-minute walk with a bowling alley, bars, the beach, and an abundance of sporting facilities on your doorstep.  20 minutes from Lloret, you’ll find Soccerland, a sporting facility comprising of 9 pristine pitches, tucked away behind a vineyard. The pitches are amazing and perfect for any football fanatic, they made me eager to dust off my boots and have a kick around!    Around the Catalonia region, they have three top-flight Spanish teams: Girona FC, RCD Espanyol, and of course FC Barcelona. First for us was Girona FC.  The community-based club was very generous in showing us all corners of the stadium including the pitch side along with talking us through the intriguing history of the Champions League club. This experience was insightful, and we’d love to start offering it to our touring sides.    Next was RCD Espanyol’s training ground. From first team and youth training pitches to the second & Women’s team stadium, multiple weight gyms, and a memorial to the late great Dani Jarque, a high-performance coaching session combined with a stadium tour will have you feeling like a professional player. The women’s second team were training when we arrived, my coaching head instantly took over as I watched on in awe. The others had to drag me away or I would’ve stayed there all night.   La Masia, the training ground of FC Barcelona was on another level! The top-class facility is a must for any sporting tour. Having crossed paths with members of the women’s first team entering for their final training session before taking on Real Madrid the day after, we saw the men’s first team area, the pitches – where visiting groups can even have training sessions and the Johan Cruff stadium where the second team and women play.    20 minutes from Lloret, you’ll find Soccerland, a sporting facility comprising of 9 pristine pitches, tucked away behind a vineyard. The pitches are amazing and perfect for any football fanatic, they made me eager to dust off my boots and have a kick around!    Since returning, my opinion has been cemented that it is the perfect location for social activities and footballing prowess. Barcelona has it all, from cultural sightseeing to the aforementioned sites of RCD Espanyol & Barcelona.    Football tours to this part of Spain are a must! Loret De Mar and Girona, or Barcelona you won’t be disappointed.” 

We are delighted to announce Coleg Sir Gar have booked their 2024 rugby tour to South Africa. Home to the Llanelli Rugby Academy, the college puts an emphasis on the academic success alongside the building of players. Lanelli Rugby Academy:  The Llanelli Rugby Academy’s main aim is to ensure that young players receive all the […]

MSGs Mike Hendey on his trip to Barbados: As I arrived at Manchester airport, the nerves began to kick in….

Freshly kitted up in L4 Teamwear gear, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer (REME) FA men’s and women’s teams gathered outside Heathrow ready to depart on their 12-day tour covering both Miami, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana. The tour kicked off with REME Men vs New Orleans’s Blues Brothers and REME Women took on their Women’s Soccer XI. Both teams secured wins, with the men winning 4-2 and the women 6-1. The men’s team played match 2 against the New Orleans All Stars giving them a “footballing masterclass” beating them 9-2, then it was on to Miami! Once in Miami both groups had a private tour of DRV PNK Stadium – the home of David Beckham’s Inter Miami. 2 days later they were back again this time amid the action as Inter Miami took on New York Red Bulls. REME watched on from the field-level area ‘The Paddock’ as Miami took the victory from New York, resulting in plenty of celebration. “The visit to inter Miami was fantastic, the tour and the VIP treatment at the game was amazing.” – Yvette Kemp. Then it was back to business for both teams as they took on Miami Utd FC at Milander Park. The women’s game unfortunately ended in a 3-0 loss, whilst the men completed their touring series with a 3-1 win. We’d like to thank the Army Sports Lottery, Forces Mutual, The REME Charity and the Army Sports Control Board for their help with the funding and administration of this tour as well as thank you to our partner kit company L4 Teamwear.

When Supporters and Tours Combine! We are less than one year away from the return of one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sporting world, Rugby World Cup 2023. We have a record number of our MSG family heading to France to witness history. Military and school groups will be embarking on their own tours, coinciding with RWC 2023, so will watch the sport they love at the highest possible quality. The two teams (Royal Logistics Corps Rugby (RLC Rugby), representing the British Army, and Guilsborough School) will play their fixtures alongside the tournament unfolding. RLC Rugby are fielding both a men’s and women’s team. They will be in France for 14 days, visiting Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille. They will look to defeat three sets of local opposition, alongside attending two live Rugby World Cup 2023 games. During the tour, they will have plenty of time to take in the local culture through some sightseeing, exploring the beautiful French cities, and learning about the rich history of Lyon. What more could you want? Guilsborough School will be in France for four days. The group will spend most of their time in Lille, competing in one fixture. Afterward, they will visit the Stade Pierre-Mauroy to watch their beloved England side take on Chile in what is sure to be a heated affair. Before heading home, the students will have plenty of time to learn outside the classroom and experience the rich history of the area as they will depart for Ypres, a small town in western Belgium, and the site of the fascinating WWI memorial. They will even lay a wreath to pay respects to fallen soldiers from past battles. Both tours will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we cannot wait to see them out there!  #LetsGetTouring