Bloody hell was that one hell of a test match - by far the best live sporting event I've ever been to....still cant believe we managed to lose it - and not even get a draw! at about the 60 minute mark we were all really starting to believe that we had those damn bokke and it was all going to be level going into an epic third and final Test down the road at Ellis Park, Jo'Burg. However we lost all our shape and stopped playing rugby, eps when BOD and then Roberts went off injured.......however - and yes it my be harsh to pinpoint one player, esp in the ultimate team game but - ronan o'gara had the biggest shocker ever!! first Faurie smashed over his pathetic attempt at a tackle and then he decieded that because, and i quote from his book, 'the best flyhalf in the world' that he'd try and win the match on his own when absolutely everyone was screaming at him to kick the ball out into touch and take the draw, leaving it all to play for in the final test match! but no he went for the up and under and then, in the words of eddie butler, 'for a player who never puts it about, he chose the worse time to get physical'!
What a match though, we started so strongly and picked up from were we left off the week before, we were the only team even attempting to play any rugby, all the bokke wanted to do was kick the leather off the ball, such a shame!!
And then my main man Simon Shaw had the most immense of immense games - justify all my faith and constant banter to absolutely everyone - including Sky Sports - that he had to start!! Cheers big man, it was an absolute pleasure to watch!!
Then of course there were a few absolute tossers amongst the bok supposters - such as the chap saying very sarcastically 'oh im sooooo sorry' - i just turned to him and said at least we are good losers, where as you lot are bad winners, now fuck off! thought that was just about appropriate! its strange some of the people out here have been unbelievable nice, friendly and welcoming and then you get a few of the complete C-U-Next-Tuesday, that ruin it for everyone!
Still we had a massive lash up afterwards and I finally felt a bit better at about 5am.....apart from the hottie i was chatting up kept running away from me - obviously didnt have my top notch banter boots on!!
Anyway gotta run team - ill update u lot again this week hopefully!
Big Ed
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2nd Test - tension grows!
So it's half past 6 in the morning, Cube and I are just waiting for our taxi to the airport for a floght to jo'burg and the little hop over to Pretoria and the 2nd Test this arvo against the mighty Bokke........bloody hell this is HUGE!!
Bring it on mofos, bring it on................................
Bring it on mofos, bring it on................................
Thursday, June 25, 2009
ok so where was I? Let's begin in Durbs
Right before you have a go, I know, yes I know it's been two weeks and all 8 of you have been literally dying to know that I'm not dead and what the hell is going on - well it's been absolutely bloody mental, non-stop on the go/lash/rugby/lack of internet - This Is Africa after all....!
So I last left u before the Sharks game in Turban (2nd largest Indian pop outside India apparently) - having managed to grab a lift up there with the two legends that are P Doggy Dogg and CS2, or Pete and Charlie to most of mankind. Now these lads are epic boyos, just 19 - already calling me Gramps the lil' shites! - and on their gap years, the lucky buggers! So check this - they've gone and spend about 800 sheets (GBP) on a classic 25 yr old Merc and then given it a new paint job - Lions red on the bonnet, roof and boo, white down the sides, covered in blags and written 'British Lions' all over it in massive letters - absolutely fucking priceless, it really is!! And the locals love it, hooting, waving and staring! We also pick up the two jocks Colin and Euan and the 5 of us hit the road for the 700 click drive to Durbs - not so good in an old car that could over heat and limits you to about 100 kph, pretty down slow, luck I've got my ipod and itrip plus some seriously classic toooooons!
Now on a side note to this story some of you might remember me mentioning Strange/Weird Goeff earlier from the bus trip and it turns out also my bed buddy for the second night in Bloem when i had to share the honeymoon room with him - not so nice when he is a short, strange, 45 yr old, weird irishman, who we've decided is a bit of an alchy - beer and biltong for breakfast and he's fine.......hmmm!! haha. Anyway Nick von Shark, Sarah and the rest of the posse from our guest house have all cruised off in their cars to Lesotho and the Draakensberg mountains for a few days, leaving me with Strange Geoff and a guesthouse owner who is mightly pissed off that aqpparently what was agreed to be paid back 3 months ago, now isn't what he thinks he should get - not so good! And Strange Geoff wants to know how we (as in us two, together.....aaahhhhh) are getting to Durbs, I mention - and feel bad about it but hey - that Pete offered me and the Flying Scotsmen a lift to Durbs but I waiting on his call, at which point he looks at me and is like 'What about me then? Can I squeeze in?' Don't think so Geoff there are already 5 of us in the Lions Mobile - this goes down like a shit sarnie and I'm no longer Mr Popular......! Oopps but to be honest I couldn't hangout with Strange Geoff any longer, he's a weird one! All I wanted to say to the fella was 'Geoff you're 45, travelling on your own and you're waiting for me to organise your bloomin' trip, sorry chap I sorted mine out as I'm on my own and that's what you do!' He hasn't spoken to me since and won't shake my hand.....now I run the other way if I happen to catch side of Strange Geoff!
