Thursday 9th March: Charter Flight –

As clients began to arrive at Cardiff Airport ahead of our charter flight to Rome; Ella, Allison, Gwilym and I were all there to meet and greet everyone. After several interactions, it was clear that our clients couldn’t wait to leave the cold and the rain in the Welsh capital for a bit of Italian sunshine. With an efficient flight over the pond, there was more Gullivers staff to greet us all in arrivals at Fiumicino airport and direct everyone onto their coaches where the excitement was building in anticipation for the weekend ahead.

Friday 10th March: Clubhouse Event –

With clients excited to experience their first morning in Rome, the day of leisure provided a perfect opportunity to explore the sights, try the local cuisine and become familiar with the public transport links. Staff occupied hospitality desks each morning at all the hotels, enabling us to meet more of our clients, answer any questions and inform them about the evening’s clubhouse event.

The clubhouse event brought together three Welsh rugby legends: Martyn Williams, Jonathan Thomas and, non-other than the current Head Coach, Warren Gatland. With eight Six Nations titles and seven British and Irish Lions tours between them, we were certainly in prestigious company as they now combine to form the core of the Wales coaching team. Providing past stories of their careers, a build-up into Saturday’s encounter, and an insight into what the future holds for the national team, the whole evening made for great listening and produced many a laugh. The evening also presented a fantastic opportunity to raise money for our partner charity, Wooden Spoon, which uses the power of rugby to transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people. By raffling off a signed Welsh rugby shirt, we were delighted to have raised over £300 for the charity. To tie off the evening, there was a chance for all of those in attendance to grab a photo and have a brief chat with all three of our special guests.

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Saturday 11th March: Matchday –

The morning of the matchday gave clients an opportunity to make their way towards the Stadio Olimpico via some of Rome’s most popular attractions, including the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City.

As it was the penultimate weekend of Six Nations action, and with the sun shining over the Stadio Olimpico, everyone was eagerly anticipating an exciting matchup between an in-form Italy team and a Wales side who have been struggling as of late. This was even more significant as the Azzuri defeated Wales in the reverse fixture last year. As we got underway, it was Gatland’s side who proved the more clinical in the first half, getting over the whitewash three times courtesy of Rio Dyer, Liam Williams and a penalty try. Having gone into the break with a 19-point advantage, the Welsh struggled to deal with the Italians during the second half, as they began playing the free-flowing style of rugby that they had shown previously throughout the campaign. Despite the home side scoring two tries in the second half, Talupe Faletau’s bonus point try for Wales denied Italy the back-to-back victory that they had hoped for.

With clients departing on Sunday and with the last of the 2023 Six Nations fixtures next weekend, all eyes will soon turn to the World Cup later in the year!

-George Harris, Operations Assistant