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Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup: All Blacks to get a taste of British stately living

Cherie Howie
By Cherie Howie
Reporter·Herald on Sunday·
12 Sep, 2015 05:00 PM4 mins to read

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Breakfast over the Thames and golf up north on the cards.

On the field they're rough and tough. Off the field, our men in black will be spoiled with the finer comforts in life as they take their rest at a string of high-end hotels during the Rugby World Cup.

The All Blacks touched down in London late Friday night (NZT) and were officially welcomed to the UK at a ceremony at the Tower of London.

They then set up camp at the five-star Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, a short walk from the Tower of London and where double rooms cost more than $500 a night.

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The Grange Tower Bridge is steeped in history - during construction an ancient stone mausoleum was discovered, containing an intricately patterned glass dish.

The world champions move to another hotel late tomorrow, but will endure no drop in standards.

The Lensbury, at the leafy Teddington Lock on the banks of the Thames, is a sports resort hotel set among 10ha of landscaped grounds. It was built as a private members' clubhouse in 1938

Its $430-a-night rooms will host the All Blacks through to their opening pool match against Argentina at Wembley Stadium next Monday.

The All Blacks will have use of the Lensbury Sports and Social Club. The club was founded in 1920 for Shell employees by one of the company's founders, Dutch fitness fanatic Henri Deterding.

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The team will have the luxury of training in the pool and dining in view of the Thames.

The squad return to the city the day before their second pool match against Namibia at the stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, when they switch hotels again, this time to the five-star London Marriott West at Canary Wharf.

As well as a state-of-the-art fitness suite, the chain is home to the Manhattan Grill, where our elite sportsmen can build their muscles with lashings of red meat.

They will then move to the Hilton Cardiff at the end of the week to prepare for their match against Georgia at Millennium Stadium on October 3 (NZT).

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The following afternoon the squad fly to Durham Tees Valley International Airport.

They are booked in for five nights at nearby Rockliffe Hall, a red-brick mansion dating to the 18th century and set on a patch of northeastern English soil between the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales national parks.

The cheapest double rooms cost $550-a-night at the golf and spa resort, which describes itself as the home of the English Open.

Rockliffe Hall Hotel and Spa in Darlington, County Durham.
Rockliffe Hall Hotel and Spa in Darlington, County Durham.

Staff are likely used to hosting VIP guests as its old English-styled decor is a favourite among the well-heeled.

Highlights include the traditional drawing room and lobby with bronze greyhound sculptures, the vaulted-ceiling dining hall, the Old Hall's towering stairs and stained-glass windows, and a morning room with an ornate fireplace, whisky decanter at the ready.

Golf swings will also be in line for improvement as the hotel has an 18-hole course, as well as a full-service spa and indoor pool.

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On October 9 (NZT) the team travel 65km north to the Newcastle Marriott, where they will prepare for the following day's final pool match against Tonga at the northern city's St James Park.

Beyond that, the All Blacks' schedule depends on their results.

New Zealand Rugby Players Association chief executive Rob Nichol said the host nation organised the team's accommodation and transport. "It's pretty scripted."

He expected players would share rooms.

Downtime and family involvement was decided by the team management and players, and that wouldn't change just because it was a World Cup, Nichol said.

As well as matches, training and travel, the squad will take part in several promotions, including a community coaching event with children and Harlequins coaching staff at the Harlequins home ground of Twickenham Stoop.

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Players were expected to enjoy one day off rugby duties a week.

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