So Durbs - I was here 8 yrs ago and loved it! My bro Huggy said that there wasnt much going on just stay a day or 2 but I ended up staying for 10 days or two weeks, classic laugh and a lot of it was down to Joe Cools nightspot on the beach - classic! 8 yrs ago I rolled in on a Sunday thinking I'd get a nice early night, oh how wrong I was. So this being a Sunday night again - and after 2 very heavy nights in Bloem remember - we hit the hostel and straight down to the beach for a bit of Joe Cools lashing!! I didn't disappoint either, bar not being as full as I'd hoped but then it was already midnight, our new fav drink was got in straight away - Brandy Specials! To which the response was 'What's a Brandy Special?' Come on barlady-women, you know a brandy special........ok ok there is absolutely nothing special about it - it's just a double brandy and coke. So massive tosser was in there with his shirt open and he was a large slice - so massive tosser on all accounts! oh yeah! and his mate didn't like it when i decided to give him a wee round of applause when he told me the Queen went to his uncles funeral......but hey it was rubbish chat!
A couple of chilled days on the beach in Durbs with the boyos, playing rugby, body surfin' and generally larking about in what should have been very pleasant 25 degrees sunshine was actually spend in pretty cloud cover days....but hey fuck it we're British, so we hit the beach anyway - locals think we are absolutely bloody nuts!!
And then it was the game at the Shark Tank, where I sad with George (Charlie's older bro who has just flown into town and join the game to make it 6 strong - good work Boy George) amidst the season ticket holders - not sure what they should about a very tall oeke and a lad in a Lion outfit, hmmmm
We cmpletely killed them on the pitch, which didn't amuse the locals, who are used to their team being pretty successful in the Super 14 but then as they mentioned to us they were missing 10 international players who were training with the Bokke - excuses but fair enough I guess, I'm just annoyed their players weren't allowed to play, it makes it a better contest, you get to see the big players and it encourages the locals to come out and see their team - which would be nice in another third empty stadium.........!! Bloody pisses me off how excessive the ticket prices our, not for us but for the locals - a Super 14 game costs them 50 bucks, an int'l a couple of hundred tops, now the Lions vs the Sharks is about 300. It reminds me of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies when they priced the locals out and lost the best supports in world cricket, leaving the tournament in a bloody great mess!!
But the best bit of the game actually kicks off after the match has finished when we meet up with Craig Davidson - a former Boks & Sharks player - who invited us to a braai (apparently the world's biggest barbie, shed loads of cars are all parked up and everyone is tucking into their own braai's and beers) in the carpark with Butch James - how classic is that?! But actully what is really classic is Butchie's mum - Mrs J, damn she is legend!! We end up chilling there for ages, having beers and food (I think but then who cares about food, it's the beers we're interested in.....haha!!). So Butchie tells us about the problems at bath - I didnt expect that, I thought we'd be getting a 'No comment' but apparently it wasn't exactly a surprise.
Anyway guess who rocks up next - Lee Mears.......ok not that interesting having banter with him in Bloem - non other that Springbok legend Bob Skinstad.......!! Now he is a top top fella. P-dogg and I ended up getting a lift with Craig and a few others to a bar, so the other all get in the front and we hop into the back of his bakkie (a pick up), as is fairly standard in Africa and really quite a laugh with the wind in one's hair! Then to my utter surprise Bobby jumps into the back with us, I'm like 'Bob don't you want to sit up front?' 'Nah' comes the response 'I'm gonna sit here with the lads!" haha classic bloke, so the three of us end up hitting the bar next to his hotel and get thoroughly lashed up and have a good good banter (and free drinks because everyone and I mean everyone in SA loves Bob Skinstad - and so do I now!), plus the lad gives me his number before he hits the sack and tells us to drop him a line in Cape Town that weekend at the next game - LEGEND! He might even interview us.......
P-doggy dogg and I end up leaving said establishment with a cpl of fine younf South African ladies, having no idea how we did it - ooh had it been a messy night's drinking!!
