So, here's me at my finest (a few years ago and a few stones lighter) ready for a rugby match at Murrayfield. Scotland may not be the best in the league (in fact I think we may have the most wooden spoons! Woohoo! We won something!) But the pride and atmosphere at Murrayfield during any match is well worth the visit.
Today, I was privaleged enough to be three rows off the pitch watching as Scotland battled Italy in the latest Six Nations match. But the biggest triumphs of rugby still happen off the pitch as the fans are the best in the world.
It was a harrowing match to say the least. As usual our boys in blue (well actually, Scotland's tops are red this season which I'm really against as the colours of the saltire are blue and white, but I digress) did well in the first half. Defence was holding back the competitionand. Italy's drives were putting the heat on our team and it was hard fought but we had our own finess and scored some tries. We topped of the first half at 16 - 15. Phew!
And then came the second half... There were mis-steps, forward passes, fumbles and all round school boy rugby from both sides and we managed to get a kick and hold Italy at 19 - 15 until the last 5 seconds (literally!).
Sadly, this is not uncommon. Scotland consistently deliver good rugby in one of the two halfs only. I personally feel that if they ran an incentive scheme like 'Every time you miss a pass or kick a ball and DON'T chase it you lose beer privaleges' the team would perform much better. Seriously, take away their beer and make them earn it back. But, the point is, I left 10 minutes before the end because they were probably going to blow it. Plus my partner had no keys to the flat and frankly I wanted to beat the crowd and not stick around for whatever trouncing was sure to follow as usual.
So, I headed to the Edinburgh tram stop right outside Murrayfield and bagged myself a seat.
'Oh, I hate leaving early,' one woman said. We commiserated as she had relatives stopping by even though they knew she had rugby on. Another woman had promised to deliver her son to her ex-husband at a certain time. Two chaps simply wanted to beat the queues in the pub. And there were also two random teenagers and some other guy with some other deadlines, and two Italians (fans of the opposing team) who were just too cold. We all sat talking and after having left Murrayfield, I logged into the tram's free wifi and pulled up BBC live on my phone.
And there 11 stranges watched the last 5 minutes of six nations rugby on a phone on a tram and laughed and commiserated together. When the Italians scored their last second try the Italians cheered. The Scots groaned and then congratulated their bretheren. 'In Scotland that means you buy the beer,' one guy said to one of the Italians.
We all laughed and departed one by one wishing each other a good evening and I left the tram feeling a sense of community and camaraderie I don't think you get in many other sports. We all bonded as strangers only connected by being rugby fans and slightly impatient travelers. We even wished the Italians safe travels and good luck for the rest of the tourney.
I'm not a big football supporter. I played it (soccer) back home and when I came to Scotland I started playing rugby because I am good at knocking things over. But the best part about the game to me is the spirit of it. People don't boo or harrass the other team (Actually, booing at rugby has crept in and I'm pleased that these people tend to get shooshed). We cheer good rugby and good sportsmanship and the best part of Scotland rugby is the fans. You can be just as great of friends with your rivals as you can with your own team. It's about loving the game and that's all.
So, grab yourself a beer and get yourself down to BT Murrayfield. Scotland may not have beat Italy in the latest Six Nations match. But it doesn't matter. We all won for having a good day out, it didn't rain (during the match) and it wasn't too cold. Say what you will about the dour Scots. But they know how to host a good time. Thanks Italy for being such good sports, and we'll get you next time!
My ScotAmerican flag :)
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