Sidey's Samoan Tour Diary

[Alex]

I always like hearing from the boys directly, so I thought you guys might find this interesting as well

Sidey's Samoan Tour Diary

By RugbyWA Media
If you want to keep up to date with everything happening on the Emirates Western Force’s two-match tour of Samoa, then you’ve come to the right place. Hard working back Rory Sidey will give you his take of the action both on and off the field!

With a massive -19 hour time difference between Samoa and Perth, there is more than just an impressive Samoan Test team, who are in final preparations ahead of their tilt at the Rugby World Cup, that the Emirates Western Force players will have to contend with.

Wednesday 18 August 2011

When we finally touched down at Samoa’s International Airport there were more than a few tired eyes. The gruelling trip had taken 19 hours from door to door and coming through the gates at 6am the same morning as we departed was hard to fathom for some.

There were plenty of in depth conversations going on trying to explain that the time was actually now before most of us had gotten out of bed in Perth to begin this journey. We got to live Wednesday 17th August twice - it was our very own Groundhog Day!

The bus trip from the Airport took us along the northern coast of Upolu and gave the majority of the group their first look at Samoan life. The most noticeable was the fact that there seemed to be more prayer shelters and churches than actual homes.

The humility of the Samoan people was immediately shown as we were greeted warmly not only by the staff at our hotel but also by the smiles, waves and greetings from passers-by as our bus made its way from the airport to hotel.

After a good recovery session in the hotel pool, and a much needed power nap in the middle of the day, we were off to our first training session. It was only a light session due to the long travel hours but it allowed us to keep building on our knowledge and gelling as a team with plenty of few new faces in the squad.

Most importantly though you could see the enthusiasm and excitement around the boys as the time comes closer to playing against the Samoan Test team. It will be a great opportunity to play a very good side and after their win against the Wallabies we certinaly know what they’re capable of.

It is a young team that has travelled to Samoa with the average age of the group just 23. There is always one unfortunate young pup that has to look after the team mascot for the entirety of the trip with severe penalties handed out when it is misplaced.

On this trip, the honour has gone to Paulie (Paul Alo Emile) who by default is the youngest player at 19 years of age. Kyle Godwin is actually younger but as he won’t play in the games as he continues to recover from injury he was ineligible for the duty.

Paulie has been giving a teddy bear with a striking resemblance to himself, and a stuffed black swan that has to be with him at all times. I do have to say that I feel sorry for the youngster, we have only been in Samoa for one day and he has already misplaced the mascots four times.

This is quite often due to the assistance of Alfie Mafi who it seems has made it one of his own tour tasks to try to steal the mascots and hide them whenever he can. However if Paulie isn't careful and he continues to misplace the bear and swan he might find himself walking down the high street of Apia in nothing but a Muumuu and a straw hat.

[Tazzmania]

Great thread, makes the players more real and gives a bit of an insight into the characters within the team.

Thoroughly enjoyed the read.

[travelling_gerry]

Friday 19 August 2011

Day 3 - The Calm before the Storm

After a couple of days acclimatising to our new environment, our preparations for tomorrow's match really picked up its intensity culminating in a solid Captain's Run today at Apia Rugby Park.

Yesterday's training session was a wake-up call for us all, as the conditions had the team struggling to gain focus early. The end product was great, but starting slowly is something we definitely cannot do against a team with the talent of Samoa. On the contrary, the first fifteen minutes is a big focus for us as we know they will come out all guns blazing and we are not going to be content with simply weathering the storm in those early stages.

Today's Captain's Run was first class from start to finish and you can see amongst the boys that we are ready for the challenge ahead. The track at Apia Rugby Park is hard and fast and I foresee some great running rugby. What's more, we were told today that tickets for tomorrow's game are sold out. The atmosphere is going to be electric and a completely new rugby experience for most players in the team.