So I last left u before the Sharks game in Turban (2nd largest Indian pop outside India apparently) - having managed to grab a lift up there with the two legends that are P Doggy Dogg and CS2, or Pete and Charlie to most of mankind. Now these lads are epic boyos, just 19 - already calling me Gramps the lil' shites! - and on their gap years, the lucky buggers! So check this - they've gone and spend about 800 sheets (GBP) on a classic 25 yr old Merc and then given it a new paint job - Lions red on the bonnet, roof and boo, white down the sides, covered in blags and written 'British Lions' all over it in massive letters - absolutely fucking priceless, it really is!! And the locals love it, hooting, waving and staring! We also pick up the two jocks Colin and Euan and the 5 of us hit the road for the 700 click drive to Durbs - not so good in an old car that could over heat and limits you to about 100 kph, pretty down slow, luck I've got my ipod and itrip plus some seriously classic toooooons!
Now on a side note to this story some of you might remember me mentioning Strange/Weird Goeff earlier from the bus trip and it turns out also my bed buddy for the second night in Bloem when i had to share the honeymoon room with him - not so nice when he is a short, strange, 45 yr old, weird irishman, who we've decided is a bit of an alchy - beer and biltong for breakfast and he's fine.......hmmm!! haha. Anyway Nick von Shark, Sarah and the rest of the posse from our guest house have all cruised off in their cars to Lesotho and the Draakensberg mountains for a few days, leaving me with Strange Geoff and a guesthouse owner who is mightly pissed off that aqpparently what was agreed to be paid back 3 months ago, now isn't what he thinks he should get - not so good! And Strange Geoff wants to know how we (as in us two, together.....aaahhhhh) are getting to Durbs, I mention - and feel bad about it but hey - that Pete offered me and the Flying Scotsmen a lift to Durbs but I waiting on his call, at which point he looks at me and is like 'What about me then? Can I squeeze in?' Don't think so Geoff there are already 5 of us in the Lions Mobile - this goes down like a shit sarnie and I'm no longer Mr Popular......! Oopps but to be honest I couldn't hangout with Strange Geoff any longer, he's a weird one! All I wanted to say to the fella was 'Geoff you're 45, travelling on your own and you're waiting for me to organise your bloomin' trip, sorry chap I sorted mine out as I'm on my own and that's what you do!' He hasn't spoken to me since and won't shake my hand.....now I run the other way if I happen to catch side of Strange Geoff!
So Durbs - I was here 8 yrs ago and loved it! My bro Huggy said that there wasnt much going on just stay a day or 2 but I ended up staying for 10 days or two weeks, classic laugh and a lot of it was down to Joe Cools nightspot on the beach - classic! 8 yrs ago I rolled in on a Sunday thinking I'd get a nice early night, oh how wrong I was. So this being a Sunday night again - and after 2 very heavy nights in Bloem remember - we hit the hostel and straight down to the beach for a bit of Joe Cools lashing!! I didn't disappoint either, bar not being as full as I'd hoped but then it was already midnight, our new fav drink was got in straight away - Brandy Specials! To which the response was 'What's a Brandy Special?' Come on barlady-women, you know a brandy special........ok ok there is absolutely nothing special about it - it's just a double brandy and coke. So massive tosser was in there with his shirt open and he was a large slice - so massive tosser on all accounts! oh yeah! and his mate didn't like it when i decided to give him a wee round of applause when he told me the Queen went to his uncles funeral......but hey it was rubbish chat!
A couple of chilled days on the beach in Durbs with the boyos, playing rugby, body surfin' and generally larking about in what should have been very pleasant 25 degrees sunshine was actually spend in pretty cloud cover days....but hey fuck it we're British, so we hit the beach anyway - locals think we are absolutely bloody nuts!!
And then it was the game at the Shark Tank, where I sad with George (Charlie's older bro who has just flown into town and join the game to make it 6 strong - good work Boy George) amidst the season ticket holders - not sure what they should about a very tall oeke and a lad in a Lion outfit, hmmmm
We cmpletely killed them on the pitch, which didn't amuse the locals, who are used to their team being pretty successful in the Super 14 but then as they mentioned to us they were missing 10 international players who were training with the Bokke - excuses but fair enough I guess, I'm just annoyed their players weren't allowed to play, it makes it a better contest, you get to see the big players and it encourages the locals to come out and see their team - which would be nice in another third empty stadium.........!! Bloody pisses me off how excessive the ticket prices our, not for us but for the locals - a Super 14 game costs them 50 bucks, an int'l a couple of hundred tops, now the Lions vs the Sharks is about 300. It reminds me of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies when they priced the locals out and lost the best supports in world cricket, leaving the tournament in a bloody great mess!!
