Airline loses entire Welsh college rugby team's luggage on South Africa tour

A college rugby team touring in South Africa have been left with just the clothes on their backs after all their luggage went missing. The team of 30 players from Coleg Gwent landed in Cape Town on Monday after they flew from Heathrow via Frankfurt.

However when they arrived, their suitcases were nowhere to be seen. A concerned parent said some members of the squad - made up of 16 to 18-year-olds - were left training bare chested, in their socks or even barefoot. Airline Lufthansa has been approached for comment, as the boys remain without their bags four days after arrival.

Amanda Parry-Lewis from Blackwood, Caerphilly, is mum of 16-year-old Alfie. She said her son's team were told they may never be reunited with their luggage. "It's devastating, they've got there and now they've got nothing," she said. "We don't even know if the luggage went missing at Heathrow or Frankfurt. All they wanted to do was play rugby. Their plans haven't stopped, but they've had to go out shopping. They've had to go out and buy things like rugby boots and gum shields. Half the boys won't want to go out shopping on a holiday of a lifetime."

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Staff at Coleg Gwent took the boys shopping for new clothes, while South African teams helped kit them out for their first match in Cape Town. On Friday morning, the boys are due to fly to Pretoria before playing two more games at Johannesburg. They are due to watch Wales against the Springboks before flying home on Monday.

Kelvin Drinkwater, also from Blackwood and father of 17-year-old Max, said the team had received very little information from Lufthansa. He said he understood that a flight from Frankfurt