Tueday 29th November 2005
Today was our first proper day of training so I got up at 8am and went to breakfast with the rest of the squad. We tend to eat quite alot at breakfast to prepare us for training so today I had scrambled eggs, beans, hashbrowns and some toast. There seems to be a bit of a playstation craze at the moment so any spare time we have we play.  I am rooming with Ben Russell from Saracens - known as Sprout - and he gets very competitive with the playstation. I know Ben quite well and have roomed with him before.

I went to training at 10am and found out how tough it is to train in 32 degrees heat.  The weather is beautiful but it is tiring when you are running around. Training was good and is getting us prepared for the tournament which begins on Thursday. England train at a local private boys school which has fantastic facilities. After training we all dived straight into the outdoor swimming pool as well as having ice baths to cool our bodies down.

It was back to the hotel for lunch and we saw a few of the other teams. The New Zealand team arrived today so we eyed them up at lunch!  They have such a fantastic track record in sevens (as well as XVs) that we know they will be tough to beat if we face them in the tournament. Having said that a number of teams will be tough to beat.  I had some pasta, steak and chicken for lunch - lots of protein and carbs to prepare for another training session this afternoon.

I had about an hour's rest before training in the afternoon so Sprout and I watched a DVD in the room and relaxed a bit. Training was from 3.00pm for about an hour and a half back at the school.  We trained with the St George's squad who are out here playing in the Dubai invitational tournament which runs alongside the IRB Sevens. They have quite a few of the wider England Sevens squad playing for them including Dan Luger and Paul Sampson so it was a useful session.

Another quick dip in the pool, plenty of water to ensure I am fully rehydrated after training and we get back on the bus back to the hotel.

Tonight we had a tournament function at a beach club.  It was a pretty impressive setting right on the beach with loads of lanterns and rugs on the sand. A few of us tried riding a camel which was a fairly interesting experience.  Tomorrow we just have one training session and then will try and relax and prepare for the beginning of the tournament on Thursday.

Ends.