But the best bit of the game actually kicks off after the match has finished when we meet up with Craig Davidson - a former Boks & Sharks player - who invited us to a braai (apparently the world's biggest barbie, shed loads of cars are all parked up and everyone is tucking into their own braai's and beers) in the carpark with Butch James - how classic is that?! But actully what is really classic is Butchie's mum - Mrs J, damn she is legend!! We end up chilling there for ages, having beers and food (I think but then who cares about food, it's the beers we're interested in.....haha!!). So Butchie tells us about the problems at bath - I didnt expect that, I thought we'd be getting a 'No comment' but apparently it wasn't exactly a surprise.
Anyway guess who rocks up next - Lee Mears.......ok not that interesting having banter with him in Bloem - non other that Springbok legend Bob Skinstad.......!! Now he is a top top fella. P-dogg and I ended up getting a lift with Craig and a few others to a bar, so the other all get in the front and we hop into the back of his bakkie (a pick up), as is fairly standard in Africa and really quite a laugh with the wind in one's hair! Then to my utter surprise Bobby jumps into the back with us, I'm like 'Bob don't you want to sit up front?' 'Nah' comes the response 'I'm gonna sit here with the lads!" haha classic bloke, so the three of us end up hitting the bar next to his hotel and get thoroughly lashed up and have a good good banter (and free drinks because everyone and I mean everyone in SA loves Bob Skinstad - and so do I now!), plus the lad gives me his number before he hits the sack and tells us to drop him a line in Cape Town that weekend at the next game - LEGEND! He might even interview us.......
P-doggy dogg and I end up leaving said establishment with a cpl of fine younf South African ladies, having no idea how we did it - ooh had it been a messy night's drinking!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bloem
Ok so I expected Bloemfontein to be packed full of massive and not particularly nice Afrikaans who pretty much wanted to beat us up and smash our beloved Lions side into oblivion........well I was partly wrong, they are massive in general and they did want to smash the Lions but in general they were seriously nice okes and very welcoming. You get the odd one who will walk up and just shout to your face 'Fuck the Lions' but I think that half of it is at least banter and their way of getting into a bit of a convo.
So back to where I was yesterday - arrival in Bloem with Nick von Shark, Sarah, Luke & Strange Goeff the Old Irish man (more later on him!) - got a few beers and food in for supper, met up with the properly amusing and immense Scots Colin & Euan, who are also staying in our guest house.
A simple choice is made to head out for 'just a couple of pre-game beers' - hit the supposed place to be The Mystic Boer which just so happened to be dead as a Bok vs a Lion.......Luckily enough for us we hit the bar on the corner - Seconds. Jesus what a welcome we got there, seriously we walked in and the lads next to us just went bonkers and wanted us to have a cpl of 'drink-offs' with them, which of course we had to accept esp after they bigged up their big drinker! So Straw-pedo's were the call of the hour, a rather nice bottle of Brutal Fruit, sounds harsh yet exotic doesn't it, hey?! Unfortunately I came in second to their downing champ but only just - the rest of the team faired fairly well bar Colin, who had apparently never Staw-pedo'd, I mean come on, what sort of a just-finish-uni-student has never Straw-pedo's?! hmmm. I think he even lost to Sarah.......poor C-Dogg, poor!
I have to say it was a classic nice in which we absolutely ruled the bar and then the upstairs club - everyone was digging the Lions tops and lovin' the banter more importantly! The great show off move of 'Gunning' one's drink was brought out my a certain seriously cool dude, to great fanfare and applause - promptly followed by the rest of our touring party and massively impressing the local talent.......one of whom just could keep here hands off said tall man!! Gunning wasn't the only new trick we introduced to the Saffa public - 'The Wave' had to be introduced and utilised on the unsuspecting talent in Seconds! A large shout out has to go to the Parrats at this point as it is one of our little party pieces from the infamous and epic Cornwall weekenders we head on yearly - Berg, Carlos, Bezza, Dre, Angry Steve & this year Boy George, top work lads! Anyway the waving was absolutely classic, altho we did break the cardinal rule of The Wave - never pick a girl too close, it looks a bit bloody strange (that a a minimum need for 5-6 people) but hey it worked and Lee-Ann was snagged. However the big saffa oke we send in to do the hard work for us decided to call her 'tasty' which she wasn't a big fan of and I'm going to blame him for her not replying to either of my texts...........hmmm!! haha
Had a crazy/weird time on the way home as a cpl of saffas, the big oke from before and a dude called Nick, decieded that a strip club was in order and of course this being SA and 4am, how better to get their than car and a pissed driver - not so good! Anyway we cruised around on the outskirts of Bloem for a good hour and I have to say Thank God, we didn't find anything as I reckon these saffas weren't just looking for a strip joint and it was all freaking me out a little bit - very very random I have to say!
