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Rusty, but still a great result
- By Cameron Shepherd
- From: The Sunday Times
- April 10, 2010 6:51PM
AFTER everything that's gone down this season, it's great to be getting the reward for the hard work everyone has put in.
To be part of the win and contribute after such a long time out was extremely satisfying.
I'd be lying if I didn't say there was a bit of trepidation on my behalf coming into the game - but all that went out the window as soon as I crossed the white line.
It wasn't the prettiest game to watch and I was probably a bit rusty, but any match where the team can score six tries and end up on the right side of the scoreline is alright by me. This is probably a good opportunity to apologise to Benny McCalman after I stole the ball from the big man to score my second try!
We came to New Zealand to do a job and it's only half done. We'll celebrate the performance, but are under no illusions that we have a lot of ground to catch up this season.
The boys will have a few quiet drinks and from tomorrow we'll turn our attention to the Blues in Auckland.
It's a tough proposition, but the confidence is high and we're staying in Queenstown for a few more days, which can't help but inspire you.
The mountains surrounding the town provide a spectacular backdrop.
It's an amazing perk of playing professional rugby that we get to visit places like this. The only hard part has been the recovery sessions in Lake Wakatipu.
The water can't be much warmer than 10 degrees. When you land in that water every sense in your body explodes, and for a second you're not sure if you'll be able to take your next breath.
To get somewhere close, try filling your bath tub with ice and cold water and jumping in!
The team is broken up into people who only walk in waist-deep and those who jump in off the wharf.
Then there's Sam Wykes. The big man didn't even want to go in ankle-deep, but a word or two from Sports Science manager Haydn Masters convinced Wyksey to venture in but the fuzz (hair) definitely didn't get wet!
Breakfast on Friday was also a bit of fun when we woke to find a team review in the local paper by former Wallabies kicking coach Ben Perkins.
Having known Ben for years, his unmistakable style was evident in his reviews of both sides: eclectic is probably the best way to sum it up.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rus...-1225852213584