The oval ball comes to Verona

[jhl.verona]

Great day out for the boys today. For the first time International rugby comes to Verona, and the first time in 25 years that I've set foot in the football stadium.

There are some similarities with woodworking - there's a lot of passion, and nobody makes millions playing ;-)

Only had my mobile with me, so the photographs aren't that good, but I thought I'd share the highlights. Final score Italia-Argentina 16-22.

Line out 6 yards from the Argentinian line - come on Italia...

A ruck five yards from the line... Nail biting stuff.

Light entertainment for the crowds. You know, I bet this sort of thing could catch on in other sports too, American football, perhaps?

Scrum on the five yard line. The number 15 managed to break free and was pushed over the line for Italy's only try of the day. Almost right under our noses.

Final whistle. Some very happy Argentinians in our sector.

Saw one policeman and one fireman.

No segmentation, we all mixed together. Lots of applause for good play from both team supporters. Players on the ground were really hurt. No arguing with the referee.

Lots of cheering (I can hardly speak), no booing.

Just hope it doesn't become big business like European football...

John

[Bobby Slack]

Ciao John. You know what they say "Football is a gentlemen game played by animals ... rugby is an animal's game played by gentlemen". I was off the blog/forum world lately because I am building three big gates.

Rugby used to be purely amateur and lately it looks like is getting more commercial.

Going back to the last rugby world cup in South Africa, Argentina beat teams that had a chance and got schooled by the masters. In my view, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are and will always be in first place, then comes the rest.

I watched Argentina - Scotland with my Scott neighbor, he was wearing his kilt and we had a great time, both flags hanging and drinking beer.

Here is a definition of an Argentinean.

Argentinean is an Italian who speaks Spanish and wants to be an Englishman

Rugby is huge in Buenos Aires ... and we dominate (DOMINATE) in polo.

Great pictures and I like that nothing bad happened.

[jhl.verona]

Hola Bobby, looks like the 'right' team won then? Frankly it was a reasonably good game to watch that I personally didn't mind who won. The Argentinians certainly were better prepared mentally. A really great afternoon out watching a sport that still hasn't quite become big business - which is usually the death of sportiveness in general, IMHO.

[Bobby Slack]

Ciao John. In Argentina it was funny how Rugby worked. I lived in the Rugby capital and the main teams (CASI & SIC were just around the block from my home). I played a little bit when I was 13 as second line but then my tennis racquets cracked (the old wood racquets I used a Dunlop Maxply) and I had to choose between rugby shoes and two racquets and that was the end of my rugby career.

Rugby was used in Argentina to "move" up the social class, something that does not exist in the states. In Argentina I was lucky to be born in the "higher class" blood line which did not mean we had money, we just had the right last name and were members of the right yacht club. In the states, it sounds silly, probably is the same thing in Europe.

So ... Rugby was a sport played mostly by English schools which were the upper class crowd.

Ohh nostalgia ... old times.

I can tell you that in Argentina I see a lot more pictures of sponsors so the sport is getting professional but not as much as futbol.