Thanks cam. Highlights are shown over here later.
While you were sleeping, England succumbed to the All Blacks in the final of the Rugby World Cup Sevens being held here on the West coast of the US. All games played at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team in glorious sunshine and in front of some great crowds including 36,000+ watching the final.
It was all a bit deja vue, watching a big man called Joe steam rolling down the wing over the English defence as this time it was Joe Revouvou rekindling the images of what the late great Jonah Lomu did to us over 20 years ago.
Thanks cam. Highlights are shown over here later.
Do Americans 'get' rugby? I know I don't.
Like cricket it has a pretty big following over here fueled by an army of ex-pats from various nations. The fact that the 7s World Cup came here and the attendances show how it's growing and there is a Major League Rugby with about 10 teams. Seattle just won it in their 1st season.
Sorry if I gave away the result but I thought news would have already reached Rotherham, I just got the telegram letting me know we beat Shrewsbury
I'm still waiting to hear what happened at Mafeking...was their any relief"
As CAM says, rugby is pretty big in the US. There are actually more clubs here than in the UK and it's played a lot in universities. My son, for various reasons, played for the USA under 19 side at the 2000 Junior World Cup and also for the California all-stars university team when he did a year at UCLA. He rates the current US teams though they have a long way to go to challenge the top national sides elsewhere in the world. Sevens rugby is pretty popular and the World Sevens was well attended here in San Francisco, as CAM says. I was planning to go on Saturday but $230 a ticket was a bit steep...
It was certainly a different game to the picture you painted in the book CT. No mud and steaming bodies on show in the San Fran sunshine. $230 sounds a bit steep but I assume that was for the whole day and included around 16 games.
Ah! Glad to hear it was the book (not socks) for Father's Day! Yes, Giants Stadium is a far cry from the Portsmouth Poly shoreline ground on a filthy Wednesday afternoon...as is the quality of the rugby played, I don't doubt. Ticket was for the whole day, as you say, but still a bit much. I'm saving my money for The Eagles concert at the same venue in September. Less expensive and the music's better...