Mako make a home in Blenheim

Tasman rugby has a new presence in Marlborough.

Sitting on the eastern side of the Lansdowne Park car park is the newly-appointed Tasman Mako High Performance Gym, a purpose-built facility “designed to make our players the best they can be”, according to Mako co-head coach Gray Cornelius.

Formerly housing the offices of Tasman rugby and Marlborough netball, the building has been converted into a rugby-specific workout area.

Features are a cardio room, a comprehensive weightlifting area, a 25m running track and dojo mats for wrestling drills. Robbie Salton, formerly based in Nelson as a Mako strength and conditioning coach, has moved over the hill and will manage the Mako gym.

Gray said among the many advantages the new gym offered was proximity to the main rugby ground at Lansdowne Park, plus an ability for users “to come and go as they pleased”.

He said the fact Tasman rugby now had a “concrete” presence in Marlborough was a major move forward.

“When people walk in [to the gym] the first thing they see is the shark.

“It is the first time we have had our own training facility in the history of the [Tasman] union and, on the practical side of things, it means we have no excuses anymore.

“We have everything we need here … the players over here can now totally control their physical conditioning with the facilities we have got, plus the expertise we have got in Robbie. It’s just giving them that opportunity to be the best they can be in that aspect of the game. It has been hard work to get that previously.”

At the moment, the gym will be used by those in the Tasman High Performance Squad, the MBC First XV and women’s players although it is intended to eventually open the facility up to other sportspeople.

The support of the Marlborough District Council has played a big part of the process, along with community help from Indevin, Taylor and Co Builders and Resene Paints.