My first few weeks in Aubena

I arrived in Aubena 2 weeks ago not really knowing what to expect or what I was getting myself in to. However, I was very excited to be accepting a new challenge. It started well with meeting everyone from the club who have been very friendly towards me. The other players have been looking after me very well (the only little problem I have is that the English of the French people is not very good).

I am enjoying the training a lot, all though it is a lot of contact but it is helping me gain confidence in the tackle area. The coach is young and very enthusiastic which I like very much. He wants me to play no.10 this year so another challenge I am very excited about.

The first week I had a few problems with my paperwork so I was not going to play but then the coach spoke with the ref and I was allowed to play the second half (since it was only a trial). It went quite well. I didn't have much opportunity but what I did; I did well so the coach was happy.

A typical week looks like this; Mondays & Tuesdays, gym at 10am, kicking practise at 6:30pm and team training at 7pm. Wednesdays, gym at 10am and the rest of the day free which we normally spend at the river jumping off cliffs (while it is hot enough). Thursdays, stretching at 10am, kicking practise at 6:30pm and team training at 7pm. Fridays we have been playing friendly matches, but when the season starts we will be playing on Sundays.

We played against the same team on Friday to whom we lost 20-10 in the first week. This time we lost 38-33. I had a very good game with the boot hitting 7 from 7 in quite windy conditions, so I was very happy and so were the coach and president. After the game we went into training camp for the weekend which went really well.

All though it was called training camp, it was actually quite the opposite because I don't remember seeing a single rugby ball. Basically we drove for 3 hours through the mountains, arrived and went for a run (I have 2 very big blisters so I could not even put any shoes on so I had to stay and drink hot chocolate with 2 others who couldn't go). Then we went and played a little bit of French bowling outdoors which was followed by a very nice dinner and a typical rugby party with a disco ending at 5am the next morning. Without much sleep we had lunch with some sponsors and the board of the club followed by a 3 hours journey back to Aubena.

As you can tell, my first few weeks here have been a lot about team bonding and getting to know everyone. So, it has been a really nice start to my time in France and I hope it keeps up like this in the future.

Hugs & Kisses

Joe Gardener

Ryan le Roux and rugby in the Costa Blanca, Spain

Its that time of the year again… pre season! After a month of cruising around a very hot Mediterranean coast (a massive benefit which comes with playing pro rugby in Europe) it's back to the office. Or should I say training paddock.

I'm currently playing in the Spanish Top 10 at La Vila rugby club, and have been here for the last 2 years. Pre-season, August and Costa Blanca Coast all has one thing in common …. Heat. The temperature is HOT, getting up to 38 degrees, which makes training all that more interesting.

With preseason comes many changes, including new players, a new team environment and different team structures. The first few weeks are about getting to know each other, throwing around a bit of banter, but most definitely training like we have never trained before. With only 5 weeks to get prepared for our first league match its work, work, work.

We are 4 weeks in and finally my legs have started to stop aching and my muscles seem to understand the reality of hard work as opposed to sitting on the beaches of Sicily. Today is game day! We have a preseason friendly tonight against Alcobendes Madrid (they where promoted to the Spanish top 10 last season) and the excitement/anticipation is building. We have worked really hard on fitness this preseason, bringing in some new training ideas. The vibe between the boys is great and I think everyone is glad to see the end of heavy fitness and to start playing some rugby! It being a friendly there is space to try out our new moves and different combinations. Tonight we will find out where are strengths and weaknesses lie.

- Ryan le Roux