First week in south africa

Well what can I say about my week. First of all I travelled to neils uncles farm like we spoke about for his cousins wedding. It was really nice and beautiful weather. I played a south african game called clay-luck and it involves sticking some clay on the end of a stick and flinging it across the river/ pond at your opponents on the other side. I couldn't get anyone so I was annoyed and we played for over an hour lol. For this weekend I was a bit tired and grumpy (from the jet lag) however we weren't getting feed until 10 and then they wouldn't eat until 3-4 and this did not improve my mood as you no, I get very grumpy when I am not feed lol. While staying up there we stayed in a cabin on the farm, it was very nice and waking up to the beautiful weather was really nice.

Anyway after the wedding we travelled back to Protrostrom (still can't spell) and it was amazing looking at all the shanty towns (houses made out of tin and pretty much what ever they can find) and there are so many black africans living there. It was abit scary to start off but I'm in a much safer area so please don't worry.

Anyway once Monday came around and I was back at work and things started to become alot busyer which is nice. I got a car lol, it is so funny and dinky but gets me from place to place.

Well about my work place. It is absolutely Beautiful/ amazing for a university set-up. We have a total of (I think) 6 rugby fields, a number of tennis and netball courts, an athletic track and a cricket pitch all together on the main part of my work place.

Then we have the gym center where I work. It is 2 stories and I am on the first floor. I am sharing an office with our biomechanics (you know what I mean). I look straight out over the gym so it is great. The building has only just been built within the last year and the gym equipment is all bran new and sport specific for rugby. We have a big testing room down stairs for all the field and fitness tests and an indoor pool and also an ice bath (for recovery). On the end of our office building we have a cafe which is nice.

Our management team is made up of a coach, assisstant coach, head sport scienist (me), an assisstant sport scienist, A biomachanical person (you know the name lol), a physio and manager. This is the same for the 21's and 19's and every position is full time (crazy a for a university team).

Well all I'll say is that it is well set up and very professional.

After 3 days of work we then travelled (matt and I) to a conference in Pretoria which is the home of the Bulls Super 14 team. I saw the outside of loftars which is there stadium and it is huge. We stayed at there academy structure which is also an amazing set up which accomadation, large fields, gym, resturant and pool. They have some very nice rugby setups over here.

The conference was for this new professional competition that our team is playing in (Varsity cup, which is the top 8 universities in the country and we flight most places) and canterbury and a couple of other business are putting alot of money into it. This was a long three days I tell ya lol.

Anyway from a training point of things, I have completed a few gym sessions with the boys in the morning and have run 3 sprint sessions (we train the backs and forwards seperately). Theses have gone really well but also I have completed a touch training session with them which the were hopeless to start with lol. I think thomas's or ryan's school touch team would kick their bums.

I am staying at the elgro hotel in town which is ok. It's not the 5* I thought it was going to be lol, just jokes but I move on to campass after the new year.

The weather has been really nice apart from today where we had a thunder strom but apart from that we have been training in 25-33 degree's. They think it's hot but I keep telling them this is normal in New Plymouth !

Anyway I don't know what else to say but I hope everyone is well back home. I can't wait to catch up in october/november next year.

chris