It’s tough... and may get tougher – Tipuric on life in the bubble
JUSTIN Tipuric has revealed what life is like inside the bubble of the Welsh camp and what it means in terms of seeing family.
The 31-year-old flanker has been involved in numerous international campaigns over the past decade, but it’s all very different this time around.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, strict safety measures are in place and there’s a new schedule for match week, ahead of Saturday’s opening game against France in Paris.
Normally, players would return home to their families for the day on a Wednesday.
But, with the need to stay inside a bubble, that has changed.
This week, they trained on Monday morning, then went home, before returning to their Vale Resort base yesterday.
Now they will stay together as a group until after they get back from France.
As father-of-three Tipuric acknowledges, it’s all part and parcel of the new normal.
“Obviously it is tough. This is our first proper week of it,” he said.
“Further down the line, the longer we have been in, it will probably be a little bit tougher.
“Being away from the family is hard. It’s probably more difficult for the missus, to be honest, dealing with three kids in the house on her own.
“It’s normally day off tomorrow (Wednesday). Now, at the start of week, you get a bit of time with family and then as we come towards games we have to be in our bubble.
“It’s one of those things.
“But it’s not like we are not going to see family for the whole eight weeks.
“We will still get to see them after four or five days and you just have to make up for that time then.
“It’s not as bad as being at the World Cup in Japan where you are away for weeks and weeks.
“You know after a few hard days of training and the match that you do get to see your family.
“Technology does help these days. It’s not the same, but it definitely does help.
“It’s probably one of the little negatives of the job that you are away from your family quite a bit, but I know a lot of people would bite our hands off to be in our position.”
Being in the strict bubble for longer periods presents a challenge in terms of thinking outside the box to keep players occupied.
“We are not allowed to leave the premises of the Vale,” said Tipuric.
“The entertainment committee have got a big job to do keeping the boys entertained.
“Liam Williams likes to call himself head of that committee and then there are a few other boys under him chipping in with things, Josh Adams, Cory Hilll and Dillon Lewis.
“Them four are in charge of it.” Reflecting on the current situation amid the coronavirus pandemic, Tipuric added: “Obviously everyone knows it’s a little bit different.
“Even being up at the hotel, it’s so quiet compared to normal, but it’s kind of the new norm now, which is a little bit weird.
“It’s all temperature checks and masks on everywhere you go basically. You have got to be two meters apart as best as possible.
“We have our own rooms now whereas probably before you would have shared.
“Backs and forwards are in different changing rooms. Just little things like that which you probably won’t normally imagine going on.
“With the staff we have got here, they have looked into everything. Any question that has been asked, they have got answers.
“The best thing we can do is just concentrate on the game.
“We are in a lucky position to continue doing what we are doing within such a not nice time.
“Hopefully this weekend we will get the Welsh public to tune in and chill out in their homes and put on a good performance for them to watch and keep them entertained.”