Hello from Queenstown!
According to DHL Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee things are going well on tour, after leaving Cape Town on Saturday afternoon and arriving in Queenstown on Monday morning local time.
They flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Saturday and then on to Sydney and Auckland, where they had an overnight stay before catching an early (Monday morning) flight to their current base.
Coetzee told the www.iamastormer.com website on Monday morning (SA time): “It was a long trip and a tiring one, but we’re here and the players have already had a flush-out session in the gym (with some swimming and weights training) before what should be a good night’s rest!
“The second day is always a challenge, after such a long travel schedule, but we have taken all the possible precautionary steps up until now to keep the travel fatigue at bay.”
The DHL Stormers will train and prepare in Queenstown all week before taking a bus to Dunedin on Friday ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Forsyth Barr Stadium (kick-off 19h35 NZ time; 08h35 SA time).
“We have some very pleasant memories of staying in Queenstown,” said Coetzee, referring to their previous visit in 2012 which saw them record a 21-6 win over the Highlanders later that week.
“Not only is Queenstown beautiful but our training and gym facilities are in walking distance from the hotel and being out of the public eye a bit allows us to work hard and focus on the job at hand.
“We will be working hard this week but staying in a great place like this means the guys can enjoy each other’s company and their surroundings while working hard.”
Whilst rugby is obviously the sole focus for the DHL Stormers squad, once training is done tomorrow their attention will turn to Auckland’s Eden Park where the Proteas will be in action against New Zealand’s Black Caps in their 2015 Cricket World Cup semifinal.
Said Coetzee: “Tomorrow is Protea Day! We will be right behind the Proteas team once our training is done.
“We will be watching the game on TV and supporting the guys by having an in-house dress-up competition and willing the Proteas on to go all the way!”
AN INSTA-VIEW OF THE DHL STORMERS’ TOUR THUS FAR:
This place is really beautiful #Queenstown#tourvibes#showyourstripes#allin @adidas @adidasrugby_ @adidasoriginals A photo posted by Siya Kolisi (@siya_kolisi_the_bear) on
