Packing up and moving on from Cape Town while reflecting on the match and the week ahead. It’s travel day.
Time to say goodbye to Cape Town and the wonderful people there. We have been met with good wishes and congratulations everywhere we go.
Early morning sees CJ Stander attend a hearing for the red card. The outcome will be known sometime on Monday.
The machine moves on and while most of the luggage went the night before – an 18-hour drive from Cape Town to Jo’burg – there is still plenty to be loaded on the team bus.
We are on the same flight as the Springboks so it needs to be a very big plane to accommodate everyone.
The support from back home is evident on social media messages with lots of praise for the team. Even Jamie Heaslip’s best bud was watching:
After a two-hour flight there’s a stretching session for the lads followed by team meetings and then dinner. The Ulster lads manage to catch a few minutes of Northern Ireland in action at the Euros but the result against Poland doesn’t go their way.
Tomorrow the adjustment to altitude begins. At approx. 1,700 metres above sea level there can be between 2% and 5% reduction in recovery time and it can also affect the flight of ball when kicked.
Plenty to plan for in the coming week. In the meantime take a look back at a very special day for the Ireland rugby team and supporters:
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