This column which begun in Melbourne has now been traveling since 5am Saturday (Melbourne time), to where we finally hit our destination in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The travel days which included a quick trip from Melbourne to Sydney, then quickly escorted to our flight Johannesburg. Three flights, around 10,000km and over 12 hours actual flying time added to the annual travel tally before round 2. With this being about my 13th trip to Africa it was all about getting into my seat and trying to get as many hours sleep as possible. This feels like a normal work trip, not anything new to get excited about. Although it is entertaining watching the young brigade get excited about getting that stamp on their passport and you noticed a change in the front row who were already licking their lips in anticipation of the 2 week long meat feast which occurs in Africa.
While travel has long since lost its charm for me, it is always great to get to tour with your teammates. Despite spending a long preseason together, you find out so much more on tour during long days of travel and many night away from our partners. I was able to have a chat with Tetera Faulkner (Tet) during the plane trip; I found out that during his school years and early in his career he was a talented back rower weighing under 100kg. That was until he met his then girlfriend Ashley who is a talented Chef by trade. Within the first six or so months he easily put on 20kgs. His coach told him to either lose the weight and give up on the chef inspired meals, or more to the front row. Lucky for the Force he married Ashley and made the move, where he is now one of the top front rowers in the squad and a commanding 117kg.
Before you can look forward it is always beneficial to glance backwards. It is obviously disappointing to lose the first game of the season last week. As a team we are not happy with the result but we were reassured by the progress that had us controlling the game for at least 90 per cent of the battle. With seven new Force debutantes and two players making their Super debut, the signs are looking good for the Emirates Western Force for 2013. With a new backline and style of play, the more time we spend together the better the combinations will become. It is always good to add to the growing Force Family with players from around the world, we now have representatives from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. We are a cultural melting pot typical of the wider Perth community and every person has a story if you take the time to hear it. What we have in common is rugby and a strong competitive streak. No-one gets to Super rugby level without talent and years of hard work and sacrifice. We aren’t here to just play rugby, we are here to win. I am never happy after a loss. But each week is a new opportunity to win and this week we have the opportunity to be the first team to rack up a win against the new Super team, the Southern Kings.
While the Kings will be a largely unknown quantity, the South African crowd we know and love. The South African’s are passionate and faithful rugby supporters, much like our Sea of Blue who themselves have a high percentage of South Africans proudly among them. Reports are coming out that tickets are selling for as little as $3.50 to the Kings first game so this is bound to be a sell out and big crowds are exciting in a rugby strong hold like South Africa. Some people will call the crowds here aggressive and intimidating. I prefer to think of them as rugby mad and passionate. The noise and energy that will emanate from the 48,000 strong crowd in Nelson Mandel Bay Stadium will have the team hyped and ready to entertain. For the uninitiated this will be a South African baptism to remember. It will be up to the senior players to help those less experienced to channel the nervous energy into a strong performance. With my hamstring progressing well I am hopefully of leading out the Force this weekend. No professional rugby player wants to sit on the sidelines and watch your team play without you. As soon as I get the all clear from the medical staff I will be raring to put months of preseason training to good use.
