Japan Day 10 Sunday May 2nd

Wake early as normal on game day. Boys have a laugh about the high skinfold boys (Hayden, Logan, Fraser and Joe) who sneak out at night to get icecream from the vending machines. They’ve been on a strict no-rubbish diet all tour and the coaches and Nic Gill will hit the roof when they find out. A few of us discuss how we might drop a few hints at a team meeting. Shower, breakfast, and team meeting. Watched the first quarter-final, France against England. No love lost between these two. In an upset England hold on to win 21-20 and put France out of the tourney. We’re a bit disappointed cause we were hoping to play them somewhere but we also understand how they feel being knocked out. Nevermind we’ve got our own game to worry about.
Warm-up, goes very well and we’re out of the sheds and into our haka. All one way traffic as backs and forwards combine in our best display of running rugby on tour. The opposition and crowd seem stunned as we pile on the points. Baby (Kallum) has a blinder at No. 8 picking up a hat-trick of tries. Joe Webber has a great game but unfortunately injures his hand which is later diagnosed as a fracture and so it will his last game for quite a while. Skipper Nick Ross is in great form and picks up the Grassroots player of the day award. In fact its hard to think of someone that didn’t have a great game…even I had one of my better ones. Final score 103 -3.
In the other quarters Sth Africans and Aussies have wins and we know we’ve got the huge Aussies in the semis.
Medical checks, hot and colds and then dinner. Team meeting, quick congrats, then onto video analysis of Australia. Massive, off-load well, strong individuals, big tackles but slow to breakdown, set pieces average, fitness questionable, defence of pick and go and mauls weak. You can just feel the excitement in the team of the challenge we will face on Tuesday.
Couple of team songs and then lights out at 9.00am. We must be the most disciplined team here in that area. We’re always the first team to bed and players value their sleep. Drift off to sleep listening to Regan and Isaako giggling again and look forward to rest day tomorrow.

Sayonara
No. 16