From the Boys in Green to the Boys in Blue

Auckland was still awash with Irish supporters, though many were either departing back to Australia, or other parts of New Zealand. Many natives must have been confused by the many green and gold and blue jerseys that were evident around town, with the All-Ireland final meaning little or nothing to them.

The Wales Samoa game was very interesting, especially for the knockout stages for Ireland. The Welsh have quite a large contingent of followers out here aswell, and seem to be looking to a 6 Nations quarter final. While watching the England and France games, I was making enquiries as to where we would watch the Kerry-Dublin game, and it seemed like the Munster Inn was the only place showing it, which meant getting in could be tricky. We were there on the first night, and there was a queue. We said we would go there early enough and chance our arm. We arrived at 11pm (match throw in was half 2), and the queue would put Coppers to shame. As they were operating on a “one in one out” system, it was never going to happen. Even the Maori bouncer, showing a better grasp of GAA knowledge than your average Dublin supporter conceded “the Dubs have been in there all day, if they have waited 16 years, there is no way they are coming out”. He did say the other Irish bar up the road, “The Fiddler” might be showing it.

We went up, and the queue was surprisingly small, maybe 20 people, though nobody seemed too sure if the game was actually been shown. The 2 Kerry boys behind us had been waiting for 2 and a half hours in line at The Munster Inn and were taking their chances. With the bar next to an Internet Café, the manager was running in and out trying to buy the feed to show the match. We got in by midnight, and it was looking good. There were 4 screens on with football, but one of them then switched to the last 20 minutes of the minor match. Everyone moved towards that screen, but the feed was very, very patchy. It was only working properly for the analysis and at half-time. After 10 minutes of the senior game, where we were basing scores from the roars of the crowd in Croke Park, one Dublin supporter wisely pointed out that it “was just like the Famine”.

What a dramatic finish, by which the Dubs barely had voices left to chant “Come on you boys in blue”, the full time whistle went to roaring, Irish dancing and drink spillages. The pub was doing great business, though we called it a day after 5 to get some food.

Deciding it would be best to make an early start and visit Waiheke Island, we got up just over 3 hours after going to bed. Immediately I knew the day would be a struggle. It was 45 minute boat journey from Auckland to Waiheke Island, and there were many other rugby supporters making the same journey. The island is home to 8,000 people, but is mainly set-up for tourism. We got the guided bus tour which  was excellent, and after lunch and a quick wander, we got the ferry back. The plan was to get an hours sleep in and then get up and go for dinner, but exhaustion got the better of us, conked until 9 o’clock that night, and then slept through most  lot of the night. The travelling and late hours had finally caught up. Still, should be fully recharged for tomorrow

Aussie Bashing

What a glorious night in Irish sporting history. With victories against Tri Nations teams such rarities, this was a night to savour. The Wallabies were relatively gracious in defeat, not that it really mattered. They had quite a tough night, not only did they have to contend with boisterous Irish, they also had the whole of New Zealand cheering on the boys in green. Many in the ground were Kiwis wearing their All Blacks jerseys with green hats and scarves, which was particularly noticeable every time Aussie outhalf Quade Cooper touched the ball. Born in New Zealand, but moved to Australia as a child, the locals are unforgiving, and the chorus of boos for him was particularly loud at the start of the match.

A shower met us on the way to the stadium, but did not appear to have any effect on the supporters. With transportation troubles on the opening night, we took no chances, and went to the stadium at 6, with kick off at half 8. The nearby bars were thronged and long queues, but we managed to slip in past a barrier, and nestled inside, managed to watch the South Africa game, while all the Kiwis were praising Ireland and informing us we would beat the Aussies and play them in the final.

Our seats were in a good spot, top tier behind the posts where Ireland was attacking in the first half. Surviving the smell at the urinal was a feat in itself, and then we settled down to what was a tense first half. The noise inside was deafening, and the chants of Ole Ole picked up as the second half wore on. The last 20 minutes were nerve wrecking, particularly when the try was disallowed. When the final whistle went it was pure elation, and no-one could hear O’Driscoll’s interview on the pitch afterwards with the fans celebrations. The train back into town was entertaining, Irish fans singing, the Kiwi’s ripping into the Australians with barbed comments, while they just had to grin and bear it. One aggrieved fan made some comment about National Debt, which didn’t help his cause!