Off the field everyone is beginning to get into the Samoan way of life. The food here is delicious, with the Samoan fruit some of the best I have ever tasted. The bananas are fantastic. I think they are sweeter here, but Cheezy (Nathan Charles) says they taste so good because due to the price rise of bananas in Australia, he hasn't had one in months. Either way, Samoa is blessed with good fruit. I am also seeing more boys wearing lava lavas every day. I have to say that most of the players in our team can pull them off...and then there's Naishy (Physio Rob Naish). One of the ladies that work at our hotel was helping him tie his on today and even she couldn't control her laughter upon seeing the finished product. It was the combination of the fact that Naishy's legs are about half the length of a normal mans and that he chose a pink lava lava that made it just not look right.

Samoan music has also become a staple whenever the team is together. On our bus rides to and from training, the soothing beats of Samoan artists usually keeps the mood quite relaxed around training times. However, always looking to stir the pot, Chucky (James Stannard) almost started a riot today during our post-Captain's Run bus trip when he decided to bring his own speakers and blast out his favourite country and western tracks. Luckily for the old dog, his seniority allowed him to get away with it.

Today was the first day that the Samoan bug really hit the group - in every sense of the word. The majority of the group have found themselves making more bathroom trips than usual today, however, not content with simply sitting around the hotel, myself and a number of other tourists decided to go for a drive along the coast. With the guidance of Eric Alo-Emile (Paulie's dad), we navigated our way to Piula Cave Pool where we were able to cool down with a nice swim. Extremely clear water was full of tropical fish and you could swim into the cave where the water glowed the brightest blue I have seen. It was unreal.

Now it is time for the team to relax, hydrate and get a good night's rest. There is an unusual calmness about Samoa tonight which suggests that there is a storm brewing. The odd thing is, I don't see any clouds in the sky.


http://www.westernforce.com.au/NewsE...2/Default.aspx

[Sheikh]

Great read - Sidey (or his ghost) writes well and gives some nice snap-shots of the teams' personalities.

Also good to hear that the boys are getting out and seeing a bit of Samoa whilst out there.

[travelling_gerry]

Monday 23 August 2011

After a long and eventful weekend it is back to business as usual as we prepare for Game 2 against Samoa. The backs have just returned from our circuit gym session where we were able to get rid of the cobwebs from a hard game on Saturday and begin to mentally focus towards our next challenge. This afternoon’s session will also be a light one, probably a pool session, as there are a few sore bodies after our solid hit out against Samoa.

Saturday saw us push the Samoan side to the end but unfortunately not the get the result that we were aiming for, going down 35-24. The game was exactly how we thought it was going to be - extremely physical. With a lot of new guys touring with us and wearing the Emirates Western Force strip for the first time, and others stepping up for the first time to become leaders of the team, there was a lot to be pleased about from our performance. In fact, prior to the match we got together as a team and came up with 'step-up' as a theme for us to take in to the game, and I think it definitely showed.

The Samoan's decided to call themselves the 'Chairman's XV' even though they started with a large portion of the players who played against the Wallabies and throughout the game used all of their World Cup bound players. In reality, we knew we were playing Samoa despite the official name and the physical contest is one that I'm sure both teams will benefit from going forward.

The first game is over now, and it's time to put that behind us and look forward to the next one. However, there are a number of things that we have taken out of that game to improve upon so that we have the best chance of winning next weekend. Our young team isn't satisfied with just being competitive.

Sunday was a cracker of day and the team got up early to head to a beach on the southern side of the island for recovery and relaxation. We were able to catch some rays, snorkel in the crystal clear waters and relax in the beachside cabanas all the while taking in the breathtaking views. It was sad to think of the suffering that was experienced here not long ago when the tsunami destroyed these villages and families. The Samoans, although, are not one to lament on the past and have used the tragedy to rebuild these villages bigger and better.

The hosts for the day were our Samoan liaison Wayne and his family who put on an incredible feed for the team. After a few hours sipping on coconuts in the sun we sat down for lunch which consisted of 2 pigs on the spit and 40 lobsters, amongst other things. It was a meal that would have cost each of us well over $100 back home. I don't think I've heard the phrase ‘how good is this’ used so much before, but it sums it up perfectly. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday recovering.

