TEN days out from their Sydney Test against the All Blacks, the Australian Wallabies are returning to grassroots rugby, connecting with fans and possibly meeting the next generation of union greats.
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The Wallabies have been touring the Central West this week as part of their Bush2Bledisloe Tour, arriving in Bathurst yesterday for a busy two-day schedule where they will meet hundreds of fans.
At a special media launch at Mount Panorama yesterday, attended by the team, as well as V8 Supercar greats Mark Winterbottom and Russell Ingall, Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie spoke about the importance of connecting with fans in regional areas.
“We are certainly proud and pleased to be here. We’ve already been to Dubbo and Orange and it’s great to touch base with all our supporters,” he said.
Speaking about the Bush2Bledisloe Tour, McKenzie said it gave the players a great opportunity to get out of their hotels and meet face-to-face with their fan base.
“We’ve got good rugby support in the country,” he said.
He said he believed union was travelling quite well in terms of its popularity.
“It’s a winter sport, so we have to battle against all the others to get into the hearts and minds of the younger players, but I think we do pretty well,” he said, citing increased female participation and the Rugby 7s as examples.
“We’ve got a bunch of initiatives and because we’ve got girls and boys playing, it’s really relevant,” he said.
Still, among all the action, he said it was vital the superstars of the sport were in touch with their fans.
McKenzie described the reaction to the tour so far as “brilliant”.
“It’s been really good; the enthusiasm we’ve seen has been very humbling for the players.
“The two training sessions we held in Dubbo and Orange were really well attended and 80 per cent were kids.
“It’s great to have that direct connection with them; these kids could be the Wallabies of the future.”
As part of yesterday’s media event, McKenzie and his players experienced first-hand the thrill of the Mount, with V8 Supercar driver Russell Ingall taking them for a spin though The Esses, which was clearly a highlight for everyone involved.
“I’ve been watching the Supercars at Bathurst for 30 years,” McKenzie said.
“I’ve been to Bathurst before, walked the track, but that [being taken for a spin] was fantastic.
“It was way faster than I could have possibly imagined. The forces are more than anything I ever expected.”
Yesterday’s media event was followed by a mayoral reception yesterday evening and a special dinner last night at The Pit Complex.
Today the Wallabies will hold an open training session at Ashwood Park, Hereford Street from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
The Wallabies will play the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup Sydney Test on Saturday, August 16.