Siwan Lillicrap column: Wales ready for the challenge of Scotland
- Published
Rugby World Cup: Wales v Scotland |
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Venue: Northland Events Centre, Whangarei Date: Sunday, 9 October Kick-off:05:45 BST |
Coverage: Live BBC Radio Wales Extra commentary, live text and report on the BBC Sport website and app. |
In her first Rugby World Cup column, Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap talks about life in New Zealand, Scotland being a must-win match and how the recent loss of her grandfather will spur her on.
Settling in
It's hard to believe we left Wales almost two weeks ago. We had the most incredible welcome when we touched down in Auckland by Sisilia Tuipulotu's family. I knew she had a big family, but not that big!
We chilled for a couple of days, we went to Takapuna Bay and Mission Bay to try and release some energy and stay awake for as long as we could.
New Zealand feels a little bit like a home from home, the beaches are very similar with mountain backdrops, I felt like I was back in the Gower peninsula.
We mingled around Auckland making note of all the good coffee and bagel shops. New Zealand takes great pride in its coffee and that's what we're spending all our money on!
Once we found our feet we had an intense week of training and quickly got back into the routine we're used to in the Vale.
We had a training match against USA on Friday which was really good for us and showed how far we've come. It was tough having those losses against Canada and England in the build-up, that could have really affected us, but our confidence is right back up now.
We're now in Whangarei where we'll play Scotland on Sunday. It's a very different vibe to Auckland, it's a lot more chilled.
Donna Rose is in charge of team entertainment, last week we had a quiz with everyone's baby faces, safe to say some of us have changed a lot!
There's also a fines committee, one day last week a lot of the management were fined for wearing the wrong kit.
They had to do impressions of the squad, it was very funny, players doing coaches, coaches doing players, I think that's the most laughs we've had as a group.
The stage is set
We're absolutely ready for the challenge of Scotland.
We have worked so hard in pre-season, everyone has put in a lot of graft. We are better prepared as individuals and as a collective than we have ever been.
There's no denying Scotland are a good side, just look at our Six Nations game, it went right down to the wire, but we managed to grind out the win. We'll try not to leave it as late this time, but it just shows the character and belief we have in our squad.
It's all about taking opportunities, that's our biggest thing. We're making the line breaks, it's about finishing them off.
We know it's not going to be easy and I know they will have prepped really well and it's going to come down to who can stick to their processes and their game plan.
A lot of people are already dubbing this as a must-win for both us and Scotland given that we have New Zealand and Australia in our pool.
It does add extra pressure to our first game, and whoever wins will be in a really good position to qualify for a quarter-final spot.
It's the biggest game that we've got because it will help us on the rest of the journey.
Knowing that you've got a victory under your belt allows you to play with a bit more freedom down the line, and our confidence would be high taking on the world champions in their own back yard.
Travelling support and personal loss
It means the absolute world to have our families here with us, I know a lot will arrive on Friday.
There are over 50 parents from the squad that will be at the game on Sunday, and with Sisilia's family coming you can double that!
I lost my grandfather this week, he was my best friend and biggest supporter, and after all that's happened my mum is still travelling here to be with me and support me.
I probably won't see her until after the game, so hopefully I'll be able to give her a big winning hug.
It's been really tough, I've struggled the last few days especially being away from home, but I managed to get through it.
My grandfather would want me to put in a good performance, that's what's kept me going, he would have wanted me to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity in New Zealand.
When I had my earlier caps he was at all my games, but as time went on he'd struggle to come, but always watched at home. I think my grandparents have a bank of recordings and have re-watched them 100 times.
He'll still be watching over me and that's what I need to remember on Sunday. He'll be there with me and that will give me that extra push.
I understand we've got a job to do, but I've got a personal goal to make him proud.
Siwan Lillicrap was talking to BBC Sport Wales' Ceri Coleman-Phillips.
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