Tour has the smell of sulphur about it

ROTORUA is New Zealand's biggest, year round tourist attraction, with a countless variety of outdoor activities. A picturesque and prosperous farming and forestry area, this thermal city is situated on Lake Rotorua, the largest of the 15 lakes around the city. It is noted primarily for its variety of bubbling mud pools, geysers and steaming waters. There's only one problem with this for the touring Irish; the springs exude a fairly overpowering sulphuric whiff, which can best be likened to rotten eggs. They say you get used to it.

. Rotorua is 120 miles north of Mt Ruapehu, one of the North Island's active - though usually quiet - volcanoes which have shaped the region's diverse landscapes and attractions.

But on the arrival of the Scottish rugby squad last year for a game against Bay of Plenty, Mt Ruapehu erupted, leaving a layer of ash over this city. Having trained in all sorts of conditions - New Zealand at this time of year is akin to Ireland in providing all four seasons in the one day - the Scots had to cancel training for a day. A change in the wind's direction enabled the game to go ahead, and the Scots won 35-31.

The Irish, by comparison, as in Whangerei, have been blessed with fairly mild weather this week. And, with Brian Ashton's postmatch team talks excepted, there have been no volcanic eruptions.

. The squad's current base, the Prince's Gate Hotel, is from a different world to the modern Waipuna International Hotel and Conference centre in Auckland. Originally built in Waihi, in the south of the North Island, in 1897, the hotel was literally dismantled piece by piece, numbered, hauled by cart to the rail road in 1917, and then transported to and reconstructed like a jigsaw in Rotorua in 1921.

Any producers or directors wishing to shoot a western need look no further than the Prince's Gate for any bar cum hotel scenes. No two rooms seem to be the same, an added on wing features more modern chalets with two bedroom apartments, and amongst the facilities is a thermal pool. Touring's a drag, but it ain't all bad.

. Necessity being the mother of invention, Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji have formed an alliance in a bid to be included in the Super 12. The three nation alliance would provide Super 12 teams with preparatory opposition next season, and they hope their proposal will be discussed by SANZAR, the Super 12's governing body, at their meeting tomorrow.

The Fiji coach, Brad Johnstone, explained: "We are being frozen out of tours, we are being frozen out of competitions and are struggling to keep our best players."

New Zealand have praised the initiative but maintain the islands' inclusion would mean too much of a reshuffle to the Super 12's format, so the alliance are likely to be left on the outside looking in again. New Zealand, especially, and Australia take an awful lot from the Polynesian islands, but put very little back in.

Fiji will be seriously out of pocket after their current tour of New Zealand, but are hoping the gamble will pay off with a strong showing. The signs are good enough: the Fijians scored four tries to South Island XV's three in their tour opener on Tuesday in a credible 31-24 loss, with right winger Fero Lasagavibau, on his 21st birthday, getting all four tries against the incumbent All Black left winger Glenn Osborne. Any chance he might play for the Blacks one day?

. This Irish rugby squad, presumably like any other rugby squad, are essentially accidental, or reluctant, tourists. Ne'er a day has gone by without a training session or an additional coach journey - they've clocked up almost 900 kilometres already - after which most of them are only in the mood to loiter around their hotels or stroll around town.

Amongst the sight seeing excursions (some optional), there are a few exceptions, however, and yesterday's busy afternoon included a boat trip and lunch on Rotarua Lake, organised by the Daily Post, an "agri show" featuring performing sheep, and a visit to the geysers, mud pools and hot springs of Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve on the outskirts of town. Even one or two of the more reluctant tourists were moved to say: "Sometimes you do have to get out and see something."