Last night was the first time I've watched rugby. Ed and I went to a pub with a bunch of friends to watch Wales vs France. The pub is named Ricks and is draped in UK memorabilia, so guess which side the two rooms of fans were rooting for. Contrariwise, the woman who invited all of our group is from France, so guess which side we were rooting for! Actually, one of us decided to root for Wales just to needle David, the other Frenchman, who went into the game sure that his team would lose. It sounds like my kind of fun, but no, it wasn't me.
When we got to the pub, there was basically standing room only, and the score was 3 to 3. If you kick the ball between the goalposts you get 3 points. You can kick when a penalty is called against the other team, I think. Anyway, the game is played by big bruisers with no helmets or padding, and there is no stopping the action every 10 yards or so. The play must go on - or is that the wrong saying for this? The other fun rule is "The ball can only be passed backwards". So even if you fumble it forwards you're in trouble. The action zigzags back and forth across the field as the players toss the ball back and sideways while running forward.
After much violent disagreement, Wales got the ball down to their goal, and the guy with the ball dives to the ground. Wales gets 5 points! Then the kick for extra points is good, for 2 more points, and David falls into depression. The first half is 40 minutes, and in the very last minute or two, France manages to tie the game! A big pile of reds and blues is on top of the ball at the French goal. Somehow one of the blues put the ball down across the line. Five points! And the extra points kick is good. Our group cheers into the mostly quiet pub! The second half was all France, except for the last minute or two again, when Wales tried to return the favor of the first half. But France won, and Ed and I are invited back for the next French rugby match, since our presence surely caused the victory.
France destroyed Wales' hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams as they defied a late Welsh onslaught in Paris.
When we got to the pub, there was basically standing room only, and the score was 3 to 3. If you kick the ball between the goalposts you get 3 points. You can kick when a penalty is called against the other team, I think. Anyway, the game is played by big bruisers with no helmets or padding, and there is no stopping the action every 10 yards or so. The play must go on - or is that the wrong saying for this? The other fun rule is "The ball can only be passed backwards". So even if you fumble it forwards you're in trouble. The action zigzags back and forth across the field as the players toss the ball back and sideways while running forward.
After much violent disagreement, Wales got the ball down to their goal, and the guy with the ball dives to the ground. Wales gets 5 points! Then the kick for extra points is good, for 2 more points, and David falls into depression. The first half is 40 minutes, and in the very last minute or two, France manages to tie the game! A big pile of reds and blues is on top of the ball at the French goal. Somehow one of the blues put the ball down across the line. Five points! And the extra points kick is good. Our group cheers into the mostly quiet pub! The second half was all France, except for the last minute or two again, when Wales tried to return the favor of the first half. But France won, and Ed and I are invited back for the next French rugby match, since our presence surely caused the victory.
France destroyed Wales' hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams as they defied a late Welsh onslaught in Paris.
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