The AB captain and his team have been ensconced in Germany, based at Adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach, taking advantage of their state-of-the-art training facilities.
The mood in the camp has been described as tense. Bike rides and a visit to Nuremberg Castle hopefully have helped build back the confidence lost last weekend in the UK.
Harriet will have the thanks of the nation if her arrival steadies the captain’s nerves ahead of the ABs’ first RWC match against France at Stade de France in Paris this Friday.
Last week, centre Anton Lienert-Brown’s long-term partner, Liv Robertson, had a reunion with the player in the UK before the ABs played at Twickenham.
Roberston has been on holiday in Europe with girlfriends since late June, exploring the best sights the Continent has to offer in Italy, Belgium, Holland, Spain and Portugal.
She described their reunion at a bar in Teddington, southwest of London and near the All Blacks’ hotel, The Lensbury, as “the best” to her Instagram followers.
Before attending the ABs’ match at Twickenham, Roberston, who is often supporting Lienert-Brown’s games in Aotearoa told her followers it would be her first game supporting him overseas. When Lienert-Brown headed to Germany, Robertson headed to Croatia and it’s a sure bet France will be her next stop.
A French reunion looks to be in store too for fullback David Havili and his long-term partner, Pilates instructor Lucy Sellwood.
Sellwood was in the UK last November to support Havali on the ABs’ tour. Since early August she has been seeing the sights of Europe including Spain, Greece and this week Croatia.
As the tournament gets going, we are sure that as well as the many Kiwi fans travelling to France, many more partners and family members will be there to cheer on the team through the tournament.
