Tour diary entry #2: Red slippers, media trees and German TV
Inside Welsh Rugby's tour diary continues as preparations ramp up for Saturday's first Test in Kitakyushu
It all just feels a bit more relaxed now.
Throughout this lengthy losing run, Wales have always had a decent mood about them. When you’re away from Wales, particularly on these summer tours, you get to see that in training sessions and at the team hotel.
Ever since the wins dried up back in late 2023, it’s not like there’s been a morose or funereal feeling to the place.
At least, not in a noticeable way.
That’s the thing with this job. You end up following the team around so much, you start to read into the little things.
Then you question how much you can read into the little things. Back and forth, text and subtext.
But again, it all just feels a bit more relaxed now.
As Wales arrive at their training base at Honjo Athletic Park on Tuesday morning, interim head coach Matt Sherratt makes his way over to the small Welsh press pack to ask how our travel had been.
That’s a novelty (even if Sherratt does seem to enjoy messing about with my filming).
As training begins, Wales’ medical services manager Prav Mathema wanders over to say hello. Naturally, talk immediately turns to the heat and the temperatures it could get up to in Kobe next week.
“The numbers don’t really matter when it’s like this,” says Prav. “You just know it’s hot!”
He’s right. It is sweltering.
The 15-minutes of filming time at the start of the session comes to an end. Wales’ backs are shouting and laughing as new coach Leigh Halfpenny is made to determine which group was quickest in a drill (it all just feels a bit more relaxed now).
As we’re shuffled away, staff are beginning to fill up the ice baths in the shade. They’ll use 500kg of ice today to cool the players down.
One player, Joe Roberts, will later admit he didn’t have time to use it after the session. I can’t even fathom what the bus back to the team hotel must have been like for him.