The club’s tradition of taking some of its most promising youngsters on the end of season trip continued this week when the players jetted off to the rugby-mad country.

“One of my boys went four years ago and he and his mates still talk about,” Dubbo junior rugby’s Rob Exner said.

“Not only will it be a great sporting experience for these boys, they will play some fantastic rugby against future All Blacks, but it’s also a cultural experience and there’s also some high octane adrenaline activities too.”

The squad gathered at major sponsor Western Plains Automotive on Wednesday before heading across the Tasman, before playing four matches in New Zealand. After arriving in Christchurch the side meets the Christchurch Boys High School side before staying in the city to experience some of its culture.

A match against the Kings High School side in Dunedin follows before the squad is split in two at Queenstown with one side meeting a Cromwell team while the other takes on a team from Wanaka.

“It will be a high standard,” Exner added.

“If its anything like it was four years ago then it’s good quality and tough rugby but the most exciting thing for the boys is facing their first haka.

“They all have their own special hakas at the high schools so they’ll see three or four different hakas in one week.”