The city centre was packed, but we managed to find a bar where the queue was manageable, and enjoyed a great night for Irish rugby. It was good to see the local papers take pleasure in our victory

World Cup Diary - Irish Bars and Buffet Breakfests

The short snooze after lunch yesterday was cut short in order to go down town for the All Blacks match. I decided it would be best to get an hour in even though I actually felt ok, but when I was awoken, I felt like I hadn’t slept in weeks. After almost gouging my own eyes out and groaning like an old man needing a hip replacement, we went for food and some watering hole to find the match. The night was cold, very chilly walking in the wind, I was not only regretting my decision not to bring a jacket, but to also only have one thin jumper. With a pizza nestled in the belly, we wandered around, seeing where might be good to see the game. Like any good Irish folk worth their salt we decided the Irish bar would do, it was almost kick off and did not want to miss the haka. There is something ironic to travelling half ways around the world to watch the local team surrounded by your own people. The bar was full, but waiting in the queue demonstrated why sometimes Irish folk abroad are just not the sharpest tools in the box. The two bouncers were your typical Maori’s, large and physically striking, they must have been at least 15 stone each. An Irish lad, who I am going to hazard a guess was from Tipp (had the typical checkered shirt, a full pot of gel in the hair, that unmistakeable brogue, and the look of a man that was missing his hurley), leaned up beside him, and asked in a serious tone “Who are you going for in the match?” Bearing in mind the All Blacks were playing Japan, I assumed he was being sarcastic, until he waited patiently for an answer. On hearing the bouncer’s response, he roared out “Up Japan” as if he was in Croke Park and the national anthem was just about to finish. And with that he staggered back in.

The match itself was a bit of a cricket score, and should keep the locals happy for a while, and the media. The papers are quite critical here; one headline read “Halfbacks too slow”, so that will appease them for a while. We then made tracks towards the harbour area, where the general hustle and bustle is. Puma had set-up a Social Bar, which had ping pong tables, pool, basketball throwing, arcades etc, and of course a bar. The added bonus was that it was free in and to play the games, though I won’t be threatening any big guns with my game. When you are spending more time looking and picking the ball off the ground you know there is room for improvement. Then it was a couple of more bars, before off to hit the cot.

Waking up with a mouth as dry as the Sahara was quickly put aside as we remembered that buffet breakfast was waiting below. And what a breakfast it was. I'll have to confess that I have not stayed in many 4 star hotels before, and maybe this is more common that I had thought, but walking into the restaurant where it was held, I felt how a fat kid must feel if given keys to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Nothing short of glorious. In the bread and pastries section there were 11 different offerings, then onto cereals with a choice of 7, also a good offering of dried fruit (who in their right mind eats dried bananas?), then your usual beans, eggs, rashers, “sausages” (frankfurters in reality). After this is crackers, cheese, 8 different types of fresh fruit, yoghurts. If this is not enough, salamis, smoked salmon and ham can finish you off. The longing to have everything in sight is overpowering, and my first mistake was to park myself at the juice dispenser and throwing back the juice to quench the thirst. This amateurish start only served to bloat me and reduce my capacity. It’s a learning curve and I will know better for tomorrow.