Next up was Weds and the Lions vs Cheetahs game - ooh this is going to be a biggie fo shizzle! I still didnt have a ticket but wasn't too concerned as none of the games had been full yet and neither was this one - so on route to the ticket office I just happened to walk into the stadium car park without anyone asking any questions and before I knew it I was within the barrier and thus didnt need a ticket as no one really checks your tickets int he stadium or cares where u side - SWEET!! So it was time to get back on it, beers flowed, new friends were made - Oli & Max on their gap yr with a classic english flag with 'Born in England, Live in England, Die in Englang' on it and a very very old school Union Jack - good work lads, Mike & his son Charlie who we'd met at both the last two games, and of course the 3 scots in kilts (do they ever take them off or wash them........hmmm?!) and the micks Conor & Simon, who keep getting on TV the lucky sods! Plus the crazy saffas from my lift last night were there in Lions tops (they dont like the cheetahs, so are supporting the Lions - crazy I know) and having a braai, so a bit of chow and a few beers go down nicely. However no beer is allowed to be taken into the stadium which is a massive arse as not only does it mean I have to down 2 drinks before legging it for kick off but we all get bloody thirsty during the game grrrrr!
For the game Nick von Shark, Luke, Colin & Euan had made the brilliant decision of painting up their bodies in quarters with the 4 colours and the crest in the middle - an ingenius look and it had already got us a lot of attention around the stadium pre-game but it was during the game when it really paid off as we managed to side right next to the rest of the Lions squad - there was BOD, Mearsy, Wyn-Jones, Crofty etc etc and we were right in front of the subs bench - Shawsy is an absolute monster, he even makes Hines look a bit little....! The banter was flowing and the players were fairly amused by it - bar the Riki, Riki sing us a song - not such a good reaction!
The camera men loved us and we loved them right back! We made it into the Mercury paper and the 4 lads made it onto the BBC Sport side - check this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8087050.stm - photo number 6.
The game was a cracker too - we ruled the first half and prob should have got a few more points but Ferris' sin binning took a lot out of us and we shipped a few points then, not so good. However Ferris had scored another try and had an outstanding game alround - I'm gutted he is now out of the tour, poor lad, I think he was really starting to look like a Test Starter.
The game finished in amazingly tense style when they missed a drop goal that I thought was over from the 10 metre line and would have clinched the game by a point, jesus that was a hell of a worry and the Cheetahs put up an immense effort esp Brussow - epic game slowing down ball. Also we gave Wayne Barnes some good banter which he liked - and then met him in Durban and had high fives alround!
Enjoy the game tonight - the Shark Tank will be frickin tops!
So back to where I was yesterday - arrival in Bloem with Nick von Shark, Sarah, Luke & Strange Goeff the Old Irish man (more later on him!) - got a few beers and food in for supper, met up with the properly amusing and immense Scots Colin & Euan, who are also staying in our guest house.
A simple choice is made to head out for 'just a couple of pre-game beers' - hit the supposed place to be The Mystic Boer which just so happened to be dead as a Bok vs a Lion.......Luckily enough for us we hit the bar on the corner - Seconds. Jesus what a welcome we got there, seriously we walked in and the lads next to us just went bonkers and wanted us to have a cpl of 'drink-offs' with them, which of course we had to accept esp after they bigged up their big drinker! So Straw-pedo's were the call of the hour, a rather nice bottle of Brutal Fruit, sounds harsh yet exotic doesn't it, hey?! Unfortunately I came in second to their downing champ but only just - the rest of the team faired fairly well bar Colin, who had apparently never Staw-pedo'd, I mean come on, what sort of a just-finish-uni-student has never Straw-pedo's?! hmmm. I think he even lost to Sarah.......poor C-Dogg, poor!
I have to say it was a classic nice in which we absolutely ruled the bar and then the upstairs club - everyone was digging the Lions tops and lovin' the banter more importantly! The great show off move of 'Gunning' one's drink was brought out my a certain seriously cool dude, to great fanfare and applause - promptly followed by the rest of our touring party and massively impressing the local talent.......one of whom just could keep here hands off said tall man!! Gunning wasn't the only new trick we introduced to the Saffa public - 'The Wave' had to be introduced and utilised on the unsuspecting talent in Seconds! A large shout out has to go to the Parrats at this point as it is one of our little party pieces from the infamous and epic Cornwall weekenders we head on yearly - Berg, Carlos, Bezza, Dre, Angry Steve & this year Boy George, top work lads! Anyway the waving was absolutely classic, altho we did break the cardinal rule of The Wave - never pick a girl too close, it looks a bit bloody strange (that a a minimum need for 5-6 people) but hey it worked and Lee-Ann was snagged. However the big saffa oke we send in to do the hard work for us decided to call her 'tasty' which she wasn't a big fan of and I'm going to blame him for her not replying to either of my texts...........hmmm!! haha
Had a crazy/weird time on the way home as a cpl of saffas, the big oke from before and a dude called Nick, decieded that a strip club was in order and of course this being SA and 4am, how better to get their than car and a pissed driver - not so good! Anyway we cruised around on the outskirts of Bloem for a good hour and I have to say Thank God, we didn't find anything as I reckon these saffas weren't just looking for a strip joint and it was all freaking me out a little bit - very very random I have to say!
