Sunday’s Celebration

In honour of the final game of the Rugby World Cup!

Sunday’s Celebration

Rugby Saturday

I’m watching Invictus later. : )=

Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika

So all eyes are on South Africa and the World Cup. Hmm, I thought the World Cup was next year in Australia. Oh, this is the football one. Well, I’m all for a good game of footy, but I’m far more interested in the rugby pitch. And I have to say the ruggers have that certain je ne sais quois that you just don’t get from the soccer guys.  

One fine evening in a pub, I had an interesting conversation rugby coach from one of the universities about how rugby is a gentleman’s game. Hmm, I always thought it was a rough and tumble game with near legendary Bacchanalia after the everyone left the pitch. Hell, there’s even the infamous Zulu. Okay, well it does sound like something from the Edwardian aristocracy. Maybe that’s the draw for me. It’s a fantastic game to watch with a fairly sordid side to it — similar to my life in fact. Maybe that’s the draw for me.

So, while I’ll be tuned in for what’s happening on the football field for the next couple of weeks, I’ll be eagerly anticipating the 2011 Rubgy World Cup next year in the Land Down Under.

Give Blood, Play Rugby

I don’t know what it is about rugby that fascinates me. Sure the players are hot, but I can say that about a lot of sports. There’s something more — a je ne sais quois as we said in high school. I had one Brit tell me that it’s probably because rugby’s a civilised game. Maybe. But I always think of polo or croquet when I think of civilised games.

At any rate, the World Rugby Cup is next April, and I’m counting down the day. When the Ryder Cup was coming to Valhalla, there was a huge countdown clock at Fourth Street Live. Well, there’s a similar clock in my head for the start of the WRC. I’m hoping there’s decent coverage of it in the States. It really pisses me off that we don’t get good coverage of rugby, but that the poker tournaments get quite a bit of play on the sports networks. It just doesn’t seem fair.

Well, I have my Welsh Rugby t-shirt to wear to support the lads. Yes, I’ll get behind the US team — but only if they aren’t playing Wales. A man’s got to get his priority straight. : )= By-the-bye, that’s the lads from Cardiff against Australia in the photo.

Tattooed Tuesday

Fabu Friday

Another Fabu Friday

The Dragon Pitch

The other day a co-worker asked about my plans for the weekend.  I told him that I was just going to take the weekend as it came. As we conversed, he asked if I was into football much, and I replied that while I can watch a game if I’m with a group of people I’m not a huge fan. We talked a little more, and I told him how much I love rugby — wouldn’t mind playing it as well as being in the fan zone, but I’ve not had (or made) the opprotunity. A couple of days later he said I should try to get a work rugby team together. I doubt I could find ten people in the building who know the basic rules for the game. I did suggest that he take it as a project to manage between his regular job duties.

The conversation in and of itself would be worth a note if it hadn’t gotten me to thinking that I’m not as much a fan of any one team or even country, but of  the sport itself. Sure, I’m always ready to get behind the Chicago Dragons (where it’s said that one of the players “takes a beating and keeps on licking” Go Dragons! A Rugby Story) or the San Francisco Fog, but I really don’t follow their seasons. I should but don’t. Well, I got on line, found an RFC that I want to follow, signed up for their alerts, joined their appreciation group on FaceBook, and check their website daily to keep up. The Newport Gwent Dragons play the Glasgow Warriors tomorrow, and I wish them luck and would love to be on that side of the Sargasso Sea to cheer the Dragons on in person.

I’m also amazed that I couldn’t have done any of this thirty years ago. Of course I knew what rugby was, but cable wasn’t even available in our neighborhood in 1979. The newpaper may have made some mention of rugby if it were part of a larger story, but pretty much it was ignored. Oddly enough, we played soccer in gym class, but rugby and Australian Rules Football weren’t even mentioned. Of course the only mention of abortion in health class was from the Catholic perspective, and the school had a smoking area. Evs, and I digress. It’s amazing how much the world has opened up in the last few years. Hopefully it will continue to open, and we will, after all, find the Age of Aquarius. Hmm, didn’t this start out to be about rugby? Well, maybe with a little luck, a pinch of hope, and some hard work, all international disputes will one day be resolved on the rugby pitch and not the battle field.

Superbowl Play

There are very few years when I actually care about the Super Bowl. If the Saints or the 49ers are playing, I’ll watch. Other than that, I’m not paying attention to television at all during the game. Don’t get me wrong; I do like American Football. I much prefer Rugby. If Mr. Wonderful turns out to be a major sports fan, that’s fine. I’ll do the games with him as long as he does the arts stuff with me. So what does someone who’s NFL apathetic do? Why he goes to see a play.

The Louisville Repertory Company has a performance of Del Shore’s Sordid Lives beginning at 4. It’s called “a black comedy about white trash.” I’ve seen other of Shore’s plays, so I quite intrigued. And that TDMT  is in the show – and singing – is a bonus.

My review will be forthcoming.