well I have just finished a 60hour week and about to go home lol. What a week I can tell ya.


I hope you are all well back home and everyone is well. I have been here now 17 days and starting to settle in but I have been so busy as we are trying to plan ahead until the end of apirl at the moment and we finish on the 6th of December so all planing and programming for up until that stage must be completed before I go on holiday.

Well Ash is heading over in 11 days so I am really excited and can't wait. It is so hard being away from your family and partner ecspeically at this time of year with Christmas and everything happening, so I am very lucky.



Anyway this week has been pretty standard as I have finally got my medical aid which was really important to ensure if I had an accident I would be covered and not in a public hospital which apparently student doctors are running the show and evenif you get a good one the equipment may be faulty. Oh I tell ya it is a 3rd world country alright. I had to get a xray done so work visa and there where paicients in the waiting room in beds and I was like I hope I don't catch what they have lol.



Not to go into the racial area but dam! alot of the blacks are so rude and dumb. They will be in a position like working for the goverment like I told you's in the last email regarding the forence affairs office, but they got know idea what they doing. They sit behind the counter (SIT not even get up and thats in the supermarkets as well) and do nothing.



This morning I went to get a phone card to call Ashlee and a black lady was like NO LADY NOT here (they are too dumb to do anything themselves unless it is their straight role like putting money into and out of the til and I tell ya what, it's highly likely they get that wrong too) and I went to ask her what she on and she so short and abbrut and rude that I thought stuff you and just looked at her and shook my head in amazement.



Anyway enough of that, I am really busy which is good as struggling being away from ash, but I am finally into my role and they seem to be really happy with me so that is great.



I recieved a really nice complement the other day and even though I only been here 2 weeks it was really nice. I completed a sprint session one on one with one of the senior boys that have been here for a few sessions now I think, and anyway afterwards I just asked him how he was finding things and if he was enjoying it. I asked him if Neil and I trained similar stuff as I learn alot from him and he said, like you's have the same protocols but are quite different. He said he felt there had been a huge step up already from last year which was a huge compliment for me consistering I have only been here for 2 weeks so far and I respect neil so much, and he thinks it is great as he said they needed a difference and to really pick it up. It was so nice to hear that ecspecially as he is a senior player and highly respected by the coach and players. The players are warming to me very fast which is great.

Because we were talking bout the speed and reaction/agility sessions as a main part of it, I did say however speed is my toy and thats what I love as I have always been trying to improve myself. It was really nice to hear that though, as Neil is now training a Super 14 team and I know he knows alot more than me, but in the area of speed to be told that there been a huge change and a positive one is so nice (i tell ya what though, I have had to work hard lol).



Following on from this Matt and I was talking about this late last night and he said he is really happy how I am interacting and how things are going and the whole reason he brought me over was not because of my studies but because I have been through all the systems as a player so understand it more than just learning it, and he also said he felt I was a person the interacted well with people and would learn alot and help continue on in the way they wanted to head in regards to their training and team, so that was also nice to here.

Anyway after a first few hard days (home sick: ashlee sick) it has been alot nicers so I'm enjoying it apart from the work load.

Just one more thing on Work, we have this new Hosand HR system which allows us to monitor every player at once, whether it be during training or in a game and because we are able to monitor the work output there and then instead of waiting until after the session to download everything from the watches, we can tell the players to increase or decrease there intensity so we maximise their performancr and this takes alot of stress out of trying to ensure the sessions are achieving everything we want them to achieve.


Well I went for a Braai (BBQ) on Saturday/ Sunday and Thursday night this week which was nice at a couple of the boys house and our physio's place. I also played a little golf on Wednesday afternoon (I got 2 hours away from work, it was so nice lol). I won I must say so it was nice to get one back on an african following the world cup (which I continually get reminded about.


Anyway I am going to watch the rugby with Matt the coach and have a meal this afternoon/ night so that should be good and playing golf again tomorrow so that will be good. Told myself I was not allow to work sundays lol.

Well hope everything is well back home. Nana and Grandad you better still be ticking along and family 1(Browns) & 2(ashlee's family) I hope you's are all well and keeping safe. Friends hope work and everything going well and I look forward to catching up when I get back.

Everyone! if you could look after Ash and give her a cuddle for me when you see her, that would be great

Take care
Love Chris