United States Rugby World Cup team management have promised to become involved with Wanganui as much as they are able - outside a week's hard work - when they have their first Cup preparation in the city from September 3 next year.
Team coach Eddie O'Sullivan and manager Tristan Lewis drove to their next port-of-call New Plymouth yesterday completely happy with the facilities the River City has offered for their first week's preparation for next year's Rugby World Cup.
The United States spend the first six days of their campaign in Wanganui before shifting to New Plymouth for matches against Ireland and Russia.
Coach Eddie O'Sullivan summed it up:
``We're very happy with the hotel (Kingsgate), we're very happy about training at the (Cooks) stadium - it's a great surface. The gym and everything as well - it's so compact.''
O'Sullivan says that while the aim of the first week in New Zealand would be very hard work, the squad would try hard to help promote the game, the US and the World Cup in Wanganui while they were here.
``It's very important that first week in terms of finding our feet, and the fact that everything is so readily available and it's top-class - we're very happy to be here,'' O'Sullivan said.
O'Sullivan said to his manager Tristan Lewis yesterday morning that if they had drawn up a plan of what they would wanted, ``it couldn't be any better.''
O'Sullivan and Lewis discussed with Wanganui officials yesterday what might be able to be achieved through the week.
``The meeting today was very productive, because while we are here to do a job for sure, I think it's important to remember that Rugby World Cups are once every four years - and most of our guys may never see another World Cup.
``A lot of our games are played in our country, we don't get to tour very much, so it's a great opportunity to be part of a huge event in another country - and that includes experiencing the culture of that country and the rugby culture. And that's very unique in New Zealand.
``So I'm excited our players will be able to do this - and while we're here part of that experience will be interfacing as much as we can.''
O'Sullivan said no major decisions had been made, but several possibilities had been talked about - visiting schools, having a welcome etc
``It's about co-ordinating that. I think we're talking now about what we can do. That's part of the World Cup experience _ it's just not coming to a country, playing and going home. You can do that if you want to, but I think you miss out something.
``You need to embrace the whole environment.''
US rugby side happy with Wanganui
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