Ar Daith/On tour: July 2017

I think this post sums up how a lot of us felt at this point

No time for self pity tho – it’s Base X breakfast (continental L ) and the 1^st proper KANGAROO COURT!!!

Obviously Slave is now well established but other appointments are now made: Flag bearers, Gestapo (public & private) and once we wrestle our mascot Dragon (“Tarakona”) from Tom Hall (who can’t even say Tarakona) who has gripped it tightly since we bought it at Magor and only damaged it a little bit, we reallocate that as well.

The ladies hats to breakfast tour rule is well observed and to the bemusement of other residents, we set out the usual punishments. One master stroke is to rename Fish, who to this point has slept more than he’s led singing to “Kipper” (geddit). From now on the tour will be randomly punctuated by people doing 10 press ups for getting this wrong. “The King in the North” also becomes a tour catchphrase.

AA coaches surprise us by turning up and transporting us to paradise – or THE NARROWS LANDING as it’s officially known. Gappa’s own hotel obviously impresses everyone and we have the whole place to ourselves. Cue people running round excitedly, Jamie and Ben EVEN HAD A BATH! We all lord it about the place and tell everyone at home how lush it all is! Tour management is given the apartment and I have the privilege of sharing with Roy, we have an extra balcony!

The boys are impressed:

We then have a hand out of our brand new sparkly Castell Howell/RDH sponsored kit

and head of in the Gappa’s own bus (even more like a school bus than Abs) to Fairfield RFC – home of the Yellowbellies. We have to change on the bus ready to go. Enthusiasum is such that almost all the tour have donned kit and the game will see Warrior debuts for Kipper, Dan John, Gordon Lyons, and Roy the Boy Davies with rare appearance for Gary Shed and Jamal. 27 players out of a party of 32! Mark is gloved up for 1^st aid, Ieu has the camera out and Smithy is carrying a hangover. John Lewis and Justin Hall are left to look pretty and cheerlead.

FairField YellowBellies RFC

The venue is actually a football club - West Hamilton RFC. The history of Fairfield RFC is that they sold up their ground and now they concentrate on touring far and wide (their trophy cabinet was a fantastic collection of souvenirs from around the world). They don’t affiliate to any leagues but play a few home friendlies to keep their hand in whilst organising the next trip. The emphasis is on social and each player has his age on the back of the jersey.

The order of the day is that we play a round robin with Fairfield and the South Auckland Kiwis. The Kiwis are an integrated team who at one point were playing in a league but players have drifted off and so this match is some of a reunion. The Warriors played them in 2005, the review for that one is HERE.

Everyone is very friendly and it’s no surprise that Gary and I can source some hot rub – they are a vets side after all.

The 1^st match is thankfully the YBs Vs the SAK so we get to warm up (!) The Yellowbellies win (I think) and so we prepare to take on the Kiwis in our 1^st match of tour…

It goes well! 3 tries to nil is a good return in a half hour game, everyone features and there are good performances from Simon Day (1^st scorer on tour), Sideshow and Bambi. Day, Jordan ‘Gringo’ Jones and Lee Rowlands score tries. There are no kicks for goal/penalties.

Report/pics: HERE

With everyone having had a run, no one feels they have played enough and look forward to the 2^nd match. The Yellowbellies may look ancient in the photos, and they may well be, but they can play rugby and they want to win. Bambi does well in the lineouts but generally we are under the cosh. When we do break out little mistakes put pay to anything developing. The YBs have a strong game plan which suits their narrow pitch. In defense the pitch is narrow enough that cover can get across. In attack they have two strong running centers and some big forwards. The game is played around the Warriors 22, with both sides making breaks but tackles are made and nothing is conceded. The home side shout at the ref about the ball being played in rucks, the away team shout at the ref for holding on so he must have been about right. Rich Evans and Tom Hall put in big shifts and the game ends nil – nil. The YB’s are keen for a scalp and suggest extra time, Jamie Evans finally doesn’t mess up his break and scampers up the field to score the deciding try.

Report/pics: HERE

Once we all manage to get changed in the overcrowded changing room it’s a BBQ and relaxing. It's NZ winter but it's like a late summer evening - easily warm enough for shorts. There is football to watch (weirdos) and a few free cold beers from the belly boys. It's a nice chance to wind down and share tour stories with the yellowbellies who are very proud of their tour history and the Kiwis, some of whom we met 12 years ago.

Yellowbellies tour history, this year they intend to pop down to the South Island.

More food turns up, and once it's been blessed we eat (and eat and eat). The trail of food snakes past a kitchen hatch and right around a very large table. I remember there was two or three big pans, one of which had a seafood soup in, a selection of chip shop classics (battered sausage, pie, fish bites), various sandwiches, rice dishes, various cakes....(and we'd already had some bbq bits ptichside). It's an amazing spread - you can see most of it in the background of this pic of some random Fish/Kipper pressups...

Speaking of Kipper, our choir master finally wakes up long enough to get the singing started. To be fair it's pretty good showing with most of the standards bashed out, tho we struggle a bit with the request for Green Green Grass of Home. Before that there are the usual post match presentations with some nice speeches about the spirit of rugby being worldwide (from 2 clubs who would know) and the standard Man of the Match/Dick of the Day (in awesome appropriate glass).

PRESENTATIONS:

CANU:

Our hosts obviously liked it (from the website):

We head off into the darkness but the Yellowbellies haven't finished and come and give us a last minute send of, a rendition of their club song...

