You know those rare moments in life when events conspire to put you in the right place at the right time? YEAH. I had one such moment yesterday.
I was watching M play rugby for his school at the same moment that the Bledisloe Cup Road Show arrived at the ground. It was there for barely an hour but that was plenty long enough for me to get up close and personal with this legendary giant of rugby union trophies.
For the uninitiated, the Bledisloe Cup has been contested between Australia and New Zealand rugby union sides since 1932 and is only second to the World Cup in terms of importance. The winner from this match series earn themselves trans-Tasman bragging rights for the next 12 months, something rugby union fans on both sides of the ditch hold most dear!
I’d never seen the cup in person before. I know it’s ‘just’ a trophy but let me tell you, the Bledisloe has an air about it that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. You can’t help but be impressed. The aura of battles past is unmistakeable, in the rows of shields with the name of the winning country engraved neatly on it, to the rich, traditional lustre of the polished silver handles. You can truly appreciate its magnificence up close, just as past winning captains would have done before hoisting it aloft in victory. The caretaker accompanying the trophy told me that including the timber base, the Bledisloe weighs something like 9 kilos. It seemed suitably weighty and entirely appropriate for a trophy held in such high esteem by the rugby fraternity.
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| Standing next to a rugby legend… |
This Saturday the All Blacks and the Wallabies will again do battle for the Bledisloe in Sydney. Even more exciting, my family and I have tickets to go! To say that I am excited about the prospect of seeing my beloved All Blacks in action would be understating it mildly. I can barely sit still; Saturday can’t get here soon enough. Plus there will be the magnificence of the All Blacks performing the haka live – the atmosphere it creates is something very special and I’ll be sharing this with my rugby-mad 14 year old son for the very first time. I’ve been to All Black games before but he has no idea how much this experience will stay with him for years to come. I can’t wait to see his face as he soaks it all in. As a parent, these are the moments you live for.
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The All Blacks are due to fly into Sydney today ahead of Saturday’s big game. Welcome to Australia, fellas. Can’t wait to see you in action come the weekend. I’ll be a part of the expected large contingent of All Black supporters, wearing my supporters gear and screaming encouragement from the stands. May the best team win!! Bring. It. On!
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