You don't often come back from a rugby trip to Benidorm with anything more than a raging hangover, one eyebrow, a selfie with Johnny Vegas and stories that remain on tour.

But Bedwas RFC scrum-half Rory Harries has scooped a football lover's dream by winning an all-expenses paid luxury trip to the Champions League final between Liverpool and Spurs in Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

And the 23-year-old, who will be taking his Dad Ian on the three day trip to the Spanish capital, admits neither of them are massive football fans and prefer the oval-ball sport.

So why did he enter the competition in the first place?

"I was away with Bedwas on tour in Benidorm and sat on a sun lounger nursing a hangover," explained the Rhiwbina product.

"I was flicking through my phone and this competition popped up on Facebook and I thought I would give it a go.

"I thought nothing more about it until I was watching the Arsenal-Chelsea game on TV on Wednesday night and got a phone call to say I'd won a trip to the Champions League final.

Rory Harries scoring a try for Bedwas this season

"The woman on the other end of the telephone thought I'd be a bit more ecstatic about the news, but I thought it was a 100% wind up.

"It wasn't until I rang them back on Thursday morning and they sent over the full itinerary that it dawned on me it wasn't."


The luxury trip to Spain comes just a couple of weeks after Harries' Bedwas team were relegated from the Principality Premiership in cruel fashion when Bridgend Ravens won their final game at Pontypridd.

"After being relegated with Bedwas in the way we did at the end of the season this makes up for it a little bit," added Rory.

"It's cheered me up a bit. It's unbelievable that I've got my hands in two of the hottest sporting tickets of the summer.

"I really still can't believe it myself.

"Even though I'm going there not the biggest of football fan, I'm sure when I come back, I will be.

"The competition was on SPORTbible and the whole event is sponsored by Walkers, so you never know I might get to meet up with Gary Lineker over there."


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Rory and his Dad will fly out from Gatwick on Friday afternoon before being met by the competition organisers at Madrid Airport and whisked off to their plush five-star hotel.

Saturday will be spent at the Champions League festival and a luxury sightseeing tour before being taken to the newly-built Metropolitano Stadium to watch Liverpool's bid for a sixth European Cup against their Premier League rivals.

The tricky part of the trip for the No.9, who spent time playing New Zealand regional rugby for North Otago, was getting more time off from work with M&D Properties, in Cardiff.


"The boss is looking at me now," joked Rory.

"I had the week off to go to Benidorm and now I've had to take more time off for this trip to Spain."

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