Nick's Notes: The Nick Easter Column


By RFU.com
June 10 2010

Welcome to England and Harlequins No 8 Nick Easter's weekly tour column from England's tour Down Under, from RFU.com.

Nick's Notes: The Nick Easter Column
Wednesday June 9 - Perth facts and Aussie Rules (courtesy of RFU.com)


THERE has been a lot of talk about this tour to Australia being very similar to an old school rugby tour and with some aspects, this is very true. With three midweek fixtures and two Tests, there's a lot to cram in. In the past we would have a squad of 32 and usually you would find six or seven guys wouldn't ever play, but this time all of the 44 have a meaningful and beneficial part to play.

A successful tour is judged by what happens on the pitch, but in order to get a successful and cohesive environment on the field, everyone has to bond off it and so far, the spirit has been great in the camp. There is so much to do in Australia. On our day off we're going to Rottnest Island, famous for spectacular scenery and wildlife. We've adopted the 'when In Australia, do what the Australians do' attitude so in true Aussie style we'll be having a barbie. It would be rude not to.

Last Saturday the boys went to see an Aussie Rules game. Despite being low scoring by AFL standards at 39-24, it was a great experience for us all; those players seriously have to run a long way, they have remarkable fitness levels.

Like any tour, we have appointed a social committee with Joe Worsley, Lee Mears and me in charge. We elected David Flatman and James Haskell to take charge of the bus journeys to and from the training ground. Luckily for us, the coaching team are on another bus, so a few stories and jokes can be told without too much censorship.

This is also where we make special mention of those who have caught our eye that day, mostly for all the wrong reasons. Much as I'd love to name them, my lips are sealed, everyone knows that 'what goes on tour stays on tour'!

On the serious side, the importance of this tour is very clear each day, with the Rugby World Cup next year, this will be the last time we will be playing away in the southern hemisphere before the tournament kicks off in New Zealand.

Australia is a very tough place to come to; everyone here is so passionate about sport. Rugby union is very small in this part of the country, but when England are in town everyone comes out to support the Aussies. But we have a great following here. George Chuter, who has taken up the role of providing the team with 'thrilling' facts, told us that 10 per cent of the Perth population are born and raised in the UK. We did notice there were a number of England supporters at the opening game; it's great for them and for us as well.

This tour will be a big test for everyone involved here and it will be interesting to see how the guys front up in both the midweek and test matches.

Cheers,
Nick

Don't forget to look out for Nick's next column, out next Wednesday (June 16).

Nick's Notes: The Nick Easter Column
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Date: 10/06/2010 00:09

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Nick's Notes: The Nick Easter column


http://www.matchdaychat.com/ezines/images/41457.jpg
England's Nick Easter training in Sydney


Courtesy of RFU.com.

Nick's Notes: Sharks, Steaks and Aussie Tests

Welcome to England and Harlequins No 8 Nick Easter's weekly tour column from England's tour Down Under, exclusive to RFU.com.

Sydney: Thursday, June 16

LOOKING ahead to Saturday's second Test in Sydney, we cannot let Australia dictate to us like they did in the first. We allowed them to control most of the territory and possession early on, and as a result we went in at half time trailing 14-0.

I would put some of our first half performance down to nerves but we do believe in our ability and we know that we can beat Australia in many areas of the pitch.

You saw during the 27-17 defeat in the first Test in Perth that our scrum was dominant but there wasn't much else and it was very frustrating because we know we can do much better. We need to make sure it doesn't happen again and make the most of our preparation time for the second Test.

Off the field there is still a great spirit and camaraderie within the camp and the midweek team's win over the Australian Barbarians was a big lift for everyone. It's all about momentum and another draw or another loss going into the second Test would have put us under far more pressure, but the boys dug deep and gave us something positive to build on for the Aussies.

We are now in Sydney and there is so much to do. It's very important to get the balance right between playing and relaxing and at this point in the season players do need a bit of time to relax, but once we're in training and in a game we are all focused 100 per cent.

Coming to such a big city like Sydney has been very exciting especially for a lot of the guys from smaller towns back home; they see the big city lights and are just amazed. On our day off a lot of the lads chose to do a climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge but a lot of the others chose to do a shark dive. After that, we all met up and headed to an Australian steak house called Ribs and Rumps.

Preparation for the second Test is now in full swing. Last week it was very physical for the forwards and there were a few sore bodies afterwards but we are all fresh now ahead of the weekend's game.

We have had a short and sharp training session and we are also going to the ANZ stadium for a quick look at the ground. From there, we will be raring to go to take the game to the Aussies and ensure we claim that much needed improved performance and second tour win.

Cheers,

Nick

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