LYON - The All Blacks began the roaming phase of their rugby World Cup campaign today, something that hooker Keven Mealamu says he and the players should cherish.
After 12 days in Marseille, the two-hour train ride north to Lyon for tomorrow's match against Portugal was the firstof several trips New Zealand players will undergo over coming weeks.
On Sunday it's back on the train to Aix en Provence, the small university town near Marseille which will be their base for the remainder of pool play.
However, they will be in and out twice, starting with a flight to Edinburgh on Thursday next week ahead of the Sunday clash with Scotland. The following Thursday it's the train to Toulouse to face Romania.
Travel will reduce in the playoff stage.
Assuming they top the pool, their quarterfinal will entail a week in Cardiff.
All going well, then follows a fortnight in Paris, where both semifinals, the third-fourth playoff and final are hosted.
Mealamu said the chance to experience different locations was a positive change after being part of an All Blacks squad largely confined to Melbourne during the last World Cup.
A criticism of New Zealand's failed campaign under coach John Mitchell was that they never ventured far from their hotel and training field in Melbourne and failed to sample the tournament atmosphere in other cities such as Brisbane and Sydney when they had the chance to.
"Sometimes when you're away for so long it just feels like Groundhog day sometimes, there's no sort of change in the week," Mealamu said.
"I suppose it keeps the boys fresh.
"It's good to get a chance of scenery so the boys don't get too comfortable. That's probably a good thing."
Mealamu did admit that it was a task to wrench themselves away from the warmth of the weather and the reception they received in Marseille.
The team hotel sitting on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea proved the ideal location.
"We were away from the city so it hasn't been too busy and the weather's been really good. The boys were settled in quite nicely," he said.
