Richie Pugh - Scarlets and Sevens Talk 2

Richie Pugh - Scarlets and Sevens Talk 2

 

Hello TRU readers and happy new year. It's back to normality down at Parc Y Scarlets (PYS) after short turnarounds between derby games and losing track of days from the Christmas period. It was a pretty chilled New Year for many of the boys as Aaron Shingler served up his speciality Chilli Con Carne at his New Years Eve house party. Entertainment was provided by Pete "THE MEAT  Edwards showcasing his skiing skills on the Wii Fit; his agility and flexibility came in handy!

It's a huge month for the Scarlets as we head into the Heineken Cup and LV Cup, and after three Wins on the bounce in the RaboDirect Pro 12 we are really staking a good claim in all tournaments. However, a disappointing performance against a determined Glasgow side has left the boys hurting and knowing that a huge step up is needed if we are to overcome Northampton and Castres away. There has been a real edge in training with plenty of big hits put in with Ben Morgan being the biggest target after his inclusion in the England squad (especially by the Welsh squad members!). A huge congratulations and much deserved call up for Ben who has put a lot of hard work in the 3 years he's been at the Scarlets. He has developed into a key member of the team, having a powerful ball carrying presence and a big work rate. If he carries that form and gets picked to play for England I think he will be a crucial player for them. It would be great to see him run out against Wales and his Scarlets teammates come February the 25^th.

January is also a big month for the big boned or "fat boys  on their quest to lose the Christmas turkey. This year it has been lead by forwards coach Vernon Copper (after his increase in weight since retiring) with the appropriately named "The Burn With Vern . Top of the class so far have been Lou Reed and Ken Owens who weren't shy to the odd box of Roses and Celebrations. Its hopefully a few years yet until I'm in that category and hitting the Cross Trainer and 50 lengths in the pool at half 6 in the morning.

Off the field, it's been business head on as Rob McCusker and myself rack our brains and try and come up with the next big thing to make us our millions. We're not doing too well so far as we're a few quid down after a lot of tea and Skinny Caramel Macchiatos have been drunk. There have been a few dodgy looks from the other lads as we sit in the corner of Starbucks with our pens, little black books and serious faces on.  A few interesting ideas have popped up and were on to something big. However, any good ideas out there don't afraid to tweet them our way. (@richie_pugh and @robmccusker )

Its also back to the grind for the Welsh Sevens boys as we prepare for the next legs in Wellington and Las Vegas. Amazing places to go and play but so much hard work gets put in, in the weeks leading up to tournaments. People tend to associate Sevens with the glitz and glamour but don't really get to see the efforts that the team puts in behind closed doors; and that starts with our fitness coach, ex Wales wing Wayne Proctor. His sessions really are savage. Physically and mentally challenging the boys to there maximum.  It's tough to replicate the effects of heat and humidity in Wales but he defiantly makes up for it in intensity so we're not caught cold come game time. It's still another two weeks until the squad is finalised and we head for Wellington. The Westpac Stadium or Cake Tin as it's better known, is up there as one of the best venues you can come across, with the atmosphere constantly bouncing and party feeling really driving the teams on. We have been handed a tough pool with the first game versus Tonga, then Argentina and finally Fiji who are looking for revenge after Port Elizabeth, but if we can continue with a similar squad from the last leg I'm confident we will do well. One thing for sure is it's going to be an amazing experience.

Thanks for reading, be back in a few weeks with an update from Wellington and Vegas.

Richie

 

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