Wed 5 Apr - Ed Smith

Today's team run was the final rugby session of the 06 Training Camp in SA. A strong Army XV was named this morning and the light run out this morning was very smooth. All members of the squad are focused on finishing the Training Camp with a WIN [against City Suburbs], and returning to the UK undefeated in SA.

The boys have worked extremely hard over three tough weeks of training with the sole focus of beating the RAF and the NAVY on our return.

Despite a few injuries and a handful of tired bodies, the willingness and attitude to both training and recovery has been of the highest standard; standards, which I am sure, will result in victory tomorrow night and an unbeaten time in the Western Cape.

The party are looking forward to returning home on Sat (8 Apr) morning and earning a well deserved 1-day break before meeting in Aldershot for training....

Wed 5 Apr - Steve Trethewey

Today starts with the announcement of the team to play City Suburbs on Thursday 6th, this being the last game before the Inter-Services clash against the RAF [on 19 Apr 06].

The only session of the day was a team run to perfect all moves and phases of play. Gareth "bop bop" Thomas' warm up was interesting and was creative as ever. The whole squad even after 3 weeks are still amazed how one man can have such pioneering ideas towards warm up and cool down to keep the boys on their toes. Top work Bop Bop.

The team run went smoothly giving the starting team confidence for tomorrow's game. The rest of the day was spent preparing for the game by the pool.

Tue 4 Apr - Joe Plank

Last night was a squad meal out with African dancing and a buffet style meal, as always I ended up stuffed and so did most of the players as the food was a nice change from chicken and fish! There were springbok sausages, ostrich, lamb, beef and all sorts of fish and salads.

As part of the medical team and doing on average 4 hours of sports massage a day we have certainly been kept busy. Damu, Damu had a scan on his shoulder and will be out for a few weeks - just one of our injuries. Funny though - as in Fiji they must wear their hospital gowns on with the strings tied at the front, so that was how he put his on! - Sorry Damu strings to the back mate - to stop everything hanging out.

In addition to doing sports massage I have been taking some of the injured down to the gym to train body parts that were injured - Strange - we had 3 yesterday and only one today. The guys would rather be up at the pitch than said that it is easier than a 'beasting' in the gym.

Did my normal thing and ran back today from the gym with Soaps who is now known as 'The Claw' due to having his thumb injured and being strapped in such a way. Looking forward to a bit of team building down the beach, typical only day so far it has been cloudy and no sun! And then it is back a clinic and watch the video tea and then an early night for this call sign.

Mon 3 Apr - Melv Lewis and Kim

This morning there were alot of sore bodies at the training session after the game on Saturday night, as I was injured I went down to the gym with Sol and Lee, we were supervised by Jo - while the boys were doing a hard contact session up at Tech gardens.

This afternoon's session was all about hands and alot of running there was even a rumour that Mark Howard was seen running - not sure how much truth is in that but I'll try and get back to you with the details.

Tonight the whole squad is going out to experience African culture [at "Moya at Spier"] and sample some of the different foods - so we are all looking forward to that.

Sun 2 Apr - Mattie Stewart and Andy Neaves

Following a hard fought victory over the Villages [Army (11) v Villages (0)] the team took on the onerous task of fluid replacement with great gusto. Their commitment to rehabilitation was so enthusiastic a couple even went for 'rubs' in order to be fully prepared for the final week.

Recovery started at 1000hrs on the dot - the evidence of how hard last night's game was still evident as dehydration still appeared a problem! However, under Gareth's watchful eye everyone made a full recovery. Following recovery it was a free day; some travelled to the art and craft local market to collect their mothers another wooden elephant she will have to get out every time they go home on leave, others went to the beach and the remainder stayed around the pool for a well deserved rest.

Unfortunately, this evening the tour party were forced to attend a court session under the watchful eye of Judge Lee Soper with his court attendant Ben Hughes and prosecutor Ed Smith - it was pre-determined that defence was pointless and it was therefore dispensed with. Cases were heard against Andrew Parkinson, Rob 'Percy' Sugden and Conrad 'the snitch' Price. All were found guilty but details of their crimes were considered unsuitable for publication.

Tomorrow there is a return to training - the whole squad are delighted!

