Test of mind and body for players

Highlanders prop Daniel Lienert-Brown powers up to the top of Baldwin St in Dunedin yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Highlanders prop Daniel Lienert-Brown powers up to the top of Baldwin St in Dunedin yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
The Highlanders ended their pre-Christmas training with a test of mind and body yesterday.

The side had an amazing race - a play on the popular television programme in which contestants race around the world while carrying out various tasks.

The Highlanders squad did not traverse the globe - it stayed within Dunedin - but there was plenty of brain power and muscle being used.

The squad was split into four even groups and took part in the Escape Game, in which logic and identifying problems led to players being able to escape from a room within an hour.

The side also did other logical thinking puzzles and headed to Moana Pool to carry out some water challenges. A mini Olympics at the Caledonian Ground, including the shot put and a 1500m run, showed many of the players were more suited to the oval ball game than becoming New Zealand's next decathlon star.

The event was finished off with a relay run up Baldwin St.

The Chainsaws team won the overall race and, for its efforts, it got the glory and not much else.

Throughout the pre-season, the team is split into four groups of young and then more experienced players.

The Chainsaws were captained yesterday by young halfback Tim Hogan and included front-rowers Greg Pleasants-Tate and Daniel Lienert-Brown and loose forwards Dillon Hunt and Dan Pryor.

The squad will now have some time off over the Christmas-New Year period before getting back into training on January 9. The team's first pre-season game is set for February 4 against the Crusaders.

The opening competition game for the side is against the Chiefs, at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 24 - just 65 days away.

Meanwhile, two former Highlanders have quickly found new homes.

Prop Ross Geldenhuys, who was in the Highlanders for the past couple of seasons but was not re-signed for next season, is returning home to South Africa.

Geldenhuys, who became something of a try-scoring machine when playing for the Green Island club in the premier competition last season, has joined the Kings for next season's Super rugby competition. Originally from South Africa, the 33-year-old will return to the country to link with the struggling franchise.

Halfback Fumiaki Tanaka has returned to Japan and will play for the Sunwolves in Super rugby next year.

Tanaka has been replaced by Kayne Hammington in the Highlanders for next season. Tanaka (31) played four seasons for the Highlanders from 2013, deputising for Aaron Smith when needed.

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