CAPTAIN'S DIARY WITH DAVID POCOCK - EDITION 2
Friday, 8 August 2008 12:25pm
with Emirates Western Force UK Tour Captain David Pocock
All is ready for our opening match of the tour, against the Newcastle Falcons on Friday night.
Today we wrapped up our preparations for the tour opener with a captain’s run session at Kingston Park, where we play the first of six tour matches tomorrow night.
Reports from the Falcons camp suggests they’ll play a pretty young team, with a few new faces and some experienced players like legendary All Blacks prop Carl Hayman.
We’re just looking forward to running out and getting some much-needed rugby under our belts.
With a day off on Wednesday most of the squad used the opportunity to head up to Edinburgh to do some sight-seeing.
When we woke up on Wednesday morning however, we were greeted by a nasty looking grey sky and a howling wind, which didn’t set the scene very well for a day of tourist activity.
Braving the elements, the boys jumped on the train and headed about 90 minutes north to the Scottish capital.
Despite the wind and constant mist falling from the sky, an enjoyable day was had by all, with a tour of Edinburgh Castle the highlight of the day.
I also took the time to sample some of the local grub, including Haggis, which turned out to be much more edible than I had been led to believe!
The serious tourists in the squad carried on to visit Hawick, pronounced ‘Hoik’, which is a small village on the Scottish border.
That night we returned to Newcastle, where the coaching staff and some of the squad attended a testimonial dinner for Matt Burke, which was a black-tie affair organised by the Falcons.
Scott Staniforth was interviewed on stage and the banter continued between him and his old teammate Burkey.
Rugby is one of those sports where you make life-long mates, which is definitely the case between the two former Waratahs and Wallabies backs.
The constant touring means you are often spending more time with teammates than friends and family.
In a way, this development tour of England was designed to serve that very purpose, to bring the team closer together. Mind you, some players are taking this idea a bit too far!
There are a few strong bonds forming on the tour, but none tighter than that between Josh Tatupu and Pek Cowan.
The two kiwi boys are practically joined at the hip…if they’re not playing the X-Box together they are sitting in the hotel foyer playing cards.
The ‘brothers’ haven’t left each other’s side for a whole week but at least they are keeping to themselves, unlike the flouro crew.
The young bulls on tour - James ‘Rabbits’ O’Connor, Dane Haylett-Petty, Justin Turner and Tommy Murday, have even developed a dress code for their little gang.
It’s like a 24-hour fashion show, where the boys seem to rock up to the team room in a different flouro shirt and spray-on skinny shorts combination for each meal. Young blokes these days!!
