I went to my first Rugby game ever...and it made me miss UGA football SO much! There are a lot of similarities between Rugby and football, but a lot of differences as well. A "try" is the equivalent to a touchdown-except that the player must actually touch the ball to the ground in a try. It is worth 5 points. The kicker then kicks the rugby ball through the goal posts for 2 points. Rugby is incredibly rough...no padding for these boys! And there were so many times that I felt like the referees should have called "holding" or penalties on the opposing team-but that's just rugby! To catch the ball when thrown in from the sidelines (similar to soccer) the players would toss one of their team members up into the air so he could catch it. It reminded me of stunts I used to do in cheerleading. Mallary and I also had GREAT seats...third row from the field! We also watched the All Blacks do their traditional war cry, the Haka. They stand opposite from the other team and chant and dance to intimidate them. I heard the NZ and England National Anthem songs (which by the way, England ripped off the tune from USA's "My Country Tis of Thee").
Good news! We won! 44-12!
All the bars and cafes show their support for NZ's team on game days! I'm pointing to the famous symbol for the All Blacks and NZ, the silver fern.
Of course, you always wear all black to an All Blacks Rugby game.
The field had a great fireworks display before the start of the game. Cannonball shots went off, multiple jets did "fly-overs" over the stadium, and singers and band members were playing on the field. It was quite a show!
The silver fern is the All Blacks symbol, and really the symbol for New Zealand in general. It is seen all over the place.
Dog pile.
Somewhat blurred, but its the best I could do. This England player is trying to catch a ball mid-air being thrown in from the sideline.
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