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Outside it being a once-in-a-lifetime trip, Dubbo Kangaroos' Shaun McHugh said that's the major takeaway from Central West's tour of New Zealand last week.
The tour acted as part of the Blue Bulls' lead-up to this year's NSW Country Rugby Union Championship and after returning to Australian shores on Sunday night everyone involved has had nothing but the highest praise for the trip.
Roos veteran McHugh didn't play a part in last year's crushing Caldwell Cup decider loss to Illawarra and confessed in the lead-up to the New Zealand tour he thought his representative career was over.
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But after impressing in play and as Central West captain in New Zealand he's pushed his claim for a spot in the 2019 squad.
Regardless of whether he makes the cut or not, McHugh said simplicity is key to the Blue Bulls' title dream.
That's based on what the Central West's men's and women's squad learned from the likes of the Crusaders and Canterbury's best mentors, all of whom stressed the ultimate way to succeed is to simply do the basics better than anyone else.
"The session with the Canterbury coaches, male and female, was a great insight into such basic drills, which they all use. They just execute it all so well," McHugh said.
McHugh wasn't the only one in the squad who felt those learning experiences translated into the Blue Bulls' stunning on-field performances, which in many ways exceeded all expectations considering they were facing sides that live and breathe the sport daily.
The 35-strong men's group was split into two sides on Wednesday and Saturday, picking up two wins over University of Canterbury on the former day before beating High School Old Boys and going down to a historic Prebbleton club on the latter.
"[It was] very similar to our clubs back home really, you know, at Roos we were founded in 1899 so there's a lot of history and I could feel a lot of similarities," McHugh said of the last game.
McHugh is one of a host of players who has created some major headaches for Central West coach Dean Oxley and his fellow selectors.
McHugh was named skipper of the tour's top side and led with aplomb from the second-row, taking control of the lineout and being among the side's best in both games.
Considering the likes of Nick Hughes-Clapp, Chris Miller and Dan Ryan weren't on the tour, Oxley will have an unenviable job filling the Blue Bulls' second and back rows for country week.
"You know part of the purpose was to experience the culture and experience parts of New Zealand we wouldn't usually experience, but we didn't forget we were [there] to play rugby and to better ourselves (as players) for the chance to play at the country championships in June," McHugh said.
Central West's wider group, including those not available for the tour, will continue training over the next couple of months before Oxley names his final squad for country week, at Tamworth on the June long weekend.