It has definitely been a rollercoaster and I don’t think anyone of us expected the emotions this environment can bring.
That said, since leaving the group stages and beating Sweden we have been treated to some down time with a day and a half off; some of the adventurous of us went on those fancy trains they have over here and explored London, England while others went to Thorpe Park and screamed all the way around, I wont mention names – but… Pig [Sioned Harries] screamed, kicked, cried and punched her way around the Saw maze!
Last night was our tournament BBQ, where we sat out in the sun and listened to the speeches and congratulated each nation for participating and thanked the officials and hosts for a successful tournament – our very own ‘Birdy’ [Forwards coach and legend Liza Burgess] got a special mention.
It was Birdy that got the official Kit Swap 2010 underway; the moment everyone waits for in these tournaments. Players spend the initial three weeks eyeing up everyone’s training kit and casual stash, getting your hand in on another nation’s shorts, jackets, jerseys etc. is a must.
So Birdy starts it off with emptying her kit bag out over the path and announcing that her “stall is open” and before we knew it she had bagged herself some Kiwi and Canadian stash, a true pro. However, newbie El’s [Elinor Snowsill] has still got some learning to do… swapping her much sought after hoody for a single pair of little shorts is a schoolboy error, where as experienced Sian ‘the Physio’ came away with a training shirt and a t’shirt for hers… well done, youngsters take note.
Now it’s just a couple of days left until we play our last match, the last boshing session is done, the final unit prep completed, one final team run to go until face the Bok’s again… and this time we owe them one!
