All Blacks Tour of Europe 2006 - AB vs Wales

Having just recovered from our weekend away in Paris (and my first week working in months) it was time to set off to Cardiff to watch the final game of the tour - AB's v Wales. This time we (me, Lou, and Mark) drove down and the good old Tom Tom lead us straight to the doors of our hotel in Cardiff. We then grabbed a taxi into town. The city centre streets were all closes and there were rugby fans everywhere. It seems that Wales enjoys its rugby as much as we do.

There was almost a carnival like atmosphere and everyone was in high-spirits, including us after a beer or two :-) We met up with a few friends for a couple of pre-game beers and I was stunned to bump into a mate from NZ. Maia and her partner Diarmaid are currently living in Dublin so it was great to catch up with them in Cardiff!

Millenium Stadium is another awesome stadium with a retractable roof. The weather was a bit dodgy so the roof was on, but that just enhanced the Welsh singing! Our attempt at our national anthem paled into comparison with the Welsh. They were all that we'd heard them to be. Unfortunately, the event was slightly soured by the fact that the ABs didn't do the Haka. We were absolutely gutted. There was some sort of politics happening in the background, but I would say everyone at the stadium was really disappointed.

It was another great result for New Zealand rugby though with the ABs coming away with a 45-10 victory over Wales. The Welsh crowd didn't lose heart though and were vocal to the end much to our delight.

After the game we stumbled across a bit of a Welsh tradition of partying in one of the stands after the game. They had beer and a guitar. What more could you ask for. We joined in for a bit of a sing-along (don't worry I sang quietly :-) Lou and I tried to talk the security guards into letting us touch the field but they wouldn't let us. They were quite happy to have their photo's taken with Lou though!

After the game we hit the pubs. Cardiff went off that night! It was unbelievable. One of the best nights I've had. We were made to feel completely at home and were shouted drinks all night. I absolutely loved it at Cardiff and can't wait to head back for the Rugby World Cup quarter final game.

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