Sat 1 Apr - David Falconer (Paedo crab)

Today saw the second match of the tour against a Villagers side, which had previously beaten the Army XV on their last visit to the Cape. Unlike the first match it was an evening kick off which was a welcome change for those selected in the squad. For those not fortunate enough to make the 22 man squad they were rewarded with a speed and agility session on the beach front and most importantly the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Cape Town's finest "bird" species in action (species rarely seen back at home!).

Rumour had it that Revlon was conducting another screening day for potential models and the sun-loungers were all occupied in eager anticipation, however to the disappointment of those in the squad it turned out to be an April fools hoax. The remainder of the morning and afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool enjoying Georgie Kembles seal impressions and some "top bombing" from Mark Howard.

Before leaving for the Villagers ground the squad enjoyed a meal at the hotel and started to focus in to the evenings game. Despite being Village by name the Villagers were definitely better than their name suggested. They were going to be a tougher test than last Saturday's opponents Wellington and the team was determined to make amends for last year's defeat.

The match report and evenings shenanigans have been compiled by Andy Hickling

Army (11) v Villages (0)

Fri 31 Mar - Andy Parkinson and Zola Roko

After a hard week of training all that was left to do before the game was the Captain's run.

After another truly spectacular warm-up from Gareth "bop bop" Thomas - God knows how he comes up with a different warm up for every session, the variety of exercises has made warm up and cool down something the boys really look forward to. The session proceeded without a hitch, after 40 minutes of fine tuning the session was over and the squad headed back to the hotel for lunch and recovery, followed by and afternoon of relaxing before the game. Most of the boys spent this time wisely by getting in a few hours of much needed sunbathing by the pool.

A special mention needs to go out to top tanner of the tour - Sue with Rory coming a well-deserved second.

Thu 30 Mar - James Balfrey and Naka

Quite an easy day, compared to some of the sessions we've had in the last couple of weeks. A full morning of patterns followed by a gym session in the afternoon.

The morning started as usual with another innovative and inspiring warm up from Gareth "bop bop" Thomas followed by an intense team run. After recovery and lunch we made our way down to the gym for personal weight lifting sessions. Some members of the front five impressed as usual by lifting what can only be described as schoolboy weights.

After a good 2 hours of letching and beach weights the team returned to the hotel for recovery and a well-deserved rest.

Wed 29 Mar - Sue Fowler and Conrad Price

Greetings from Cape Town!

Following last night's manic adventures on the go-karting track, the team enjoyed a well deserved day of R&R. Activities included:

• Deep Sea Diving with Great White Sharks;
• A cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain;
• Boat Trip to Robben Island (Home to Nelson Mandela and his colour TV for 27 years!);
• Horse Riding for absolute beginners (only to be attempted by those with serious mental deficiencies).

Mal Roberts got the highly sort after prize for trainer of the day - as he was the only man sad enough to be goal kicking on his day off.... but then he needs it more than anyone after the Wellington debacle!

Highlights of the day that deserve special mention include:

• Dave Faulkner experiencing the loss of bodily fluids from both ends - but it is up for debate as to the exact cause - was it either seasickness or Great White fright or both - who knows?!
• Our illustrious skipper Ed Smith and his 'Brokeback Mountain' companions embarked on a more than aggressive pony trek over landscape more akin to downtown Beirut. However, it does help to see where one's pony is trekking instead of having eyes like Marty Feldman due to a severe allergy to horses - not the cleverest move of the day Skips!
• On the Table Mountain expedition, Lee Soper lead a small body of men on the re-make of The Italian Job in a 52-seater bus, only to find the queue 2hrs long for buying tickets. The queue to actually scale the mountain was another hour, so as a true leader (of chumps) Lee made a command decision to withdraw to the safer haven of the Waterfront. (The alternative excuse was that actually they were all scared of heights and didn't fancy the cable car ride after all - the bus ride was enough of a cheap thrill!)

You'll be glad to know the weather has picked up to a lovely 30 degrees with no wind (Chalkie was in bed all day) so a great time being had by all.

Bye for now

Tue 28 Mar

Hickling getting acupuncture

Indoor track go-kart winners!

Go-karting?

Management Team Go-karting

Tue 28 Mar - Gareth & Daryl Slade-Jones

Another day another dollar!

