People don't arrive late to rugby games

WARNING: Belated Post!

On September 15th, Eliot and I leisurely headed into town with the plan of getting haircuts and then watching the Wales/Australia Rugby World Cup game at a pub. France is hosting the Cup, but this game was being held at Millennium Stadium, so the city center was packed. Almost equal numbers of Aussie and Welsh flags were streaming from the backs of excited fans who were clustered around St. Mary's Street's multitude of bars.

Eliot and I stopped for a quick lunch and then about two minutes before game-time, we figured we might as well test the waters with one of the many scalpers. We decided that we would pay £50 for the two of us and, as is often the case with scalping, we eventually found our man.

By the time we got to the gate, we were the only people going in (I'm just so used to arriving in the 3rd and leaving in the 7th!) and by the time we found our (great) seats, Australia had already begun their route of Wales. The thing about Rugby though is everyone seemed in a good mood, which was quite different from the football/soccer game the weekend before when a fight broke out before kickoff (and that was just a qualifying match)! The guy in the next seat was more than happy to explain the intricacies of the game to us newbies, which was fantastic. As the Wallabies extended their lead, you could hear the collective groans of the Welsh, but as the fans poured out into the streets, everyone just seemed pretty jolly.

Word to the wise: Don't think you can go to the bathroom and get beer at halftime. I think I missed at least one try.

[Photos to come.]