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Published: September 15th 2011
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Team England
The group of friends I made whilst staying at the hostel in Dunedin As I write this I have settled back into farm life, my nemesis the bull has gone and i've been uploading my photos from the weekend...and an amazing one at that!
However prior to the festivities beginning in Dunedin, I flew down to Christchurch to catch up with my cousin Joel, whom I hadn't seen since he last visited the UK several years ago. It was only a flying visit as I had an early bus to Dunedin the following morning, so hadn't the time to visit the centre of town and see the devastation left by February's earthquake.
It was 8 o'clock the following morning when I boarded the bus to Dunedin, a time of day in which I have only just re-discovered after failing to adknowledge its existence during my three years at uni. The 6-hours journey was pretty memorable thanks to the stunning scenery that was on offer, in particular the Canterbury Plains, a mountain range that stretches from Christchurch to the provence of Otago, and as it was a clear blue day the view was breathtaking.
The hostel that I had booked which was named 'On Top' was in the heart of the Octagon, the name given
The view from my seat
Steve Thompson delivers a lineout close to the English try line to the centre of town, where the party was already in full flow in anticipation of the opening ceremony and first All Blacks game later that evening. I dumped my bag and headed out to explore what Dunedin had to offer...or in other words, get a pint!
I mingled with a few England fans in one of the pubs within the Octagon and after a few jugs of Speights (a South Island beer- really good!) I went to the local rugby store to have a browse and perhaps pick up an England flag for the following day. However, I ended up spending substantially more money than intended and bought myself an England shirt...at $140 (£70), the wallet had taken a battering already!
As I arrived back at the hostel, I bumped into Pete and OIlie, a couple of England fans from Richmond upon Thames (small world) who invited me to join them for a few beers and something to eat. Whilst cooking our Lamb Rogan Josh and consuming a crate of Corona at a student rate of knots, we made friends with a few Argentinians who were making their presence heard. Their English wasn't great, but we had a great time throwing a rugby ball around and taking some photos. After dinner we headed to Dunedin town hall, one of the designated fan-zones where beer would be criminally expensive, and where all games throughout the World Cup would be shown on a giant screen. The Friday night game was the All Blacks vs Tonga, one where most expected the AB's to walk it. However it was a really stuttering performance, they didn't play well at all, so it was no surprise that the biggest cheer of the night came when poster boy Sonny Bill Williams changed his shirt and the roar of girls screaming was pretty deafening. His torn shirt even made national news!
Post-match drinks were a hell of a lot cheaper at a club in the Octagon and it was great celebrating with a few All Black supporters, who were no doubt relieved to have won the first game.
Matchday Saturday was genuinely a fantastic day, although it began with a slight hangover...I'm on tour, you can never be too drunk! I met a guy in my dorm called Paul from Manchester, who as a fellow member of the hungover society suggested we seek out a bacon sandwich, and the van we stumbled upon was recommended by the New Zealand Tourist Board no less! As bacon sandwich experiences go it wasn't a good one, as it unfortunately came with onions and mustard- give me one with brown sauce any day!
As we had plenty of time to kill until kick-off, Paul and I headed over to the Otago Peninsula, a really beautiul stretch of coastline that is home to plenty of Penguins and Albatrosses, and the view from the cliff face was fantastic. Along the way we stopped to take some photos of Dunedin from afar which was pretty special, the standout feature being the new Otago Stadium where the England game would be taking place.
The atmosphere was building as we returned to the hostel and several people had already attired themselves in their rugby shirts, as the echo of 'Sweet Chariot' could be heard in the distance. A few fans had gathered in the communal area in the hostel, and two of them were Tom and Jim from Ilminster, who suggested we got on the beers early. We all headed to a sports bar for a cheap and cheerful lunch and several jugs of Speights, and then over to George Street- a different vibe from the Octagon, less congested and yet still contained all the essence of a great Rugby World Cup party. There was live music, the beer was flowing and everyone looked as though they were really getting along and enjoying themselves.
Around two hours from kick-off and having not drunk for a whiole 20 minutes, we went back to the hostel to replenish ourselves with yet more Speights and to prepeare for what would be a really great night. Tom had bought some red and white facepaint from a $2 shop so we all had a good laugh painting the St George's cross on our faces.
We joined fellow rugby fans on the walk down to the stadium, and of course popped into a local student bar for a few beers. The stadium is the first in New Zealand to have a roof that is un-retractable and the atmosphere was unbelievable! As the players made their way onto the pitch, the noise rose and resembled a gladatorial arena. England wore their black kit, which has caused some controversy in New Zealand, as many feel that it disrespects the cultural significance of the All Black jersey. It was expected to be a close game, the Argentines (also known as the Pumas) finished third at the previous World Cup in 2007, were an immensely physical side and on their day could give the top teams a run for their money. The view that I had from my seat was brilliant, the landscape of the stadium is such that the crowd are very close to the play, and therefore the players werre all crystal clear.
The game was absolutely terrible, I have never seen an England side play so badly. Jonny Wilkinson kicked poorly, even the simplest of attempts he missed. In the end it was a Ben Youngs try that spared England's blushes and we won 13-9. Ultimately there was nothing really to shout about in the pub after the match, there was a real sense of relief amongst us and other England fans, because quite frankly the Pumas should have won.
The day after the match was a day of recovery as many of us nursed our hangovers, and I vowed not to drink that day...ish. As Paul, Jim, Tom and I returned to the sports bar for a slap up meal, a jug of Speights appeared, and of course couldn't turn down a glass...or 5! It definitely set the tone for the rest of the day, pub after pub, beer after beer and it culminated in ending the day in 'The Bog', an Irish bar, not the toilet, for the Wales vs South Africa match. It was a very competitive game, SA scoring first and Wales clawing their way back into the game, denied a famous win by a single point, excellent...I mean what a shame!
Dunedin on a Sunday night certainly wasn't as lively as the previous couple of nights, everybody had dispersed, so it was a relatively early night to prepare for my journey back to Christchurch on Monday.
Jim and Tom, who were heading back to Christchurch offered me a lift, so I didn't have to wait three hours for my bus. It was a really excellent road trip, rounded off with a bargain bucket for one at KFC...yes I fancied being greedy.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I can't wait to do it again in Auckland this weekend at the Ireland vs Australia game.
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Uncle Mick
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Hi Tom ...sounds like you are having a great time ...don't forget to sample some of the white wines from Hawkes Bay or Cloudy Bay ...makes a change from the beer...... U Mick