As we enter the final week of preparation for our tour of Australia, it has become clear to those of us in the team last year, lucky enough to be part of the 2010/2011 Daily Mail winning team, what a huge amount of hard work and preparation there has been by all those that may not have been involved last season.
Hard work, alongside determination is a key part of any rugby player and I think this is embodied in any Whitgift rugby side, especially in the 1stXV. As everyone going on this tour knows, skills and talent are alone, not enough to make us reach our potential. Our head coach, Chris Wilkins has said from day 1, if you’re honest and work hard, you will get the results you deserve. I have learnt from experience that these are very wise words. Last season I was sat on the bench for the duration of the season, missing out on a lot of important matches on the way. However through hard work, learning and improving I managed to nudge my way into the starting line up for the final and won the ‘most improved player’ award at the end of season dinner. The boys should all understand that Wilko doesn’t say these things because he likes the sound of his own voice, it really does work!
National championships and big matches aren’t won in front of the crowd, or with 70m individual efforts. They are won at 7am in the ‘shed’ when no one is watching, doing circuits with our committed and excellent head of strength and conditioning, Ross Munro. Good things don’t come to those who wait in rugby, you must go out and grab them, and I think this tour party has made huge steps forward to building a solid foundation for not only the matches down under, but for the season in England. I think every boy on this tour understands that if they miss a session, they are not only letting themselves down, but the rest of the team and this was shown during our fitness forfeit for the missing players at the remaining sessions.
It has been a long pre-season for all the boys, beginning just after Easter with three sessions a week and everyone has seen visual and mental results and improvements during this time. However we must realise that the word work does not stop when we get off the plane in Australia, it’s only the start. We must continue to develop and improve as a side if we want to reach our full potential. If we aren’t improving as players and as a team, we are going backwards and everyone wants to be the best they can be, so keep up the hard work. It will all be worth it in the end!
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