Thursday 1st February 2007

Sale Sharks flanker Michael Hills is currently in Wellington ahead of tomorrow’s IRB Sevens.  RFU.com caught up with Michael to find out what he has been up to down under….

“I managed to get my sleeping pattern right on the journey over here so I have been sleeping ok since arriving and don’t feel so bad.  This is the first time I have been to New Zealand and it’s by far the longest flight I have been on, and the furthest from home!  We are staying in a hotel right in the middle of town and the food is fantastic.  Food on the sevens circuit isn’t always the best, but we are actually looking forward to meal times on this trip!  We trained for the first time this morning (Wednesday).  As we only arrived on Tuesday afternoon and the tournament begins on Friday we only really have time for one main session and then a captain’s run tomorrow but it was good today.  We concentrated on defence and got everything really sharp by the end of the session.

We have a new sevens coach – Ben Ryan – who is fitting in well.  He is bringing his own style and ideas in and tweaking with the structure and the way that we play slightly.  I think we all seem to be working well with him. 

Quite a few of the old faces from previous seasons are in the squad for this tournament, which is good as it gives us so much more experience. All the lads are good fun and everyone has bonded really well.  I am rooming with Rocky (Tony Roques from Exeter Chiefs) who is a seasoned pro and the oldest member of the squad.  It’s great rooming with him as he is teaching me a few things here and there. He has promised to teach me how to pack as I am rubbish at packing and my bag is always a nightmare.

After lunch a few of us wandered down to the beach and I went into the sea but it was freezing, especially with the wind that seems to blow everywhere in Wellington.  The city centre is nice and it’s the first place I have ever been to where the streets are arranged in blocks and I find it quite weird.

Then the whole squad went to see the stadium which is awesome.  It’s known as the cake tin and you can instantly see why as it’s perfectly round.  It looks as if there will be a good atmosphere in there as it will be full with over 30,000 people. 

I am feeling very positive for the tournament and can’t wait for it to get started.  Everyone has gelled well in the team and things are looking good, fingers crossed for this weekend.”

England face Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Samoa in the pool stages of the IRB Sevens on Friday 2nd February.

Ends.