The Wallabies’ week-long training camp at Cessnock Sportsground has wrapped up and the coaches, players and managers have had nothing but praise for the local facilities.
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Ahead of the training camp, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said he had already been up here a number of times and was looking forward to sharing the gold jersey with the locals and taking advantage of the great facilities.
The team held an open training session on Tuesday evening and despite the cold, more than 300 people showed up for the opportunity to rub shoulders with the national rugby union team.
Wallabies’ prop, Scott Sio said he really enjoyed the experience.
“I have heard great things about the Hunter Valley as a whole and I’d really like to come back in some time off and check out the region,” Sio said.
“Having all the fans come see us in Cessnock was unreal, it’s been a very different spin on the year for us.”
There was also talk of the Cessnock training camp being great for the team as it was a ‘one-stop shop’, with all the facilities they needed close by.
Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent said he was so proud to hear the positive feedback from the Wallabies’ staff and players.
“The Wallabies’ visit was yet another fantastic opportunity to show off our top-notch sportsground and we can only hope this helps us to attract more quality teams to the area,” Cr Pynsent said.
The Wallabies will face the New Zealand All Blacks in the 2017 Bledisloe Cup opener at ANZ Stadium, Sydney on August 19.
