It’s the Six Nations
So, one of the biggest sporting events of the year is upon us. Are we talking Superbowl? Are we thinking of the Stanley Cup? No we are not, it is the start of the Six Nations Rugby Championship!
For our American friends, most of who will not have heard of rugby, let alone the Six Nations Championship, I thought I’d enlighten you.
There is an old adage that rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen, while football (soccer) is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans. Occasionally some of the Gentlemen forget themselves, especially the French Gentlemen, one was recently banned for 70 weeks for gouging (attacking the eyes) of an Ulster player!
The best way of describing rugby is American football without the helmet and padding! Others describe it as American football without the stoppages, though as we move into the modern era of the game it is increasingly stopping. Having said that I’m talking about stopping for a few minutes so that a 40 minute half may take 46 minutes, rather than a 15 minute quarter taking half an hour or more!
I took Steve,an American friend of mine currently living in Ohio to a rugby game a few years ago and he wasn’t sure what was happening, but for excitement and on-stop action he reckoned rugby couldn’t be beaten. He lost his voice that weekend shouting for Wales, though I’m still not sure what he was shouting! Steve was my mentor in the rules of American Football and Ice Baseball.
The six nations are England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales and they play each other over 5 matches, alternating home and away each year. The amazing thing about the six nations is not only the high level of sportsmanship amongst the players, but the high level of camaraderie amongst the supporters.
Within minutes of the match ending the supporters from both sides will be mingling in the bars of Dublin, Cardiff, Rome and Edinburgh. London and Paris are a slightly different matter as being such large cities the crowds disperse more.
When Wales won the Grand Slam (Unbeaten) in Cardiff in 2005 there were 125,000 people in Cardiff and the ground can only hold 75,000. That night there were 22 arrests when normally there are about 15 on a Saturday night. Of those arrests the police reckon that most were taken into custody for their own safety!
That day I remember the largest game of rugby ever with fans from Wales and Ireland kicking a rugby ball down the main street to each other and dodging the cars, at 11am in the morning they hadn’t closed the streets! A police inspector and two constables approached and the street became quiet as we all thought the game was over. The police inspector looked at the players, shook his head and turned around and went the other way. Well. There were about 50 players!
My two good buddies and I were again in Cardiff in 2009 when Ireland won the Grand Slam (Wales won it in 2008 against France). Was there the same sense of friendship when the ‘away’ side won the match. Yup, ‘da iawn’ (Welsh for well done) was heard around the streets of Cardiff as supporters made friendships, many of which will last a lifetime.
Whatever you are doing this weekend whether it be Rugby, Soccer, American Football or Ice Hockey have a good one and make some lifelong friends. Celebrate the difference amongst nations (in US States) and the things which make us all basically the same. Drink responsibly and remember the good times of the weekend. I’m off to see Ireland A play Scotland A tonight in Belfast and Ireland play Italy in Dublin tomorrow. I’m back to the Land of My Fathers next week to see Wales vs Scotland. On your behalf I’ll taste the local beers from Brains and Felinfoel and report back in a future blog!
Enjoy the Craic.