Over the weekend, Paulie (Alo-Emile) yet again had a blatant disregard for his tour guardian role and misplaced the bear and swan. As a result, Brocky (Will Brock) felt the need to take a photo of Paulie with the mascots so he could paste it on his bed head as a constant reminder of his important responsibility.

This has also been in part due to the friendly banter that has been going on between the players after the weekends KWIK Premier Grade finals results. After Neddies' massive win over UWA and Soaks bowing out of the finals race with their loss against Cott, Brocky has definitely been walking around with a little more swagger than usual. I'm just hoping that my UWA boys can turn our last result against Cott around, it was a game I actually played in but unfortunately we lost a tight and entertaining affair. It would be great to see UWA have another crack at Neddies, which would be the Grand Final, and possibly wipe that smirk off Brocky's face!

There is much to look forward for the team this coming week, with some good activities planned for our free time around training. One of the highlights will surely be the talent show which is happening on Wednesday night so stay tuned.

http://www.westernforce.com.au/NewsE...2/Default.aspx

[Thequeerone]

No bragging about the win either - a good read

[Hansie]

Brocky's not the bragging type.

[travelling_gerry]

Wednesday 24 August 2011
As the second and final game gets another day closer, the team is winding down after an event filled training free day. There were a number of different options chosen to spend free time today with some boys deciding to visit Savai'i, the largest island of Samoa, others deciding to go on a fishing and snorkelling expedition off Upolou Island, and some opting to relax with 18 holes of golf at a fine golf club just outside of Apia.

The boys who went to Savai'i had a lot of travelling to do with a 45 minute drive to the ferry terminal, an hour ferry ride to Savai'i Island, and then another 45 minute drive to the beach where they were to spend their day. I am told that once they finally arrived it was well worth the lengthy trek. Savai'i is the larger but less populated island famous for its beautiful scenery both offshore and inland, attracting a large number of tourists and keen surfers.

I was amongst those that opted to go on a fishing expedition out past the reef off Upolu. As it was a last minute booking, I was told by team manager Mitch Hardy that the two main fishing charters in Samoa were inactive. One was holidaying in New Zealand and the other company's boat was broken down. As a result, we found ourselves on a 35 foot catamaran with a French skipper and 4 fishing rods. The only issue was, there were 14 of us!

As we made our way out to sea, bets were being taken as to who was going to be the first player to get sea sick. At this time we were still inside the reef with flat waters and everyone was feeling confident. However, within 20 minutes we found ourselves on the set of the movie ‘The Perfect Storm’ slamming into waves that I'm sure were over 50 foot high! In reality they may have been a bit smaller but regardless, we had our first victim... young prop Cruze Ah-Nau. He tried all the tricks in the book to get over his sea sickness but nothing seemed to work and he ended up hanging over the side of the boat throwing up his breakfast.

I'd like to say that this was all worth it and that we ended up catching more fish than we could have hoped for, but we didn't catch a thing. In fact, we didn't get a single bite. We did, however, come back into the lagoon and snorkel around the reef which, if not for the hiring of the catamaran, would not have been accessible, so all was not lost. Despite the lack of fish we did have a nice relaxing day on a boat in the sun. Well...most of us did, sorry Cruze.

When everyone got back from their respective day's activity, we sat down for an extraordinary dinner. It was talent show time. Wayne (our liaison) even had a surprise for us. When he found out that we were going to display some singing and dancing talents, he thought that it would be good to have some healthy competition so he invited along a dancing group from the Sunday school of his local village, not to mention Miss Samoa and the former Miss Samoa. They requested the assistance of the team while they danced and it was good to see that a lot of the boys were more than willing to help. It wasn't a massive surprise to see that the Islander boys were the most accomplished at grooving to the beat but it was good to see some of the 'Palagis' such as Whits (Ben Whittaker), K Bomb (Kieran Longbottom) and Chucky (James Stannard) all keen to give it their best to help out.

