Vive La Difference

Well, a fun weekend in Northern France has just passed without too much incident. Two towns, Lille and Lens, did their best to entertain 35,000 England rugby supporters in a fairly football dominated part of the Country.

It was disappointing that the promise of large screens in the town square did not materialise, and I understand that is likely to be the same in Bordeaux this weekend. As home to Begles RFC, though, I will be expecting a bit more awareness of the needs of the travelling fans.

Not withstanding that, hundreds of French, Argentine and English fans packed ' Le Pub' in the centre of Lille old town on Friday and enjoyed an excellent start to the tournament, as the Argies provided a day 1 upset and beat Les Bleus. It proved to be the only upset of the weekend, as Wales and Scotland both overcame shaky starts to win, Ireland stuttered to victory over Namibia, and England won, but with little conviction in Lens.

Lens is a mining town which now finds itself falling on hard times.the centre is dominated by the huge marshaling yards which must have been a hive of activity during the height of the coal excavation period, a period which was ended by cheap importation from Poland and other Eastern European countries. There is little evidence of the old trade, save for a statue in the grounds of the university, and a protected area, much like Saltaire in Yorkshire, which shows the layout of the old mining community, with streets and facilities as they were many years ago.

All the bar staff and local people did their best to welcome the invading hoards, although the riot police seemed extremely disappointed that they had no Sang Anglais on their batons. Our guard of honour at the station as we left Lens for Lille in the evening was truly out of Monty Python. My colleague, Stan, took his life in his hands as he marched along the line straightening their hats, and ensuring they were carrying their rifles at correct angle before bidding then a fond farewell.

Stan it was who introduced me to the term 'Barringtons' many years ago. He was a swift drinker in those days and would go to the bar between rounds for a livener, as we were drinking far too slowly for his liking. Such action is referred to as getting a Barringtons, and is named after James Barrington-Dolby, who would provide the between rounds summary on the boxing, for the BBC. That was in the days when Eamonn Andrews used to do the commentary.

I notice that EDF are one of the main sponsors of the Rugby World Cup. After drinking all that continental lager I suspect Gaz d'France might have been a better choice. C'est la vie.

Let The Games Begin

Well, the Rugby World Cup actually, and I can't wait. Although I am somewhat disillusioned about the style of the game at the moment, there is no doubt that this tournament could be the best yet.

Firstly its in France, so its actually possible to pop over for the day to watch some of the games, secondly the All Blacks look like they might have peaked too soon again, and finally, all the groups , are primed for big games and possible upsets.

Stan and I are off to Lille tomorrow and then travelling up to Lens on Saturday for the England v USA match, one Les Blanc should win. The tournament kicks off on Friday night with France v Argentina, a potential banana skin for Les Bleu, but one I see them avoiding. My spread bet is on them at +14!

The following week there are four of us in Bordeaux for the Ireland v Georgia game. If you want a craic, then the Irish are going to provide it, and I can't wait to hear them cheering for South Africa as they play England on the Friday.

Saturday before our match we will be watching Wales v Australia where brother-in-law, David will be pitching for an upset. And upsets are potential all over the place, Ireland v France, Ireland v Argentina, England v Samoa and Scotland v Italy. Wales and Aus should make it through their groups OK.

One has to feel for Portugal having been drawn in the same group as New Zealand though, the spread for the highest scoring game is 128-132 and guess which one they have in mind?

My smart money is on there being a few red cards this time round, and with the spread 1.4-1.8, Samoa v Tonga could cover it all on their own. That really is a match I will try to see, albeit on the big screen. From Englands point of view its good they play both teams after they have played each other. They will be so beat up they just might be running on empty.

Jonny is crocked already, Ashton has done his best with limited time, and its payback time for Farrell. So its England for the semis then anything can happen!!!!!

Oh yes, I got offered tickets for the England v South Africa game yesterday, face value £170, train and match tickets and two nights hotel in Lille are costing that, so I politely declined!!!!