So today's weather sucks. I planned a day walk at this regional park called Kaitoke Park. Woke up all early and got everything needed to go but it was raining all morning. Thinking that I want to enjoy my walk and not just trudge through mud I decided not to go. I'm going to have to wait another week until my next day off to go. Also I wouldn't be able to take pictures in the rain. They have the set of Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings on the trail as well.
So I'll just try again next week.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday 3/31
These are some pictures of my flat mates brother blowing fire on top of our roof. Pretty Sweet.
Here are a couple pics of my room, and my new hiking backpack and cleats that I got on sale.
Here are a few pictures of the gym at our rugby clubhouse.
Here are a couple pics of my room, and my new hiking backpack and cleats that I got on sale.
Here are a few pictures of the gym at our rugby clubhouse.
Friday, March 28, 2008
First Match - Avalon
Today was our first match of the season. The debut of our coach, and my debut of my rugby in New Zealand.
It could have gone better. First off, our coach was late b/c he was getting tires put on his car and took longer than estimated. The guys ended up getting to the pitch pretty late. We only had about a 10 minute loose warm-up then had to go. I was set in at first five, and I played there the entire match. We did well, but penalties killed us the entire match. The thing that kept us in the match was our defense. At half time the score was 3-0 us.
Our forwards didn't have it together. It's not their fault really. I don't think they've practiced one line-out together during the week. On top of that, we are desperate for locks. Our coach, who is a fullback, had to put on the jersey and play lock. Our pack got pushed around in the scrums losing most of them. I can count on one hand how many line-outs we won the entire match. It was pretty much just one big defensive game the entire time. The end result is 8-3 Avalon. Their try was a lucky one, beginning with a forward pass by them, then the ball went loose and was kicked on the ground about 30 meters to the try zone with them falling on it.
On a personal note, the coaches said that I played well. It's not like I had much of the ball to use, since we never got a set piece off, but I did make a couple line breaks which turned out nice. On one I broke the line and dumped off to my inside hitting the gap while I was going to the ground and we gained alot of ground on that play. My defense was solid and my kicking proved that I still need more work.
All in all I was happy with our play. We set the benchmark and we will get better the more we play with each other. I'm exhausted and was thrashed all game by their huge inside center, but I still took with ass down.
Well, party at the club house and 6 so I have to run. Cheers everyone
It could have gone better. First off, our coach was late b/c he was getting tires put on his car and took longer than estimated. The guys ended up getting to the pitch pretty late. We only had about a 10 minute loose warm-up then had to go. I was set in at first five, and I played there the entire match. We did well, but penalties killed us the entire match. The thing that kept us in the match was our defense. At half time the score was 3-0 us.
Our forwards didn't have it together. It's not their fault really. I don't think they've practiced one line-out together during the week. On top of that, we are desperate for locks. Our coach, who is a fullback, had to put on the jersey and play lock. Our pack got pushed around in the scrums losing most of them. I can count on one hand how many line-outs we won the entire match. It was pretty much just one big defensive game the entire time. The end result is 8-3 Avalon. Their try was a lucky one, beginning with a forward pass by them, then the ball went loose and was kicked on the ground about 30 meters to the try zone with them falling on it.
On a personal note, the coaches said that I played well. It's not like I had much of the ball to use, since we never got a set piece off, but I did make a couple line breaks which turned out nice. On one I broke the line and dumped off to my inside hitting the gap while I was going to the ground and we gained alot of ground on that play. My defense was solid and my kicking proved that I still need more work.
All in all I was happy with our play. We set the benchmark and we will get better the more we play with each other. I'm exhausted and was thrashed all game by their huge inside center, but I still took with ass down.
Well, party at the club house and 6 so I have to run. Cheers everyone
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday 3/27
So today is the last practice before the season opener.
My first match of the season. I'm pretty confident i'll be starting, seeing as how there aren't that many players on the senior 2 team. Right now, that is. Yeah, i've been chosen for the senior 2 team, and that means my boss and landlord will be my coach. He says he has a strict policy of "you train, you play." This is good. Also, he's been working on my passing with me to correct it. Each practice he's noticed something to tell me and we try to fix it. Like for some reason i've always passed off of my back foot and never noticed it. Also, I've always held the ball totally wrong. These things I've situated and I am trying to change the 5 years of habit associated with these things. Training is good. He has it planned out to 3 20 minute periods. 1- skills, 2- fitness, and 3 breaking up into backs and forwards and going over game situation stuff. I'm looking forward to tonights practice.
This saturday we play Avalon. It should be good. Dunno if I'll be fullback and first 5, or both.