...and our 1st Haka of the tour, featuring a slightly drunk, very happy and not at all intimidating Rich Hapus

Bloody hell, knackered but - it's off to Gappa's bar to watch the Lions v Maori match on the box. An impressive win for the Lions 32-10 REVIEW

We meet some of the boys who came down to Wellington with us in 2005, Gappa, obviously worried that we are wasting away puts on bowls of steaks, eggs and sausages. Lethally casinos/bookies are legal in bars here but apart from one Warriors putting money on a game already been played (!) no one loses anything significant. The chat with the locals is that they are becoming a bit wary of the Lions now and that the test will be..."interesting".

So after a llloonnggg day we head back (stopping off at the off licence and Rich Hapus nips of to the McDonalds!!!) to the Narrows landing.................and discover the games room/man cave, queue wiling away the early hours with darts, pool, snooker and er... card based drinking games (6! - GECKO!!!!). Luckily Burry Port elders have just about enough beer to see us through.

SO...that was another day done, all the rest of the photos from the day click... MORE pictures...

So 1st day in NZ, we have already spent most of the day travelling and once we squash all the bags onto the bus, off the bus, decode the lifts at BASE X and squash the bags into our rooms it's game(s) on: specifically Wales v Tonga and New Zealand v Samoa, not bad for the opening night's entertainment!

1st though it's trying to unpack and get ready in the base - a typical backpackers hostel with lots of youngsters and hanging out space. The rooms are functional but fine. Jamie, Ben and Dad are in the same room with 2 bunk beds. Showers are communal but fine, it doesn't take long to get sorted but we certainly aren't 1st and by the time we are ready reports come in of an Irish bar (of course), "left, left, left and left again" contrary to suspicions this proves correct and the tour is soon encamped at "Father Ted's" drinking the 1st Tui of tour (and one of the last - Speights is much better!).

Doesn't take long for the Kiwi/Irish bar to be fully Cymrusised, not many Lions/Welsh about though Lee does find cousin Ricky almost immediately. Rich Hapus wins at pool, Huw Flash and Jumpin' John are 1st to drop off to sleep

Flaszzzzzzzzzzz

Hapus the hustler

A-B coaches come and take us over to Eden Park and our little red army matches to the gates. Plenty of Tonga being represented. There are welcomers(?) in chairs like a tennis umpire's who all manage quite decent Welsh greetings.

The tickets are in two groups so while most go straight in, Me, Jamie, Ben Princess, Gary Shed with Gappa and Marsh have to head round the ground and even manage to take in another pub, meet some other Welsh, 1st sing song of tour (if only we had a choirmaster) and have to put a bit of a step on to get to the ground in time for the anthems.

"I <3 ABs" ?? Didn't know they were playing!

The Pasifika Challenge

Betws Boys - Finding Iest Wills

Decorating Eden Park so it looks like Burry Port RFC's bar

Gordon: Scottish guy on Lions tour supporting Wales v Tonga with an All Blacks Sign (free)

The Welsh game isn't the most exciting - a solid win in the rain, Cuthbert scoring a good try in front of us. Allen did well to get up from a huge hit and Wales never looked in danger.

Wales 24 Tonga 6 Match Report

Flash awake

Tongan challenge

The Scottish boys in their lucky Welsh hats

Fudgzzzzzz & Snoring John

Some are visibly flagging and there is talk of moving on but everyone at least stays for the Samoan and New Zealand Hakas. Eden Park is still pretty empty (I reckon NZ v Samoa would be a sell out in Wales) and there is no security worrying about where you stand, or sit so those who stay find some dry areas to watch the All Blacks and Samoa.

Samoa start really strongly and have a try disallowed, apply all the pressure and have two penalties full just short of the posts. Having ridden the storm, NZ go through the gears and run rings round their opposition, running up a big score.

Final score: New Zealand 78 Samoa 0

Everything you could want to know about the game HERE from the Telegraph

With the game done by half time there is more entertainment from watching the Samoan and Kiwi supporters or trying to talk to the Welsh team when the do a quick lap of honour.

Ken Bitson goes and has a chat with a surprised Gareth Davies and Josh Navidi, Jamie Roberts gives us a fine selfie but doesn't seem to believe us when we tell him we'll see him in Samoa

Warriors flag (yes the big one) getting close to the action

Jamie Roberts, various Warriors and a photo bombing old kiwi

Despite the entertainment of a big group of Samoans wearing bucket helmets wandering around (!) there is a steady trickle away from the stadium in search of warmth.

We follow the mantra of "Support the local rugby club" - Eden RFC it is then.

The only guy there is Tony the Tongan (who claims he is the King of Tonga). He may be the only one there but he has probably made it worth the club opening on his own as he is heroically drunk. Grav works out some common acquaintances while everyone else tries to warm up with cold beer and waits for our bus....

If only we had a choirmaster...

HRH Tony the Tongan

Normal service resumes

Jamie phones bus - no answer (x8)

eventually Jamie goes off in search of transport and returns having commandeered a bus. It looks barley better than no bus but we get board through the exhaust fumes and black smoke. Meanwhile Tony also decides to call it a night and heads for his car (!!!)

Barley awake, most head for home, only the brave and the foolish decide perhaps there is time for another pint at Father Ted's. The highlight is lineout lifting an unsuspecting couple who are very muc in lust and barely notice being lifted.