So you think the 6 Nations is all about Rugby?

A stout, very sweaty chap, with a cast on one arm clambered onto a creaky table. With the help of a cheering swaying crowd and holding his Guinness with his good hand, he slowly gained balance. The crowd started to cheer as he started to sing, well, maybe more 'scream' the first few lines… "I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window"….Delilah went into full swing! The whole bar erupted into song as the Welsh and Scots supporters do what they do best. 
Some Chinese tourists looked on in disbelief, they weren't sure what was happening and whether they should be scared, but they looked terrified! I thought I'd reassure them, but as I approached they ran from the bar as if I were wielding an axe!  The bar, 'Filthy McNasty's', a tiny grotty place tucked into a side of infamous Rose Street in Edinburgh, now sells posh cocktails and has been renamed. Still, every time I walk past, even on a quiet summers day, I still feel the atmosphere of that chaotic, blissful evening. The Scots had won the game 30-22 on a cold wet March day, but to hear the Welsh out-sing everyone you would have thought they'd won. Welsh girls are the Bang & Olufsen of the rugby singing world and are deflected by nothing, a joy to behold.

I was wearing my Irish shirt, which made me a constant wonderment to other supporters who asked (I'm not exaggerating) a thousand times if I was at the wrong game. I'm Irish, and that shirt brought me a lot of Guinness and some great craic that night. 

Now I've retired, I'm heading out to recapture some of the best moments from the 6 Nations. Over the coming years I am going to visit the 6 cities where the tournament is held and…

I want you to be there with me!

Dave & Dave in Dublin

 If you're new to the 6 Nations then this is your BIG chance to get to know the basics, how to prepare and what to expect. If you're an old hand then you can share your own experiences and tell us just why you find this annual battle so compelling and so full of camaraderie.

  

We may even meet! I have many numbers of 'rugby friends' that I've made over some memorable years.  

When I arrive in the city, the first thing I do is text ... 'Who's in town?' Within minutes my phone starts to dance and I'm in good company.

The plan is to start this year on Saturday March 9th in Edinburgh when Wales visit Murrayfield to play the Scots. This is always a formidable, sweaty battle, and that's just in the pubs.
So, I hear you ask, where do my allegiances lay? Well, some time ago I was born in England, to an Irish (Eire) mother and Belgian father. Belgians play rugby like the English play bagpipes, so my first team is Ireland and then I lean towards England. Not that this matters a jot when you get there, because we're all there for the craic!

The craic? The closest translation I can give you is 'ceoil agus craic' which means 'music and fun', but it's much more than that!

So it's Edinburgh first and here we go…

Dave & me in Cardiff … I think!

Over the coming weeks I'll prepare you, so when you land in Rose Street, one of the main pub areas, you won't feel lost and you'll probably already have a few friends. 

Accommodation… Forget Edinburgh at this point, you have to almost book a year ahead and even then the prices are badly inflated. Glasgow is a good option, with great transport links (see 'travel' below).
If you have nowhere to stay and midnight is approaching, just walk around the bar shouting, "anyone got a spare place to sleep tonight!" I've ended up on many a bedroom floor and sometimes even a bed! As recently as 2 years ago I woke up in a flat, on a floor with a load of Polish (I'm guessing!) folk. I could barely understand them as I staggered out into the morning looking for breakfast or anything really that would take away the current taste in my mouth. 

Here's a link to 'trip-advisor' which I find a valuable tool when looking at flights, hotels etc…
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/


Tickets… This game was sold out within days of the tickets being released, but don't let that put you off. I have found it relatively easy to pick up tickets in the pubs before the match, even at face value. Mainly from corporate clients who had been given a load of tickets and just want to make money to pay for their drinks. Just shout, "any spare tickets!" and you'll be surprised. Avoid anyone selling in the street, there's too many fakes or duplicates  about. If the worse comes to it, you can watch the match in comfort at a nearby pub or hotel, far more comfortable than the stadium and with a much better view.

Colm & Laura

Travel…There are very good links in and out of Edinburgh by rail and bus. Try and avoid taking a car into the city, on match day the traffic is paralysed and walking is so much quicker. 
From Glasgow, only an hour on the train and four trains every hour. £12.50 single off peak, last train at 11.30pm, and if you haven't had enough by then I'd give up! 

Fixtures, scores & official RBS site…Click here 

Anthems…If you only learn the first verse of the Scottish anthem then you'll be able to sing it at the game and a hundred times more around the city. You'll feel included and the Scots will warm very quickly to you if you can belt this one out; even in an England shirt :-)

Flower of Scotland…
CLICK HERE Scottish anthem at Murrayfield

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see 
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,

And stood against him,

Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.


The Hills are bare now,

And Autumn leaves 
Lie thick and still,

O'er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,

And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.


Those days are past now,


And in the past 
They must remain,


But we can still rise now,


And be the nation again,

That stood against him,

Proud Edward's Army,

And sent him homeward,

Tae think again.


O Flower of Scotland,

When will we see 
Your like again,

That fought and died for,

Your wee bit Hill and Glen,

And stood against him,

Proud Edward's Army,

And sent him homeward,

Tae think again.

Now practice here on Karaoke :-)

Nobody can sing as well as the Welsh, and you get a massive tingle down your spine when they kick off with this anthem; most sing it in Welsh…

The Land of my fathers…
CLICK HERE Welsh anthem at the Millennium Stadium



The land of my fathers, the land of my choice,

The land in which poets and minstrels rejoice,
The land whose stern warriors were true to the core
while bleeding for freedom of yore

(Chorus)

Wales! Wales! fav'rite land of Wales!
While sea her wall, may naught befall,

To mar the old language of Wales.

Old mountainous Cambria, the Eden of bards,

Each hill and each valley, excite my regards;

To the ears of her patriots how charming still seems,

The music that flows in her streams.

My country tho' crushed by a hostile array,


The muse has eluded the traitors; foul knives,

The harp of my country survives.
The language of Cambria lives out to this day;

Have you ever experienced greater passion than that?

Give it a go here on karaoke, in English or Welsh!

In the coming posts we will look at…

• Where to eat & drink. Good places to go before and after the match, and why not to buy food and drink at the ground :-) 

• What to do before the game and some good advice on preparation, what to carry, how to behave etc. Should you worry?

• Being at the game, knowing what to do and when!

• Getting out of the ground and the march back to the city. Where to go first and where to go later!

• Lots of other useful information from my own experiences that will ensure you have an unbelievable time.

• The Hakka!! Should your team have one?

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If you have great photos you want to add to the blog please send to dansencier@yahoo.co.uk

One thing's for certain, the 6 Nations is definitely not all about the rugby!