The next day was an early rise for myself as I had to get the ESPN Radio tunned in on my iphone and listen to the Tennessee, Cincy football game. After all it is a big deal for me to be away fro TWO WHOLE months of College Football. Thank gawd for tech-mology and i love the fact that with college and pro football weekends, Rugby World cup is like the triple crown frosting to my perfect sports cake!
Seriously, all this rugby and the way it's handled, presented and broken down is like March Madness every week. Its just truely amazing and altogether uniquely NZ. Not even England or Austraila love their Rugby as much as the Kiwi's. South Africa would have to be the next runner up in fan appreciation or country wide support....and Im only going others words for that....as for the other countries I have definitely witnessed and know for a fact that rugby takes a back seat to Soccer, Gaelic Sport, and even Ozzie Rules Football.
It just never gets old seeing this sport idolized here!!!!
We all got up and had a proper breakfast and coffee then headed off to the local pitch to watch some ragtag thrown together group of US club rugby players take on the TeKupa Cast Iron Chickens! Yeah, I know...pretty intimidating stuff!
Well you know anything with a rooster or cock as its mascott I will support whole heartedly with the pride of my surname ringing through.
It was nice to see a club house, especially on a wind and rain laden day such as this....the tamanian sea was cooking up some sideway precip and not something I was interested in taking on all day. We all happily made friends inside and enjoyed some rather nicely priced beer from our hosts....FINALLY!
This club has been around almost 125 years and had lots of cool stuff to read and enjoy...along with the throngs of old guys wandering in....they were all happy to see us and welcomed us like family.
A pleasant surprise was met when another raleigh rugby old boy wandered in and after finding out I was in the house...started yelling... Cox...... Coooox patrick Cooooooxxxxx. He used to people looking at him strangely so no difference here, when Mike Baker rolls in to town. I had heard from a couple of my friends the night before I left town that he was going to make it down under for the RWC, just had no idea it would be this soon when I ran into him... He had a couple Cape Fear rugby guys with him...one being a fairly recent UT graduate. So again.. some Marty Bradley as well as UT Football talk came about and was mulled over in great detail.
It really is ridiculous to think about that I am a Half a World away and hanging out with some people that share the same couple states roots (and stories of other people) as I do... again, I never get tired of admiring that fact and altogether liken it to the Kiwi love of the All Blacks... All the same it doesn't go unnoticed by the locals who are proud to be the host for this renunion of sorts...just cool stuff. Especially when you realize after talking to them...most have all grown up in this town of 50 or 60 thousand people...and never left.
Anyway, enough old langzeye or how ever the hell you spell that...!!!
One good thing I learned was that tickets to some of these RWC games were being more and more available at reasonable prices. Mike Baker n' friends were all able to attend the opening match NZ vs Tonga for well under a 100 bucks a ticket. Pretty amazing since anything under 500 was considered good a few days/weeks/months prior to the RWC opening. Somehow he found a ticket broker on Craigslist.NZ and this guy had a decent seleciton and great prices. Yeah, wait back up right... someone Baker was on Craigslist...yea I had a chuckle as well, just way too funny!!! Anyway I have to admit I wasn't smart enought to think of looking there myself as way around the gouging cost of watching RWC games. So he gave me the brokers card and I think I will try him out once back in country from OZ, Im sure the Sweed Hanky will be gung ho to get some more tics. However, he did pull a good job getting tickets to one of the quarter finals and one of the semi final matches for a total of 370... I was ultimately helped out by the US to Krona conversion...as every little bit helps...but all together I was happy to pay that for what is sure to be some stellar rugby....especially if its half as good as the the comp / games has been to this point..... but still... its nice to have an option for cheaper tickets.
Another story came about from an older wiser gentlemen (the wiser part remains to be seen) of how the cost of things of Auckland was putting a lot of people out....clearly the Kiwi business owners were looking to cash in and make a nice mint of these games.... hotels were doubling and tripling rates along with demanding 4 night minumum stays....yea that's a bit harsh. So this guy states that Prostituion is legal in Auckland city limits....so effectively one could stay at at brothel for and pay the one night fee along with services....and it would be 3 to 4 times cheaper than agreeing to the hotel's demands.
uhh ok.
I don't know if by effectively that meant he had put that plan into action or was suggesting that I do...either way i didn't shake his hand after meeting.
The US Mens Club side got slaughtered as a motley colletion of player not ever once practiced or having played together, it showed...not to mention the less than favorable conditions. But there was a couple instances where there was some horrid tackling by one individual. Always high and never wrapping up nor effective in taken the other down... it was a sore spot of laughter for everyone up in the club house watching....there were also some rather hard to watch attempts at kicking for touch...where by you are behind the 22 meter line (like the 20 on the football field) and need to kick the ball out of bounds up the field....the ball just needs to go out on the fly...in order to push the other teams advancement back in a game of field position...so effectively like a punt in a football game.
Well anyway, it was nothing resembling a punt nor a kick for touch... anyway, fundamental things like that show off a lack of talent and discipline and all together show our inferiourity to others that are good at the game..... only made worse by after game realizing that the kid making an ass of himelf was from Raleigh.... ehhhh Well at least not really from Raleigh, but a transplant from another club team up north, but had moved to Raleigh in the past year...and played with the Vipers during the past season.
Oh well...much like the brothel idea for cheaper pension, we all kinda acted like we didn't hear or see him at least not in the presence of the locals...in fear that our street cred would some how be jeapordized. Regardless we were a bit ashamed, but guess that we needed to warm up to that as well...because we were getting close to game time for the USA match and the enevidablility that our lackluster talents would be evident on a national stage.....something that as Amurikenz we aint all to kindly at being used to or like to watch/see happen.
Anyway, it is what is was.
The USA Ireland match up turned out better than what we expected on several fronts. THe weather held up and we didn't get soaked in the deluges of sheets of pain (rain) that was coming down earlier in the day....and two the US played a respectable game and gave decent effort. Especially in the First half. But not being big on moral victories like progams such as Vanderbilt and CU....I wasn't totally happy with the overall play and mistakes that cost us several points both in defense and in offense. It was nothing to write home about...unless again you cheer for or went to those before mentioned instituitions of excuses!
I not only want to see us play better against Russia on Thursday...but it would be nice to see some highlights to which the Kiwi's can lend some adoration for compliments sake.
After all it's the cold war game...and Russia will always be thencommunistic natural enenmies/rivals for Amurika..
After the match we were once again beat down from drinking all day and whatever else causes a well conditioned athlete as I to get tired after so much of nothing. Regardless the Club put on a good band...and we stayed watching all the Irish and American Fans party it up and celebrate a great day. Much different from 10 years ago...our thoughts are miles away from the terrible tragedies that transpired that day....and it was nice and speaks volumes that it wasn't much relevant or constant reminders about today. I think as a nation and as a world...we all have moved on and have done so from the help of so many brave souls that sacraficed their time and lives to support a sometimes crazy notion of peaceful existence for all... well lookiing at this crowd and realizing where I am...how I got here and i will be able to get back home to my family and friends...its all for not.... and definitely a good day! Thank you.
Pictures from the day at Takupa Rugby Football Club
http://www.tukapa.com/
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