Brais Rey, Phileas Fogg of Ourense playing rugby in the antipodes

Great King Brais (Ourense, 2003) did not take as long to embark on an intercontinental adventure as Phileas Fogg, the popular character created by Jules Verne for Around the world in eighty days. Only 19 years count Ourense Campus playerone of the main promises Galician rugbywho traveled halfway around the world to play in Division 1 (the third national level) in the cradle of the oval ball, New Zealand.

“The truth is that it didn’t take me long to take advantage of the opportunity they gave me. I’m studying a cycle of administrative management, but we’ll be there for a few months. It’ll be good for me to get used to some other rugby and I’ll be able to improve my English too,” admitted Brais, visibly excited about the challenge he shares with Matteo Giottoclub colleague on Campus.

The link is completely reliable. David Monreal, an international from Ourense who developed part of his career in the antipodes, where he maintains confidential contacts, including those who asked him for young reinforcements and projections for Te Anau Earthworks: «I made my debut with David in Division of Honor B and when he told me about the possibility of playing in New Zealand I already thought it would be good for me. It’s far, but I couldn’t miss that option.”

The journey is really long and takes more than twenty-four hours. 5600 kilometers from Madrid to Dubai. Another 14,000 to Auckland and the last 1,500 as a tip to Queenstown in the South Island. The final transfer, finally overland, will take him to Te Anau, a small town located near the Fiordland National Park, an enclave made up of lakes, glaciers and mountains, which is also known as the Southern Alps: «I am told that it is surrounded by spectacular landscapes and is still one attraction of the trip, although the main one will be rugby. The town is small, close to the lake, but the club is in a fairly competitive category. I’m not sure, but I think we’ll be the only foreigners in the team.”

The sport with an oval ball took a long time to enter the mind of Brais, who admits: «I started training it at the age of twelve because my father played and at first it was not my first desire, but I was doing well, so they called me the national team of Galicia under the age of 14, and every time I liked it more ». At only sixteen years old, the man from Ourense was chosen for the concentration of the Spanish under-18 national team and his first proposal to go abroad appeared: «They were interested in me playing in Clermont, in France, but the dates did not coincide. and it was impossible. Later, at the age of 18, I made my debut in the senior Campus team.

The debut of the promising athlete in the second echelon of rugby put him in the center of attention of various teams, but relegation from two categories due to an administrative penalty to the club conditioned his progress. He won the second regional category with Campus without defeat and his presence at the New Zealand tournament will help him take another step in his training. In addition, the fact of sharing experience with a teammate will be positive for the opening of university training: «I knew Matteo before we met in Ourense, when he came here to study. Assimilating the experience together will help us, because it is still a responsibility and because it always inspires a certain respect to come to a place different from everything you know.

In principle, it will be a little more than three and a half months, during which Ourense rugby will be felt on the other side of the planet. Perhaps Brais and Matteo will complete a world tour upon their return.