The fun didn't end there. When the kitchen staff saw the various dances being put on for us, itchy feet got the better of them and in no time at all the hotel staff were on the dance floor in their cultural dress putting on an amazing performance. The highlight of the teams’ performances was the front row group who nailed the choreographed dance to "All the single ladies" by Beyonce. Paulie (Paul Alo-Emile), Ruan (Smith) and K Bomb danced with enthusiasm, zest and precision that I'm sure gave all the ladies in the room a great first impression of Australian men.

[travelling_gerry]

Sunday 28 August 2011

Home sweet home

There are a lot of tired bodies on the plane as we make our journey home. We were on the bus to the airport at 5am with a lot of boys not getting much sleep overnight. After our match yesterday we attended the Official World Cup launch for the Samoan team which was an honour to be a part of.

There were speeches and presentations from all the various attending dignitaries. Gifts were exchanged between the Emirates Western Force and Manu Samoa as well as speeches of gratitude. The Samoans were extremely thankful that we had accepted their invitation to come to Samoa to be a part of their World Cup preparations.

To cap off the evening the Samoan World Cup squad was announced and we got to see the Samoan Hakka as the team performed it to the crowd. It was a good night and allowed us to mingle with the Samoan players in a social environment.

Now, sitting miles above the Pacific Ocean, there is a lot of spare time to think back on the success of the tour. Despite the two losses we all firmly believe that this tour was a great success for the team. In Saturday's game we fought hard and were again well and truly in the game until the 70th minute. We were up against the exact team that faced the Wallabies and even though we were off our game, we were still able to provide the Samoans with a solid hit out and produce moments of brilliance.

Timmy Bennetts' try was one of the best you'll see at any level with Alfie (Mafi) making a long incisive run off the back of a lineout from inside our own 22 before brilliant support play saw the ball go through four different sets of hands to finish with Timmy untouched next to the posts. With such a young squad on tour, and a lot of players who haven't played professionally before, the experience that has been gained on this tour will be crucial to the success of the club moving forward.

Last Thursday, after our training session, we took part in a heart-warming community activity when Brocky (Will Brock) organised a visit for us to the Samoan Society for the Intellectually Disabled. The looks of excitement on the kids’ faces when our bus showed up to their school was priceless.

After some informal greetings, we moved into a room where the students began to sing and dance for us. They even performed their own version of the Hakka. In reply, they asked us to sing to them the Australian national anthem and it was surprising to see that a couple of the students knew the words and were singing along with us. This visit meant the world to the small school and they were extremely grateful. However, they probably don't realise how much something like that really means to us. To be able to put smiles on the faces of less privileged kids is an amazing thing and is definitely one of the memories from the trip that we will all hold closest to our hearts.

We were afforded some wonderful experiences, both in rugby and in the Samoan culture throughout our 12 days, and they’ll remain forever with each and every Emirates Western Force tourist.

We will all go our separate ways now for the remainder of the offseason and meet back together in Perth in November for the start of preseason as we embark on our next journey - the 2012 Super Rugby season. Throughout that time I have no doubts there will be moments when we look back on this Samoan tour and have a cheeky smile.

Thanks for your support throughout the tour and I look forward to catching-up with our great members and supporters in a couple of months.

[joblot]

What a great report. Well done Rory.

[GIGS20]

It's been great to read these reports, Sidey's gotten a hold of a great ghost writer there!

[Hansie]

Awesome diary. You done good Rory....

[Garfiep]

thanks Rory - standout reporting

[shasta]

Thanks Rory. It's been fantastic to get these insights to the tour and a hint of the character dynamics in the squad. The tour seems a roaring success off the paddock too, will add a lot to the club culture and build a sense of belonging among the younger players in the future.

[RJSidey]

While I've signed up here, thought i'd clarify that I did NOT have a ghost writer hahah just a lot of essay writing experience behind me lol
I'm glad everyone enjoyed these reports while we were in Samoa last year, I surely enjoyed writing them.