Again, the breakfast is fascinating from a cultural point of view. We went down just after 9, and the buffet is open from 6 – 11, so it was full of Aussie’s, too early for many of the Irish guests. As the Australian mentioned at the table next to us “the Irish are still coming home from last night”. The first thing evident is the difference in the number of plates at the tables. They have many plates, with a slice or two of bread on one, hot food on another, croissants on another etc. The few Irish in the room, and myself included, seem to operate from the “lets fill one plate as high as we can” school of thought. The mentality is that it is either your last meal, or they will be closing in 5 minutes. The appearance of the guests is another. The Aussies, and indeed Kiwis look fresh as daisies, while any of the Paddies in there looked as rough as a bears bum, wearing the same clothes as the night before, beer stains on the jerseys. The other major difference is the contrasting conversation. Our southern hemisphere counterparts are chirpy and loud, very different to ourselves. In fact there is no conversation whatsoever. This is partly due to their overindulgence the night before, but mainly due to the surroundings. When you talk, you cannot eat, and when you cannot eat in a buffet breakfast, you are doing yourself a dis-service. You can talk when you are full!

After dragging myself away, I needed to rest after the food. After this the plan is to us relax for the day, and make our way towards Eden Park for the match. Hopefully it will be a good match, and a win would be great, though with one win against a southern hemisphere side on their home turf in the last 30 years, it is cautious optimism, more in hope than expectation. 

World Cup Diary - Day 1

A trip that started with a half four flight on Wednesday from Dublin finished at 9am local time Auckland, stretching 30 hours and 3 different flights. While it is the trip of a lifetime, a real added bonus was the fact that Dublin- Heathrow was courtesy of British Midlands. A tear was certainly not shed for Ryanair! The flight to Hong Kong was fraught with danger, as within a 10 seat radius there were at least 3 infants. Thankfully they were on best behaviour, and the sleeping tablet I took meant that I could have been oblivious to them anyway. The inflight safety video was novel, featuring the All Blacks players and coaches, a little cheesy perhaps (Graham Henry claiming anyone caught smoking will be dropped), but seeing as it is the only safety video I have actually watched and listened to, it serves it’s purpose.

With only a two hour wait in Hong Kong, I attempted to savour as much of the local culture as possible, so the Double Quarter pounder meal in McDonalds did the trick. The last leg there was little or no sleep, and it seemed to be the same for the other Irish, and the many Welsh on the plane. After getting a taxi from the airport to the hotel, we were told that I was to ring a representative from Puma. Part of the competition was to go to the team hotel and meet the players. We were led to believe the best time for that would be Sunday, after the match against Australia, but no sooner had we arrived in the door, then we were told by Puma that the best time to meet and greet was today before lunch So off we went to the Irish hotel, so much for catch up sleep!

As we made our way to the hotel, our hosts Ciaran and Mike were telling us how strict the branding is during the World Cup. Paul O’Connell has had to change gumshields as the one he had was branded, and the England Rugby Union are facing a hefty fine as the numbers on the back of their jerseys were falling off in the Argentina game, a major faux pas. The team had not finished their training session when we arrived, so we were chatting to a couple of Irish supporters who got wind of the team’s location. After a camera malfunction of our own, we were glad to see that they had one, and managed to take a few snaps for us. First man collared was Ronan O’Gara, who even made a self depreciating comment about being only a sub for the game tomorrow. Was happy to sign a jersey for a fellow Cork man! Geordan Murphy, Tom Court, Mike Ross, Paddy Wallace were next in line. Rob Kearney strolled down the stairs in a towel, cue our two female companions jumping off their seats to get a picture. Sarah seemed pleased enough with herself to get a picture, though she has an insight that a lot of people might not know, he shaves his chest. You heard it here first.

We then got to have lunch in the inner sanctum, with the 30 players and 20 management staff. Firstly, after a diet of aeroplane food, we didn’t need to be asked twice. Quite the spread was laid out. The room is quite relaxed, 6 or 7 round tables, lads popping in and out with the masseuses, a telly and couches in the corner, though the ping pong table seems to be the focal point. Heaslip was ruling the roost at the time. All the management team were very interested in the competition I had won (also, why were in the room in the first place I’d imagine), and Rala, the legendary kitman, was all chat.   

With our Puma hosts having to go back to work, it was time for us to leave, and with our bellies full. A great start to the first day in Auckland. Now to get an hours sleep, and then head down town for the All Blacks match this evening. Hoping the weather picks up, there are frequent showers and it’s windy, so my decision not to bring a jacket looks to have been a misguided one.