AT LAST the Six Nations Rugby Championship has kicked off again, dear friends – and it’s more needed this year than ever before. There has been a discussion going on about whether professional sports should be continued during this new lockdown; and the answer definitely is: yes! People are depressed, scared, deprived of many of their favourite pastimes, hard up, stressed and just about everything else you can imagine in the way of negative things anyone can experience. So what do we all need right now? A thrill, a joy, an escape that we can get delivered right to our homes.
Whether it’s team sports like football, rugby, cricket, baseball and basketball, or individual sports like tennis, darts, snooker and athletics, watching them on TV always cheers us up and gives us excitement and entertainment – it’s the last thing we could do without during this new lockdown amidst all the dreadful news of more deaths, overcrowded hospitals and vaccine insecurity. So let’s not be hypocritical or, even worse, jealous of the ‘freedom’ the professional athletes have got in contrast to everybody else – those young people are carrying a lot of responsibility on their shoulders at the moment: not only carrying on for the sake of all the rest of us, but also going through constant testing and living in strict lockdown away from their families. Don’t underestimate the sacrifice they’re making!
So, let’s enjoy all the sports we can get right now on our TV set – and especially the Six Nations Championship, that most famous of all rugby tournaments; and as you know, in my humble opinion rugby is the most exciting sport of them all. It’s a full contact sport, so it can get quite rough at times; but isn’t that just what we need in this stressful lockdown situation? The boys (and girls, for there is a Women’s Six Nations going on as well, of course!) give their all, they go into combat like gladiators, and it’s simply amazing to watch them run into each other without a second thought in order to keep or get hold of the ball.
And, unlike most football competitions nowadays, we can actually watch all the matches on British freeview TV – what a wonderful feature amidst all the news programmes and dreary dramas! You can also watch the Six Nations in many other countries around the world without having to pay – so don’t miss it, dear friends, get into it and get enthused! Even if, like me, you weren’t even born in one of the participating countries, just choose a favourite and become a fan. As for me, now that we live in Wales, I’ve become a fanatical supporter of the Red Dragons, of course, and I’ve put on my complete fan gear for the occasion! And our three little friends representing the three Celtic nations participating are all excited as well…
This year’s tournament has already had a thrilling and surprising start yesterday, with Scotland beating England (along with France’s victory over Italy, which was somewhat less of a surprise); and today, the great Celtic match Wales against Ireland is awaiting. How much those 80+ minutes will brighten up our Sunday!!
Tune in, friends, and drift away into a world of sports, combat, rivalry and fun – what better way could there be of spending a Sunday afternoon?
Roberta Franklin 