The "R" Word
So it’s October 24th and I’m grateful for three things, today’s a public holiday, tomorrow the Butterfly goes back to school and the Rugby World Cup 2011 is finally over and the AB’s actually managed to pull off a win. It has been the focus of the sports news here from the time we arrived at the end of the world and it grew in intensity until the brilliant opening ceremony seemed to justify all the hype. Now I’m not averse to watching a game of rugby but I don’t spend the length of the game screaming at the television or cursing the ref. In fact if I’m not watching it with a group of enthusiasts I get bored after ten minutes and either change the channel or go do something else. Here at the end of the world Rugby is not a game it’s a religion. The AB’s are the gods and while it is accepted that even these gods are human sometimes, their captain is infallible. The captain, it must be said is also very nice to look at, even when he’s battered and scowling after losing a game. In fact there are a number of pieces of eye candy on the AB team, a ploy I believe to keep the woman interested, some woman at least.
Every sports news segment on TV or radio, in every local or national news paper there is always news about a rugby game, team, player, coach or club. Every day something to do with rugby is been done or said. I’ve gotten quite used to it now and don’t even notice it anymore, but the closer we got to the RWC2011 opening ceremony the more “in your face” it got. The CBD of our little town is comprised of one main street and every second store was displaying some sort of RWC2011 decor. People decorated their houses and their cars, I saw a few dogs wearing AB colours and once the Butterfly arrived home from “Kindy” sporting a face painted “silver fern” on her cheek! I retaliated by sending her back the next day wearing her S.A. cap and a green and yellow t shirt. We did get caught up in the hype a bit ourselves, the Mauritian would tell anyone who asked that he was supporting the “Springblacks” and I said I was neutral but my daughters weren’t. We sat down eagerly to watch the opening ceremony and were suitably impressed by the display. Our little town was hosting three matches and as a result was bursting at the seams with tourists from Ireland, Russia, USA and Wales. Most of the towns and villages across World’s End had a “Party Central,” somewhere everyone who wanted to could gather together watch a game and celebrate or commiserate a win or loss. For us living almost in the centre of town “party central” was walking distance away and on a game night never out of earshot. There was a festive atmosphere that surrounded you wherever you went during those weeks; it seemed to me that everyone was always happy and smiling. It would’ve been hard not to get caught up in the fever of the RWC2011 but after a two year build up to it and three weeks of actual rugby I was saturated and was looking forward to the final, final whistle. I did switch over to the sports channel so I could at least know firsthand who won and by what points. I also enjoy watching the “Hakka” I think it is very powerful as well as entertaining, it’s an integral part of the AB’s game plan and in my opinion the best part of the match. The rest of the game I watched while “chatting” to my mum on that marvellous invention called SKYPE. She of course was openly supporting the French, while the Mauritian who was watching at a mate's was quietly cheering for them when he thought no “Kiwi’s were looking. But the ABs managed to win by just one point and World’s end erupted! The Mauritian, very wisely decided at the end of the match to head home, he said if he had stayed he wouldnt have come home.
A month on and the hype is gone and things are “normal” again, I even switch the TV over to the 6pm news at 6pm and not just before the weather report. The tourists are gone, the decor is down and the coffee shop prices are back to normal. There are tables available at the “Tea House” in the park and there is parking near the library. The locals are back to their regular routines and conversations are about politics, religion, school and how to get wine stains out of carpets and not about rugby or associated subject matter.
Yep now that the RWC2011 is over we can get back to the mundane and boring and maybe go a day without mention of the word “rugby?”
Every sports news segment on TV or radio, in every local or national news paper there is always news about a rugby game, team, player, coach or club. Every day something to do with rugby is been done or said. I’ve gotten quite used to it now and don’t even notice it anymore, but the closer we got to the RWC2011 opening ceremony the more “in your face” it got. The CBD of our little town is comprised of one main street and every second store was displaying some sort of RWC2011 decor. People decorated their houses and their cars, I saw a few dogs wearing AB colours and once the Butterfly arrived home from “Kindy” sporting a face painted “silver fern” on her cheek! I retaliated by sending her back the next day wearing her S.A. cap and a green and yellow t shirt. We did get caught up in the hype a bit ourselves, the Mauritian would tell anyone who asked that he was supporting the “Springblacks” and I said I was neutral but my daughters weren’t. We sat down eagerly to watch the opening ceremony and were suitably impressed by the display. Our little town was hosting three matches and as a result was bursting at the seams with tourists from Ireland, Russia, USA and Wales. Most of the towns and villages across World’s End had a “Party Central,” somewhere everyone who wanted to could gather together watch a game and celebrate or commiserate a win or loss. For us living almost in the centre of town “party central” was walking distance away and on a game night never out of earshot. There was a festive atmosphere that surrounded you wherever you went during those weeks; it seemed to me that everyone was always happy and smiling. It would’ve been hard not to get caught up in the fever of the RWC2011 but after a two year build up to it and three weeks of actual rugby I was saturated and was looking forward to the final, final whistle. I did switch over to the sports channel so I could at least know firsthand who won and by what points. I also enjoy watching the “Hakka” I think it is very powerful as well as entertaining, it’s an integral part of the AB’s game plan and in my opinion the best part of the match. The rest of the game I watched while “chatting” to my mum on that marvellous invention called SKYPE. She of course was openly supporting the French, while the Mauritian who was watching at a mate's was quietly cheering for them when he thought no “Kiwi’s were looking. But the ABs managed to win by just one point and World’s end erupted! The Mauritian, very wisely decided at the end of the match to head home, he said if he had stayed he wouldnt have come home.
A month on and the hype is gone and things are “normal” again, I even switch the TV over to the 6pm news at 6pm and not just before the weather report. The tourists are gone, the decor is down and the coffee shop prices are back to normal. There are tables available at the “Tea House” in the park and there is parking near the library. The locals are back to their regular routines and conversations are about politics, religion, school and how to get wine stains out of carpets and not about rugby or associated subject matter.
Yep now that the RWC2011 is over we can get back to the mundane and boring and maybe go a day without mention of the word “rugby?”
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