WXV week two: Seaplanes, ice hockey and sunsets

Seaplanes, ice hockey games and sunsets. The perfect mix of training hard and making memories off the pitch this week and I have really enjoyed it.

We had an early kick-off for our first game against the USA. Kicking off early makes the morning fly by. By the time you’ve had your hair braided, breakfast and prep, it’s time to play!

I loved being back out there. I was a bit rusty and know there are a lot of things that I can work on to get back to the standards I hold myself to, but it was nice to get a hit out after five months.

The game had some standout moments. The counterattack opportunity which led to Ellie Kildunne’s try under the post, Ella Wywras’ intercept coming off the bench onto the wing as well as the front peel from Lark Atkin-Davies forcing her way over the whitewash.

At the end of the game, we headed over to the friends and family area where we celebrated our two debutants, Bo Westcombe-Evans and Phoebe Murray. It’s really special having travelling support and to be able to share these moments with them. It’s also great to see how well the parents get on and hear stories about them meeting up away from the pitch and making memories for themselves.

After the game, I headed to Sunset Beach for dinner. It’s very rare you get to enjoy the rest of the day after a game so I made the most of the opportunity. It was so peaceful.

The next couple of days were about reviewing and previewing for the next game: the Black Ferns. We had our main contact session on Wednesday which was followed by our team meal in the evening.

This week we were split into three groups based on our positions. I went out with the front five and a few back rowers. Between 13 of us, there were 38 plates of food on the table - the chef even double-checked the order was right with the waitress!

On Thursday myself and Marlie went on a seaplane around Vancouver for her birthday! It was something we had wanted to do since our first walk down to the waterfront and seeing them all lined up in the water. The idea of being on the water like a boat finding the plane, to then taking off was something I wanted to experience.

We passed over Lions Gate Bridge (which we travel over every day to get to training) and headed towards the mountains. The water was so still and the haze over the mountains was like a movie.

As we looked out the back Marlie pointed towards a huge snow-covered mountain in the distance. It was actually Mt Baker which is an active volcano in Washington. It was mesmerising and couldn’t quite believe how far you could see and how beautiful it was.

With the team run done, it’s now time to fuel and prepare for the game tomorrow. We kick off at 21:00 BST, 13:00 PT, and you can watch the game live on BBC iPlayer in the UK.