Day 3 of tour ended with the seniors taking the team through the rugby tradition of kangaroo court, where players and staff were held accountable for things they have done.  Settled in on Loterot Farm, the team had 2 good practices today in fair but chilly weather.  The farm is beautiful and the team is housed in 5 different buildings on the grounds.  

Saturday was another good day which started at the Nelson Mandela Sports Complex in the shadow of Stade de France.  The girls were put through a practice and conditioning session as we worked out the kinks of the travel the day before.  In the afternoon the team headed to Stade de France to watch Stade Francais against Clermont in a Top 14 match-up.  While Clermont pulled away from Stade Francais in the second half, the home team’s fans were waiving their pink flags when they scored at the end.  Many of the girls seemed to like the their pink jerseys and supporters kit and it was obvious which team Penn State was supporting.

After the match we got on a bus and took the 3 hour drive out to Normandy.  We arrived late to the Farm and everyone got into their rooms quickly.  The next day the team trained in the morning at a field that the farm had mowed for us.  It was chilly but the players did a great job focusing in the cold wind.  After practice the players were shuttled to the local supermarket so they could buy food for the next couple of days and use the several kitchens available on the farm.

Tomorrow is 2 more practices and the staff are cooking dinner for the players in the evening.  On Wednesday we will get to tour the American Cemetery and the Utah and Omaha beaches before we play Caen RFC and Rouen RFC on Wednesday.  

Share →
Skip to toolbar