Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Category: Rugby

  • Lions trip comes to an end with a great series win

    Those present at the Australia vs. Lions 3rd test in ANZ Stadium, Sydney on Saturday night were treated to a game full of passion and surprises. Traveling to the stadium, the consensus among the majority of the fans was that the Australians held the upper hand – a feeling confirmed…

  • Tasmanian devils and a close test match

    After the Rebels game in Melbourne we took the chance to escape from the Lions tour and headed down to Hobart for a couple of days before returning for the second test. Staying six nights in Melbourne, especially in a hotel that few in the party liked, seemed too much…

  • Lions Tour: Melbourne (part 1)

    It was quite a relief to reach Melbourne on the next stage of the Lions Tour. A three and a half hour delay exhausted all the amusement that the small Gold Coast Airport could offer while we waited for fog to clear. Eventually the weather relented and we arrived in…

  • First Test cliffhanger

    We returned from Suncorp Stadium Brisbane late on Saturday night. The one-hour coach ride allowed pulses to settle to normal levels after the last-minute drama surrounding the scrum that led to a penalty that Beale couldn’t convert. The 21-23 win for the Lions was a close call, especially after the…

  • Lions Tour – before the first test

    The noble readers of this blog might have noticed that I have been quiet recently, mostly because my wife and I have departed on a three-week tour of Australia to follow the British and Irish Lions as they play three test matches against the Aussies. The lack of activity is…

  • Snowy rugby weekend in Rome

    Last weekend, I was in Rome for the Six Nations clash between Italy and England. An uneventful flight from Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino airport (FCO) was marred only by the slow baggage delivery. FCO took 50 minutes to get bags from the plane to the conveyor belts – I can’t…

  • The pain of CDG transits

    Is there another airport in the world that rivals CDG-Paris in terms of its ability to infuriate passengers through senseless bus journeys from one part of the airport to another? This thought came to my mind as I endured yet another opportunity to get far too close to people I…

  • Blast from the past (1994)

    On November 5th, 1994 Ireland played the USA Eagles at Lansdowne Road, Dublin. The game ended in a 26-15 win for Ireland and it was the first time that I participated in an international rugby match. In those days the fourth (reserve) official sat in the stand kitted out in…

  • Paris and Toulouse in one rugby weekend

    This past weekend I travelled to Paris and Toulouse to be the TV Match Official (TMO) for two games in the opening round of the 2011-12 Heineken Cup campaign. First up was the game between Racing Metro 92 and Cardiff Blues in Stade Colombes on Friday night followed by a…

  • Fall Exchange Connections wrap-up

    I’m home from the Fall 2011 Exchange Connections conference and have successfully transitioned from the Las Vegas sunshine to the drab wonders of an Irish winter. I’m wondering whether I will be able to readjust back to both the weather and the change from the wonderful suite that I occupied…