Rugby all day long!

Hello, dear friends, and sorry for not posting anything for so long – we’ve had a dreadful summer, my darling Ian and me, first we were drowning in work, and then Ian had to go to hospital with heart problems, after which my health collapsed as well, and we barely managed one day at the beach in September before it got too cold… BUT we’re fine now, and we’re having a great time with a great event that only happens once every four years: the Rugby World Cup!

As you’ll know if you’re fans, it’s held in France this time; long before it started, I’d already pre-ordered the official guide book, and also the bunting with all the flags of the participating countries – a bit of a different selection from the one you’d find at a football World Cup, as you can see, including small but rugby crazy little South Pacific nations like Samoa, Fiji and Tonga!

Also, all the nations from the British Isles were taking part, of course, and so our three little Celtic friends from Wales, Ireland and Scotland were excited as always, waving their little flags – unfortunately, Ireland and Scotland were in the same pool for the group stage, so Scotland had to go home; but Nessie will keep on supporting the other two…

Having become a complete rugby nut, I’ve also bought an original Welsh Rugby Union ball; what a feeling, holding it in your hands! And I’ve got a vuvuzela, too, that wonderful fan tool that the South African football World Cup gave to the world – giving a great blast every time our Welsh team score a try…

So, we’re now heading for the quarterfinals – Wales vs Argentina, Ireland vs New Zealand, England vs Fiji and France vs South Africa. Who’s going to be the World Champion? Who knows – I’ll support my new home country Wales, of course, but if they don’t make it I hope Ireland will. Who are you supporting, dear friends? And just in case you’ve never watched any rugby before, here’s a video with the highlights of the match Wales vs Georgia, which took us to the quarterfinals – don’t you just LOVE all that action, skill and passion?!

Tune in to the matches at the weekend, dear friends, it’s a great spectacle, a great way of passing the time and letting off steam – and may the best team win!