MARK Cooper logs another entry in his 2013 Tour Diary...
The players have had a double session today and they are important but only if you’re doing the right stuff. We had one session this morning and one this afternoon obviously it’s really hot so we had to be careful of timescales and long we do things for and how intense it was but it’s good because we’re away with no distractions and we can work on what we need to work on.
I think the players are now looking quite fit. We’ve got to kick on and make sure we’re prepared for the first game.
We’ve been working on the principles of how we’re going to play. We’ve got a young squad so yes they’re going to make mistakes but I think they will excite people.
Yesterday the players had a recovery session in the sea which was good. They had to swim out a certain way. One or two were a bit put off but they all had to go in then they all had a bit of time to themselves yesterday afternoon to make use of the facilities at the hotel which is so important during a week of solid work.
Finally, it’s fairly safe to say that the lads have been eaten alive by the mosquito population out here in Portugal. We’ve definitely gone through plenty of insect repellent!
