There will be two fixtures in Auckland against, Mt Roskill Grammar (Monday 2nd April, at Mt Roskill Grammar, 3.15pm) and Otahuhu College (Thursday 4th April, at Otahuhu College, 3.15pm), with the final game to be played in Northland, at Hukurenui against Mid Northern Boys (Hukerenui fields located just north of Whangarei, Saturday 7th April, 3.15pm).
Updates will be posted along the way :)
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Day One:
Saturday 31st March:
It has arrived. Day one of the SACS Rugby New Zealand Tour 2012. The boys departing from Sydney International Airport to hopefully leave their mark of 'victory' along the way through their North Island venture.
Their journey began at 6.40am this morning, arriving at the Airport in Sydney International to depart to Auckland, New Zealand. The team all arrived safely to a warm New Zealand welcome at around 3.30pm NZ. After a good bus drive through parts of South and Eastern Auckland they ended up at Pakuranga Marae for a traditional New Zealand Maori 'Powhiri' (Welcome) so that they were able to enter into the Marae afterward not as visitors but temporary people of the land, giving them access to the meeting house and other areas within the Marae complex.
A part of the welcome is you must partake in a 'breaking of the bread' (having a cup of tea and something to eat). Once finished, the lads got ready to enjoy a Super 15 Rugby match in Hamilton (South of Auckland, 2 hour drive). The Coach arrived in time for the kick off where the Waratahs v Chiefs game was fired up like a Aussie v Kiwi International. Atmosphere was amazing! Some of the boys decided to be a 'Chief for the night' and swapped allegiance from being a NSW supporter to a Waikato Chiefs supporter! (I kid you not ... photo's to be uploaded shortly!). After the game they went into the Hamilton City for a bite before heading back to the Marae in Auckland for the night. They had a bit of supper before logging off to sleep around 1am (NZ) - yes, they found out that day light savings in NZ kicked in, so the clocks went back an hour and they enjoyed chatting most of the night. The less hours they sleep the harder it will be for training, so, with that said, the Sunday schedule will be a challenge.More to come tomorrow :)
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Day Two:
Sunday 1st April:
After a restless sleep the boys were up the next morning having their hearty breakfast before zapping off to training at the Auckland Domain. The Domain has plenty of space to run around, along with a few attractions of the City Museum and Rose Gardens.
A beautiful backdrop for the good training session with plenty of fitness and drills being drummed in the night before the game v Mt Roskill Grammar.
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Day Three:
Monday 2nd April:
Then it was time to head to MRGS (Mt Roskill Grammar School) to prepare for the game v their 2XV. SACS arrived to a beautiful powhiri (welcome), here is a quick snippet video of the beginning to their welcome.
Then it was time for the boys to prepare, warm up and begin the game. The game report will be uploaded by Coach Michniewicz for a better run down on things (he said this will be processed shortly). All up, the game went well, it was a VICTORY to SACS Blue and White.
The after match had it's special moments as well, with both teams battling the dance floor. I'll only post a quick video (extended footage to follow at a later date) ... I'm sure the boys would be happy that I'm not uploading the full video! the dance moves were indescribable from SACS:
Day Four:
Tuesday 3rd April:
After a night of 'ice baths' in buckets out the back of the Marae, the day of touring Auckland began with a quick tour of the famous holy grail ground of New Zealand Rugby; 'Eden Park'. Checking out the grounds, the changing rooms, the Coaches boxes and having a team photo at the end of the players tunnel was a good start to the day.
The days activities ended with a night of fishing. Footage of the action is yet to come. The Auckland harbour was ruthless. Stormy waters, less to no fish, it wasn't the splendid expected quota of fish for the night however, the boys managed to entertain themselves through most of it, along with stinky clothing for a few days thereafter :)
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Day Five:
Wednesday 4th April:
More info to follow shortly
--Watch this space--