Next up was Weds and the Lions vs Cheetahs game - ooh this is going to be a biggie fo shizzle! I still didnt have a ticket but wasn't too concerned as none of the games had been full yet and neither was this one - so on route to the ticket office I just happened to walk into the stadium car park without anyone asking any questions and before I knew it I was within the barrier and thus didnt need a ticket as no one really checks your tickets int he stadium or cares where u side - SWEET!! So it was time to get back on it, beers flowed, new friends were made - Oli & Max on their gap yr with a classic english flag with 'Born in England, Live in England, Die in Englang' on it and a very very old school Union Jack - good work lads, Mike & his son Charlie who we'd met at both the last two games, and of course the 3 scots in kilts (do they ever take them off or wash them........hmmm?!) and the micks Conor & Simon, who keep getting on TV the lucky sods! Plus the crazy saffas from my lift last night were there in Lions tops (they dont like the cheetahs, so are supporting the Lions - crazy I know) and having a braai, so a bit of chow and a few beers go down nicely. However no beer is allowed to be taken into the stadium which is a massive arse as not only does it mean I have to down 2 drinks before legging it for kick off but we all get bloody thirsty during the game grrrrr!
For the game Nick von Shark, Luke, Colin & Euan had made the brilliant decision of painting up their bodies in quarters with the 4 colours and the crest in the middle - an ingenius look and it had already got us a lot of attention around the stadium pre-game but it was during the game when it really paid off as we managed to side right next to the rest of the Lions squad - there was BOD, Mearsy, Wyn-Jones, Crofty etc etc and we were right in front of the subs bench - Shawsy is an absolute monster, he even makes Hines look a bit little....! The banter was flowing and the players were fairly amused by it - bar the Riki, Riki sing us a song - not such a good reaction!
The camera men loved us and we loved them right back! We made it into the Mercury paper and the 4 lads made it onto the BBC Sport side - check this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8087050.stm - photo number 6.
The game was a cracker too - we ruled the first half and prob should have got a few more points but Ferris' sin binning took a lot out of us and we shipped a few points then, not so good. However Ferris had scored another try and had an outstanding game alround - I'm gutted he is now out of the tour, poor lad, I think he was really starting to look like a Test Starter.
The game finished in amazingly tense style when they missed a drop goal that I thought was over from the 10 metre line and would have clinched the game by a point, jesus that was a hell of a worry and the Cheetahs put up an immense effort esp Brussow - epic game slowing down ball. Also we gave Wayne Barnes some good banter which he liked - and then met him in Durban and had high fives alround!
Enjoy the game tonight - the Shark Tank will be frickin tops!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
god where to begin...
Ok so i definitely thought id update you lot a little bit more but since my last note things have kicked off in a MASSIVE way......last time i was still up in jo'burg staying with chris and his fantastic parents - Ursula & Mike. We hit the B&I Lions vs the Golden Lions on Weds and as i'm sure you know we absolutely tore them to pieces (rubbish pun intended of course!). Roberts really stood out again, BOD got off to a flyer and Ferris made an impact from the Bench after Crofty had run rings around them.....
However the fun really started off the game when we hit the now standard post-game venue of the 'Castle Tent', home to some great banter and large lashing!! Met up again with the 3 kilted scots who have Blair, Hines & Murray on the back of their shirts - an ingenius idea as it gets them spotted the whole time - I'm going for SHAW and the number 4 when I get a chance! The locals were bloody friendly and actually had some great banter on them - top work. I also met some other classic lions fans - Conor & Simon from Ireland who keep getting on TV, Andy Powell's english brother (not literally!), and the list goes on. Highlights have to be singing 'Ireland's Call', Flower of Scotland & Swing Low before realising we had no welshies, can't sing land of our fathers in english let along welsh and one of the lads breaking into a fine welsh singing voice and starting up 'It's not unusual to be loved by anyone......' gotta love Tom Jones! Then a few saffas responsed with the SA national anthem who's name I cant remember but I always think sounds like 'Ukelele Africa' - which I have on video and is brilliant!!