Cheers
My first match of the season. I'm pretty confident i'll be starting, seeing as how there aren't that many players on the senior 2 team. Right now, that is. Yeah, i've been chosen for the senior 2 team, and that means my boss and landlord will be my coach. He says he has a strict policy of "you train, you play." This is good. Also, he's been working on my passing with me to correct it. Each practice he's noticed something to tell me and we try to fix it. Like for some reason i've always passed off of my back foot and never noticed it. Also, I've always held the ball totally wrong. These things I've situated and I am trying to change the 5 years of habit associated with these things. Training is good. He has it planned out to 3 20 minute periods. 1- skills, 2- fitness, and 3 breaking up into backs and forwards and going over game situation stuff. I'm looking forward to tonights practice.
This saturday we play Avalon. It should be good. Dunno if I'll be fullback and first 5, or both.
Cheers
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter - More Pictures
By this point we were all pretty drunk. We still had 2 games to go. It was also my first dose of the infamous Wellington wind.
This is the beach located about a block away from my home.
These are some pictures from my first Super 14 match. It was the home opener- Hurricanes vrs Reds. The Stadium is called the Cake Tin, b/c it's what it looks like. It seats about 30,000 I think. Possibly more
This guy played for Petone.
This was really funny. They had these fireworks and the debris went everywhere. The players had to wait around on the field for it to clear.
These are some pictures from the Te Papa museum in Wellington. I spent a while in there.
Scared James:
Happy James:
I was glad that nobody was around while I was taking these. I kept running back and forth to my camera to make sure I got what I wanted in the pictures
At the park, where those trees are, they were having a big festival thing. Those boats in the water is a dragon boat race.
This is crazy. It's a condom hat. Apparently they made this to try to get a sample of this birds you know what. The bird kept doing it on this guy's head so they did this to try to trap it. The idea was a failure.
Just some crazy looking car in the art gallery
Mean lookin cow
This guys tattoo's were really cool
This is a picture of some singer, but his name eludes me. Ben Harper I think. I took this picture for Jake so he could see the cool tattoo. I couldn't get it less blurry though
More art
These are some pictures from my ride along the Hutt River bike trail. I thought it'd take about 45 minutes but it took 2 hours. I made my way to Upper Hutt city to play some disc golf, but it took me too long to get there and I couldn't stay. I had to make my way back for work and I had to take the train to make it back in time. The ride was real pretty though - at least the parts on the trail were where I didn't get lost. lol
Upper Hutt city is around those hills that are WAY in the distance. The entire ride was 29 kilometers.
The Hutt River:
Here are a few pictures from the park. It was pretty nice. Wish I could have played the course and seen more
This is the view from my room at the Fiesta that was a couple weeks ago.
This is the view of the harbor from my roof. We sometimes go on the roof to chill out
Just a picture of Jackson Street - the street I live on. It's the main road in Petone.
This is the beach located about a block away from my home.
These are some pictures from my first Super 14 match. It was the home opener- Hurricanes vrs Reds. The Stadium is called the Cake Tin, b/c it's what it looks like. It seats about 30,000 I think. Possibly more
This guy played for Petone.
This was really funny. They had these fireworks and the debris went everywhere. The players had to wait around on the field for it to clear.
These are some pictures from the Te Papa museum in Wellington. I spent a while in there.
Scared James:
Happy James:
I was glad that nobody was around while I was taking these. I kept running back and forth to my camera to make sure I got what I wanted in the pictures
At the park, where those trees are, they were having a big festival thing. Those boats in the water is a dragon boat race.
This is crazy. It's a condom hat. Apparently they made this to try to get a sample of this birds you know what. The bird kept doing it on this guy's head so they did this to try to trap it. The idea was a failure.
Just some crazy looking car in the art gallery
Mean lookin cow
This guys tattoo's were really cool
This is a picture of some singer, but his name eludes me. Ben Harper I think. I took this picture for Jake so he could see the cool tattoo. I couldn't get it less blurry though
More art
These are some pictures from my ride along the Hutt River bike trail. I thought it'd take about 45 minutes but it took 2 hours. I made my way to Upper Hutt city to play some disc golf, but it took me too long to get there and I couldn't stay. I had to make my way back for work and I had to take the train to make it back in time. The ride was real pretty though - at least the parts on the trail were where I didn't get lost. lol
Upper Hutt city is around those hills that are WAY in the distance. The entire ride was 29 kilometers.
The Hutt River:
Here are a few pictures from the park. It was pretty nice. Wish I could have played the course and seen more
This is the view from my room at the Fiesta that was a couple weeks ago.
This is the view of the harbor from my roof. We sometimes go on the roof to chill out
Just a picture of Jackson Street - the street I live on. It's the main road in Petone.
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