“Aye, There’s the Rub!”

Well, back home in Minnesota after 3 weeks in France. So much to talk about, it’s hard to even pick a place to begin. I may just have to pick different topics about the trip over the next few days so that I don’t ramble.

It was a GREAT trip. I enjoyed showing my kids why I love France, having them meet my friends like Jean-Paul, Bernard, May, Gerry, Patrick and his wife Martine…and catching up with our dear friends the Catanis.

I need to give “Da Redhead”-my wife-her mad props for STRONGLY suggesting that we get a GPS system. Since we rented a car, An A-series Mercedes that had really good gas milage-a very good thing when you figure between exchange rate and how expensive petrol is in Europe anyway:about 6.20$ a gallon, I figured. Trying to get around with the poorly marked roads with my wife’s inability to read maps was going to be a hard thing to overcome. Getting the GPS saved our trip…and probably my marriage.

My son Ian and I had a great time at the rugby games that we went to: USA-Tonga, Tonga-Samoa, and Argentina-Namibia. Tonga and Samoa was by far the best game. It was close, and Tonga showed a lot of heart holding onto a slim lead after having had one player red-carded and another player sin-binned. They finished the game with 13 men and eeked out a win over their South Pacific rivals.The Tongans had to be very pleased with their tournament. Far from being among the worst teams in the tournament, they beat both the US and Samoa, gave South Africa the scare of their lives, and gave England a helluva game. What really struck me and my son was the physicality of the Tongans: Every tackle was very tough and physical. We could even hear the sounds of bone against flesh from where we sat at Le Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier. There were  about 24,000 fans for both games in Montpellier. The Argentina and Namibia match was played in a great ambiance in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. (My second favorite city in France after Biarritz) After the USA-Tonga Match, Ian, Bernard and I met my friend Jean-Paul and some of his cronies from near Beziers and Puisserguier. We shared a few beers and had a great time after the match. Some female rugby players  from Minnesota recognized my friend’s Metropolis Jersey, and they joined in on the fun. I saw a few games on the TV while there. The best game I saw on the telly was Fiji’s pulsating win over Wales. It’s a game I saw at a bar in a village west of Beziers surrounded by a bunch of Aussies madly cheering for Fiji. Tomorrow, I will talk about the Quarterfinal matchups.