We then pushed onto a cracking bar called Jolly Rodgers - full of Lions fans and some epic lashing.....ooh many a 'Brandy Special' - absolutely nothing special about it tho, it's merely a double brandy and coke! oh so special! - were consumed. Had a tall-off with a cpl of locals which i lost - damn it - if only I'd been wearing the cowboy boots!! That one's for you Danny boy. Ended up in a random pool hall at 5am - not so good!
Finally started the real busines off travelling on Friday when I jumped a bus to Bloemfontain in the Orange Free State. Although this being Africa it wasn't without it's problems - having booked a ticket the night before for an 11am bus, I duely arrived an hour and a bit before departure to pick up my ticket, only to be told that I should have turned up 2-3 hours before and thus they'd sold my ticket on!! God damn was I annoyed as the next bus wasn't until 4.30pm and I hadn't been told to be there 2-3 hours before.........luckily having got a 4.30pm ticket I managed to squeeze onto the earlier bus as it wasn't actually full - typical Africa, gotta love it!
Met a group of 4 other fans on the bus who were a top bunch and luckily enough for me had a spare bed in their guest house that night, saving me a lot of hassle - cheers Nick (von Shark) & Sarah - plus Luke and Strange Geoff.
Now Bloem is were the party really started........
To be continued!
However the fun really started off the game when we hit the now standard post-game venue of the 'Castle Tent', home to some great banter and large lashing!! Met up again with the 3 kilted scots who have Blair, Hines & Murray on the back of their shirts - an ingenius idea as it gets them spotted the whole time - I'm going for SHAW and the number 4 when I get a chance! The locals were bloody friendly and actually had some great banter on them - top work. I also met some other classic lions fans - Conor & Simon from Ireland who keep getting on TV, Andy Powell's english brother (not literally!), and the list goes on. Highlights have to be singing 'Ireland's Call', Flower of Scotland & Swing Low before realising we had no welshies, can't sing land of our fathers in english let along welsh and one of the lads breaking into a fine welsh singing voice and starting up 'It's not unusual to be loved by anyone......' gotta love Tom Jones! Then a few saffas responsed with the SA national anthem who's name I cant remember but I always think sounds like 'Ukelele Africa' - which I have on video and is brilliant!!
We then pushed onto a cracking bar called Jolly Rodgers - full of Lions fans and some epic lashing.....ooh many a 'Brandy Special' - absolutely nothing special about it tho, it's merely a double brandy and coke! oh so special! - were consumed. Had a tall-off with a cpl of locals which i lost - damn it - if only I'd been wearing the cowboy boots!! That one's for you Danny boy. Ended up in a random pool hall at 5am - not so good!
Finally started the real busines off travelling on Friday when I jumped a bus to Bloemfontain in the Orange Free State. Although this being Africa it wasn't without it's problems - having booked a ticket the night before for an 11am bus, I duely arrived an hour and a bit before departure to pick up my ticket, only to be told that I should have turned up 2-3 hours before and thus they'd sold my ticket on!! God damn was I annoyed as the next bus wasn't until 4.30pm and I hadn't been told to be there 2-3 hours before.........luckily having got a 4.30pm ticket I managed to squeeze onto the earlier bus as it wasn't actually full - typical Africa, gotta love it!
Met a group of 4 other fans on the bus who were a top bunch and luckily enough for me had a spare bed in their guest house that night, saving me a lot of hassle - cheers Nick (von Shark) & Sarah - plus Luke and Strange Geoff.
Now Bloem is were the party really started........
To be continued!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
OK, so i'm a bit late for the start of the tour but that's standard....
...you all know me, I'm late for everything - in fact I decided the other day that it will say on my grave stone 'Should have left 15 minutes earlier!'
Anyway back to the topic at hand - I'm here in SA already and loving it! I've been in Jo'burg nearly a week already and am staying with a saffa mate called Chris who I met out in Florida last year. He and his family have really looked after me and I just want to say a massive thanks, it's been lekker bru!
So the Lions had their first game last Sat against a Royal XV made up of three Highveld teams all from the third tier of SA rugby (Super14 being top & Currie CCup being 2nd and like the Premiership back home). Ok so it wasn't the best game and it looked like we might poss lose it with 15 minutes to go but our better fitness levels, even at altitute and our superior skills meant that we were able to sneak it at the end there. A good tough examination to start the tough and a 'proper SA welcome'. As a few of the players have said, it was a wake up call to how tough the tour is going to be over the next 5 weeks and how hard it will be to build a test team and get the combinations working quickly but most importantly fluidly.
Players on the up after the 1st game:
Byrne - rock solid and runs some great angles (ANGLES!)
