Down under rugby 2006 program review

The 2006 DUR Program was a huge success. Five Nth American athletes participated in the inaugural program and every one of them had the Rugby experience of a life-time. All athletes improved their game dramatically, conversed with current Wallabies, went to a Tri-Nations game (Australia Vs Sth Africa), made new international friends, and had an amazing time in Sydney.

The 5 athletes were;
Kai Sorensen - Queens University, Toronto Xtreme
Adam Bauer - Clarion University, Pittsburgh Harlequins
David Newlin - Purdue University
Josh Cocking - Chicago Lions
John Shelbourne - Chicago Lions

Check out their personal accounts of the DUR Program below...

My time in Sydney with Down Under Rugby has had the most impact on my development as a player since I started playing 11 years ago. Coming from Canada, I have grown up in an environment where Rugby has always been a tier II sport. Although the popularity and calibre of Canadian rugby continues to grow, I felt that in order for me to improve as a player beyond my domestic counterparts, I would need to travel to an atmosphere where I would be immersed in the game...



Kai Sorensen
Queen’s University
Toronto Xtreme – Canadian Rugby Super League
Aurora Barbarians – Marshall Premier Division
Scrum half

If you are a Rugby player looking to take your Rugby experience to the next level, DUR is the program for you.

I can honestly say that the DUR program was the best two months of my life. Not only did my Rugby skills improve drastically but I spent two months exploring the sights and sounds of Sydney, Australia...



Adam “Jack” Bauer
Clarion University
Pittsburgh Harlequins

I headed to the Down Under Rugby Program in 2006 with the desire to improve my Rugby game – and I did.

I not only learned great skills on-the-field from Matt and Grant but received a make-over in the gym from the DUR trainer Jason Tassel.

In the gym, Jason set up intense cardio sessions specifically for me. I regularly sweated it out on the rowing machine and in fact I worked so hard that I could clean an entire rowing machine (grease etc) with my sweat in a single session. Jason moved me to a new rower each day so that I cleaned every piece of equipment in the gym for him while I was there...



David “Noodles” “The NewDel” Newlin
Purdue University
#8

As I had played under Grant with the Chicago Lions, I knew the knowledge and coaching skills he had to offer his players so I headed Down Under. Now that I have spent 2 months in Australia training with Matty and him I can fully endorse the Down Under Rugby program and everything it offers.

The training incorporates all the things necessary to turn into a more complete player. The weight and speed training with Jason were top rate and the results of which could be seen improving throughout the program...



Josh “Bob” Cocking
Chicago Lions
Fly Half / Fullback

I loved it Down Under - Sydney is such a beautiful city. I had my grilfriend come Down Under at the end of the program so that we could experience Sydney together. I even got down on my knee and proposed at Coogee Beach. Sydney will always be a special place for me.

The program was great. Matt really worked hard on my line-out skills and general aggression at contact. Training was always extremely personal and I was able to learn a lot in this environment...



John Shelbourne
Chicago Lions
2nd Row