Excitement is reaching fever pitch in what has felt like the longest week ever.
I can see Jonny raining high balls down on Habana and Montgomery, the forwards piling in and dropped goals sailing through the posts.
I predict England to win by a point. They have the experience, and Butch James and Francois Steyn could wilt under pressure.
Let me have your thoughts…
Oh and Neel, if things do go against you tomorrow, and stranger things have happened:
1. Take a leaf out the Aussies book from 2003 and be a gracious loser because you’re not great at the pre-game chat and
2. Log back onto this blog on Sunday/Monday, we’ll all be beside ourselves waiting to hear your balanced point of view imbetween some heavy duty gloating.
Fans tearing strips out of each other is for football my friend, banter is all good because it based around respect, something you seem to have bypassed.
18 – 17, England.
Whoops, that should have read “Bokke, 181 – 7, England”.
OK – 8 hours to go – I am living and working at an American Uni in the Middle East – so getting a few strange looks every time I mention ‘rugby’, ‘world’ and ‘cup’ – even the massive flag with the cross of St George with English rose in the centre on my front door on campus does not seem to alert the Americans to the match…….
Come on boys, 80 minutes of the heart and passion we all know you have – England Expects…and will not be disappointed. Swing low…………..
My Schedule (I am 3 hours ahead of Paris): 8am – wake, explain (again) to American wife how important today is
9am – walk the dogs on campus – hang cross of St George on front door
9:30 – explain (again) to wife how monumental this is – bemused looks; 10:30 – stomach begins to churn – not this nervous since I played in Dubai 7s
11:45 – Lunch not looking too appealing – how can I eat? Too nervous – some sort of empathy with the Boys in Paris
12:30 – watch BBC and the thousands flocking to the City of Love. See the choir at Waterloo station – shivers down the spine – times like this being an expat is not great – explain to wife why I seem a little misty-eyed
2:30pm – call mates to check they have beer and meat for the pre-game barbecue
2:32 – call mates to see if they are also shi**ing it; 3:36 pm – sitting in office writing this blog – had to get out of house to avoid another explanation of the importance of the day
Look ahead: home at 5pm, pace the house, open a beer, nerves all over the place, call friends in UK and hear the throng of a distant London boozer, 8pm friends arrive, discuss game and chances, 8:32 decide England will win, 8:40 decide England will fall apart, explain to wife the mood swing, 9pm fire up barbecue, eat, drink, be merry, discuss game, a few beers in and realise England WILL win, 10:30, get TV on and viewing spot on couch, 10:46, pace floor, look for support from friends, 10:55, stand and sing national Anthem, those shivers return, stomach on a day out at Alton Towers, whistle blows, here we go…come on boys, DO US PROUD………………..
You know you’re in trouble when you start to believe your own PR. It wasn’t that long ago that England were written off as a team of aging, has-beens, waiting for the arrival of a new generation. Now, miraculously, they’re potential World Cup winners?
Over confident, over hyped, and (soon) overrun!
Nothing to do with PR, David. England has been reborn since that drubbing, and now we are indeed potential World Cup winners. It’s not media spin, we really have beaten Australia and France, and we might just beat the Boks.
PRE-MATCH BUILD UP
Just set-up the pay-per-view on Directv ($30 for Setanta, it kills me, those Irish guys are so anti-English). I’ve verified that it shows as “purchased” on the guide four times so far – better check again in a minute. Hoping Lewis will distract me with a strong qualifying performance in a couple of hours.
Next step is to painstakingly reconstruct the circumstances from 2003. I have to check photo evidence – I know I was wearing one of the dark away shirts, but I have two versions…. Must also hang St George cross on the deck, find the CD with Land of Hope and Glory, and print pictures of the 22 man squad and pin up to the LEFT of the TV.
DURING THE GAME
It’s going to be tough. In 2003 there were times when I had to hide in the basement, when I just couldn’t take it. That was in the last quarter – I guess I hope it is just as close at that point for this game.
Tricky timing dilemma – here in Minneapolis kick off is 2pm, and we’re joining some neighbours for dinner at 6 (haven’t met them before, and don’t want to make a bad first impression). So really need to keep the nerve medicine intake steady. I wonder what time the liquor store opens.
Stealing a famous quote – come on boys, give ‘em f*** all