BurbleChaz

After my travails with inner tubes, I really didn't want to go shopping before the Big Match. The Best Person Ever had worked this out before I was home, and the plan for the rest of the afternoon was settled. We hopped on a tram to the pub with the intention of getting a snack. Unfortunately, they were planning to show a certain international match, so the place was heaving. We adjourned to the upper bar to drown our sorrows for a bit. By a miracle, just as I went downstairs I spotted an empty table. The relevent verb here is not so much 'grab' as 'annex with extreme prejudice'. Once we had a horizontal surface at our disposal, arranging diverse viands was the work of a moment. (Is anyone else detecting the presence of ethanol in this narrative?)

Suitably refuelled, we went home to pick up the tickets and don the regalia. I wore a black sweatshirt, and hoped not to be mistaken for a Kiwi. The Rugby Fan suited up in her Australia shirt from the last RFU world cup.

We walked the 200m to the Telstra Dome and went in. The place was busy. There's a bar every fifty metres or so selling beer. There are three types - heavy, medium and light. No brand names are displayed. I assume it's because no brewer wants to be associated with the stuff. I suspect that there is a remarkably simple recycling cascade from the upper level urinals to the lower level bars. You don't buy the beer - you rent it for $5 an hour.

Passing on these delights, together with the anaemic hot-dogs, we found our seats. We were about ten rows from the pitch, looking straight down the try line. It was probably one of the better places to be, the way the action went.

There's a match report in the usual place. It was a seventy-minute snoozefest followed by ten minutes of amazing, attacking scintillating rugby. The Kiwis edged a slight lead in the first half, ably assisted by some either-way decisions going favourably for them. The Australians had a number of great performances, but no noticable team. Neither side did much for the first thirty minutes of the second half either. Then the whole game changed. New Zealand scored a cracking try right in front of us, converted it and scored a drop goal, putting themselves two scores ahead with eight minutes to go. We expected Australia to fold at that point, based on their apathy so far. Instead, they woke up, took the initiative and started some dazzling attacks, including a brilliant 60 metre run for a try behind the posts and another pacy, well-supported attack thet led to a second try with less than two minutes on the clock. The emotional reverse in the stadium was astonishing. Final score: Australia 20, New Zealand 15.

A day with bikes, beer and rugby. Sometimes, it all just comes together.