Roberts - another welshie (I love welshies - i can say that while on tour!) who made an impact and could be looking like a big player for us -at 12 or 13 (if BOD has an inury) or at 22.
Scrum time we were solid as execpted but the breakdown was poor and we need to get there faster and blow over in numbers and more aggressively.
Disappointing players:
Rees - over threw a cpl of times and I didnt really notice much of him around the park
Blair - far far too plodding, oh for the likes of Peel.....
Earls - poor lad obviously struggled with nerves - is he too inexperienced for this tour? Should Armitage/Tindall be here instead, possibly but then great Rugby minds than mind picked him!
Wallace & Worsley were quiet, Williams turned over a cpl of balls.
And finally the Saffas named their squad for the Test seris - pretty much as thought but there are a cpl of key weaknesses:
No proper tight head prop, only the captain Smit, who is a Hooker, selected there and 3 loose heads. We really really have to get stuck into him at scrum time, Jenkins or Sheridan must do a number on him here and we could be in for some good times at scrum time!
Fullback - again no fully recognised F/B. The 2 that have player there lots, F Steyn & Pienaar, are both coming back from injuries. Earl Rose is a bit of a liability according to most and Fourie hasn't played there in a long time. Looks like it will be JP Pietrson then, weakening the Boks wing position. Another key area to attack.
Fly half - do they go with the recently injured, & current holder of the shirt, Pienaar or the form but inexperienced Morne Steyn - big call either way! Either way another key area for us to target!
So I'm off to the 2nd tour game any minute - it's the Lions vs the Lions!! Yes you heard me right - the British Lions vs the (Jo'Burg) Golden Lions - or the Cubs as we'll be calling them! They are a Super 14 side & thus going to be a huge step up from last Sat but they did come very near the bottom of the table......!
Cheers for getting involved in my Biltong & Banter blog and I'll keep u posted on how the tour is progressing!!
Nizza
Anyway back to the topic at hand - I'm here in SA already and loving it! I've been in Jo'burg nearly a week already and am staying with a saffa mate called Chris who I met out in Florida last year. He and his family have really looked after me and I just want to say a massive thanks, it's been lekker bru!
So the Lions had their first game last Sat against a Royal XV made up of three Highveld teams all from the third tier of SA rugby (Super14 being top & Currie CCup being 2nd and like the Premiership back home). Ok so it wasn't the best game and it looked like we might poss lose it with 15 minutes to go but our better fitness levels, even at altitute and our superior skills meant that we were able to sneak it at the end there. A good tough examination to start the tough and a 'proper SA welcome'. As a few of the players have said, it was a wake up call to how tough the tour is going to be over the next 5 weeks and how hard it will be to build a test team and get the combinations working quickly but most importantly fluidly.
Players on the up after the 1st game:
Byrne - rock solid and runs some great angles (ANGLES!)
Roberts - another welshie (I love welshies - i can say that while on tour!) who made an impact and could be looking like a big player for us -at 12 or 13 (if BOD has an inury) or at 22.
Scrum time we were solid as execpted but the breakdown was poor and we need to get there faster and blow over in numbers and more aggressively.
Disappointing players:
Rees - over threw a cpl of times and I didnt really notice much of him around the park
Blair - far far too plodding, oh for the likes of Peel.....
Earls - poor lad obviously struggled with nerves - is he too inexperienced for this tour? Should Armitage/Tindall be here instead, possibly but then great Rugby minds than mind picked him!
Wallace & Worsley were quiet, Williams turned over a cpl of balls.
And finally the Saffas named their squad for the Test seris - pretty much as thought but there are a cpl of key weaknesses:
No proper tight head prop, only the captain Smit, who is a Hooker, selected there and 3 loose heads. We really really have to get stuck into him at scrum time, Jenkins or Sheridan must do a number on him here and we could be in for some good times at scrum time!
Fullback - again no fully recognised F/B. The 2 that have player there lots, F Steyn & Pienaar, are both coming back from injuries. Earl Rose is a bit of a liability according to most and Fourie hasn't played there in a long time. Looks like it will be JP Pietrson then, weakening the Boks wing position. Another key area to attack.
Fly half - do they go with the recently injured, & current holder of the shirt, Pienaar or the form but inexperienced Morne Steyn - big call either way! Either way another key area for us to target!
So I'm off to the 2nd tour game any minute - it's the Lions vs the Lions!! Yes you heard me right - the British Lions vs the (Jo'Burg) Golden Lions - or the Cubs as we'll be calling them! They are a Super 14 side & thus going to be a huge step up from last Sat but they did come very near the bottom of the table......!
Cheers for getting involved in my Biltong & Banter blog and I'll keep u posted on how the tour is progressing!!
Nizza
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