It was back to the grindstone for the lads, another two hard sessions in the baking South African sun. The sessions started as normal with young Gareth "bop bop" Thomas taking the warm up, which again seem like something he had written on the back of a fag packet!! Nevertheless the boys entertained him and did it without moaning.

In the evening it was out for a team bonding session at the go-karts. Hickling with his past record on the karts was nervous at first but having Jane his wife send his "L" plates over from UK he was ready to go. The evening was a great success with Sue our physio coming out on top with the egg of the day for being best driver.

Mon 27 Mar - Rory Thompson and Joe Kava

After a well deserved day off on Sunday, today we got straight back into it with a delightful spinning session at 10 am in the local gym. After an hour on the bikes we then spend another hour in the gym trying to get massive.

    

Once the sessions were over most of the boys were tired and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel for a well-deserved feed and rest.

In the afternoon we travelled to Tech gardens training ground to perfect our rugby skills. This started with a long warm-up from Gareth concentrating on basic passing and keeping our depth in attack.

The forwards and backs then split, with the forwards focusing on lineouts and the backs on actually catching the ball. After 30 mins or so we then came back together to practise some game related patterns.

It was then back to hotel for the dreaded ice baths and some much needed food and rest.

In the evening the squad finished off with a video analysis session of Saturday's game and then all the boys rested in preparation for tomorrow's training.

Overall a hard but worthwhile day for all involved.

Sun 26 Mar - Gary Stocks

Today started with an organised recovery session in the local communal outdoor pool, with water temperature cold enough to waken all those slightly dreary from last night's hydration session.

Once the work was completed, some fine displays of high board diving were witnessed, with Isoa Damudamu and Lee Soper standing out from the crowd. A slow walk back to the hotel further aided the recovery of some tired muscles.

After breakfast, the remainder of the day was a personal rest day, with many making the trip to Camps bay for a day of beach sports and tackling the big waves of the Atlantic, some ventured to the Waterfront complex for a day of shopping and others to the wine region of Stellenbosch, for a bite of lunch and some sampling.

After dinner back in the hotel, the preparation for the next fixture commences, with a viewing of yesterday's game [Army (20) v Wellington (5)], prior to Conrad Price turning it in to a video nasty!

Sat 25 Mar - Match Day - Gareth Stone

Today saw the first match of the tour against Wellington, but for those of us not involved in the squad there was little opportunity for a rest! While the team enjoyed a lie in and ate breakfast the non-playing squad members were up bright and early for a fitness circuit with conditioning coach Gareth Thomas. Even at nine o'clock the temperature was rising fast, making it a demanding session. There was, though, the welcome distraction of the like-minded locals who were spending their Saturday morning out training.

After a quick bite to eat it was on to the bus for the hour-long drive to Boland. The temperature was even hotter further north, and so there was plenty of work keeping the players hydrated. Despite the fact that we had had only a week of acclimatisation it was clear that the Boland players suffered more than us. The team put in an outstanding performance to win comfortably.

After hanging round to watch the Blue Bulls lose to the Kavaliers it was back to Cape Town for the third half, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all after a hard week of rugby.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Fri 24 Mar - Bruno Green

Greetings from sunny Cape Town, the weather today was a stifling 32 Degrees... I can imagine that it wasn't like that in the UK. Fortunately for the squad today would be a light captain's run. Training up until now had been arduous to say the least. The lads would be glad of some time off the legs. Even though this is a training camp a little rest and relaxation prior to a hard game would be more than welcome!

The first game on tour will be against Wellington, a team from the Boland region. We beat Wellington on the tour last year so the game will be a keenly contested one. The forecast for tomorrow is hot so I imagine that the water boys will be busy. (I personally enjoy seeing Chalky and Daz doing some exercise).

The boys are all looking forward to sampling the bright lights of Cape Town after the game, fortunately there is a recovery session planned for Sunday morning (top hangover cure).

The first week has been hard but we all know that the fitness is in the bank, and with this knowledge and fitness in hand we should be able to play at a higher pace and intensity than our Inter-Service rivals.

We are prepared for our game tomorrow it is the first step on our way to retaining the Inter-Services title.

ONE AIM - ONE GOAL.

Good night and God Bless

Thu 23 Mar - Mal Roberts

Day 6 and it feels as if we have been here for weeks, not in a bad way but the amount of time spent training.

