I was too tired to blog when we got back to our room last night, but I guess that's what long bus rides this morning are for. Yesterday, we left the Aran Islands by the eight o'clock ferry for Galway. The water was just as choppy as the day before, but we weren't allowed on the top deck like last time, probably because of the fog and the mist. It wasn't time for the sun to rise yet, so pictures would have been superfluous anyway. The sun rises later here, never before eight thirty, and it would be a miracle if we could see it at all. It has rained or misted for the past few days leaving us in a perpetual state of wet, especially yesterday when it rained so hard it seeped through our raincoats. But enough about the cons of travel in January!
When we woke up at the B&B, they had a lovely full Irish breakfast prepared for us, and I learned that the slices of bacon are called rashers. Whatever it was, it was homemade and delicious, especially the coffee. The ride back to Galway was relatively peaceful, though it rained the whole time. When we arrived in Galway, we had some trouble finding the hostel where we were to stay, but once we finally did, we were able to relax in one of the hostel's common rooms and dry out for about an hour, making good use of the wifi. Afterwards, we went out to eat and did a bit of shopping down a cobblestone street completely reserved for pedestrians. I definitely felt like I was walking down the Muggle version of Diagon Alley. After window shopping and a nice lunch of warm bread and soup, we went back to the hostel to rest up before the main event: the rugby match.
I know nothing about sports, I'm not particularly interested in sports, and most football games my father watches he watches in the bedroom because he knows my mom and I don't like it; however, I really like rugby. There is something gladiatorial yet graceful about the sheer violence and the brutal skill of the players that makes rugby seem more like watching an artistic expression than a game. More than that, I think, the beauty of rugby can be found in its inherent connection to the tradition of the Olympic games played by the Greeks so long ago. That's what makes rugby fascinating to me.
The rugby match was between Connacht (the Galway team) and Edinburgh, so the game was pretty intense because we all know how much the Irish love the Brits. Before the game, we went to a bar called An Pucan and got drinks and dinner. Dr. Elsner provided us all with matching Connacht rugby jerseys for the occasion, so we fit right in with the crowd. Dr. Elsner's friend, a former rugby player named Ciaran, joined us for a drink and explained the game of rugby to us. A kindly, older gentleman, Ciaran seemed far from connected to the brutality of the rugby game. Then again, until yesterday my only experience with rugby was watching Invictus. Oh, and that rugby shirt I got from Limited Too in third grade. Ciaran explained the game of rugby as best as he could to us, but he also explained that though he played rugby for years, he still didn't know all the rules to the game.
Rugby in its earliest form was played in English schools starting in 1823 between the houses (or fraternities) of the school. Because it was a house event, there could be up to sixty players on any given team. In the beginning stages, rugby was comparable to soccer except you kicked the ball backwards or to the side rather than forwards. However, one rugby player named William Webb Ellis changed the sport forever by picking up the ball and running with it to score during the game. Because of this, the international rugby trophy is called the William Webb Ellis trophy.
Rugby is played with fifteen players on the field for each team. There are eight forwards and seven backs. There are two halves in a rugby game, and each half is approximately forty minutes long with a ten minute "break" between the halves (they do not call it halftime, and there is no show). There are three ways to score in rugby: a try, a conversion, and a penalty. A try is a lot like a touchdown in American football, only slightly more complicated because the ball MUST touch the ground for the points to be added. A try is worth four points. A player is given a chance to score a conversion after scoring a try to add two extra points to their score. Lastly you can score a penalty kick, which is like a field goal in American football and is worth three points. One of the most famous rugby plays is the scrum which occurs after a penalty is committed by the defending side. A scrum involves eight players crouching low on the ground in a tight group with arms around each other and pushing the other team backwards to gain ground and the ball. It's basically like tug of war with bodies.
One of the things that struck me about the rugby game was the politeness of the fans. Sure, they cheered their team on and clapped and hooted wildly when Connacht scored, but during the most intense moments of the game, the crowd was completely silent. And in that pregnant pause of hope, the focus was solely on the game--not on one particular player, not on the crowd, not even on a recording artist (probably because they didn't play music at the match). I liked this because in a game focused on barbarity, the reaction of the crowd was civil and polite, reminding me that athletics is not all about the glory from the win.
The stadium was also interesting and very small. No bigger than a small high school football stadium, food trucks provided concessions and fans stood on concrete risers under a protected awning. Season ticket holders, of course, have box seating that is heated and provides chairs and seating, but for most fans, they stand the entire game. Children who come with their parents tend to sit on the railing which separates the crowd from the pitch in order to watch the game. They wave their flags and cheer wildly for their team. Where we stood, we were close to the goal on the right hand side of the pitch giving us great visibility for the game. Even though I am vertically challenged, I could see everything that was happening. Understanding it was a different matter, of course.
Though Connacht didn't win the match and we stood out in the rain to watch it, I enjoyed my first rugby match immensely. We are on our way to Dublin now to catch a connecting bus to Armagh. It's another day for adventure, but at least we see the sun.
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