Andy and Mattie between them are thinking up some great drills which are exposing some of our weaknesses in are game, which I won't elaborate to much on for the Navy or RAF to expose (but we do have some). Even in this short space of time we have improved and are getting on well together as a squad.

Today Andy announced the team of 22 to play the first game [against Wellington] it is going to be interesting to see how people react to not making the cut.

Training was interesting because this year we are developing more play patterns, that are based on quality and not quantity - but Andy has his lapses every so often (I think the sun gets to him).

Nice to see a bit of variation coming into the warm ups Gareth Thomas is using all his experience to make them interesting!!!

Wed 22 Mar

Day five saw another visit to the Tech gardens training ground, or the 'lactic acid playground' as it is sometimes affectionately called. The training of the day was set up nicely by Gareth warming up the upper and lower body for what was to be the first proper 'boshing' session of the tour.

Led by Mattie Stewart, the squad began with rucking drills focusing specifically on getting harder and nastier around the ruck area. Those of us who were unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a Chris Budgen clear-out will have gained an invaluable (and long lasting!) insight into how this is achieved.

The second phase of the morning's training was another first of the tour, running through patterns off of a clearance kick. With all members of the squad involved, it enabled all of the previous days training elements to be put into practice, both offensively and defensively.

After a long and relatively arduous morning the afternoon was given over to a gym session where squad members were able to work on individual fitness. Overall, a good day was had by all, however, at the back of everyone's minds is the game on Saturday and the 22 that will be playing.

Tue 21 Mar - Robin Scothern and Georgie Kemble

Following a healthy breakfast in the hotel, the squad were focused on producing another impressive performance on the training 'Paddock' (Howard, 2006).

Today, as usual was broken down into 2 sessions. The morning allowed the forwards to concentrate on the line out set-piece under Matty Stewarts direction, which left the girls to do what they do with Andy. The afternoon session was handed to Gareth Thomas, and included agility, resistance work and other rugby fitness exercises in the form of a circuit for teams of 4.

The forwards' session in the morning was led in the same manner as yesterdays scrummage session. Matty demanded a high output from the forwards and I believe he was not disappointed in what we achieved in that time slot. The way things have been going we envisage that our set-piece play will have been greatly enhanced by the time we leave here.

The afternoon session was hard but rewarding. The day finished with a timed agility course involving ladders and hurdles etc....It was great to see Gary Stocks and Andy participating!!!

NEWS ALERT!!!! Chris B was awarded trainer of the morning, for his valuable contribution to the forwards' set-piece training (a chocolate egg was his reward - which he shared!!)

Mon 20th Mar

Today the intensity of the training picked up another notch as the squad became accustomed to the training regime. In the morning the forwards were taken under the wing of Mattie Stewart for a live scrummaging session, while the backs were under the watch full eye of Andy Hickling for contact drills. It was a punishing morning in both body and mind especially for one of the squad who required a number of stitches above the eye after a clash of heads. It was then back to hotel for the dreaded ice baths and some much needed food and rest.

In the afternoon there was a change of scenery as the team moved to a local gym. This was to allow the squad to participate in a spin class. This involved the entire squad being closed into a small box room (far away from other gym users so they can not hear the screaming) and being allocated a torture device that resembled an exercise bike. Add a sadistic instructor/dungeon keeper with a microphone who shouts at you, demanding more effort, coupled with insults about whether we were a net ball team and you get the basic idea of the spin class. Forty-five minutes later we were released.

In the evening the squad finished of with a video analysis session before some very welcome rest, prior to another day of pain.

Sun 19th Mar - Ed Smith and Steve Trethewey

The Senior XV arrived safely in South Africa at 0600 Sat 18th March. By 1100 hrs we were into our first training session, a light run out designed to flush the journey out of our system. The mood in the camp was spirited and lifted further by the news that we were going to watch the Stormers vs The Cheetahs at Newlands that evening. After a fairly turgid first-half the game was eventually won in exciting fashion by the visitors.

The first day is always a long one and to incorporate the flight, a training session and an excursion while maintaining the training focus in order to be ready to go for fitness the following day was a credit to both the squad and the coaching staff.

A very high precedent has been set for the training camp and long may it continue...