Here is something never seem to write about enough, or at all for that matter, RUGBY! Sorta American football with scrimmages (the teams surround the ball in a huddle and kick each other). In my misbegotten youth, I played Left Wing, covered in mud and running for my life as boys ten times bigger than me tried to kill me.
I can still the sting on especially cold nights.
Which probably explains why I haven't written about Rugby over the years. Oh, yeah, I was meant to go to Rugby the school but, to my great good fortune, went to Lebanon instead.
So why am I writing about the sport now. Because what remains my favorite working rock band from the UK, Manic Street Preachers, are following the British And Irish Lions, who are playing 10 matches in Australia this June. The Manics have set up a tour so they can follow the teams aroudn the country and play before the games. Cool, eh? Somebody should do that for the Yankees.
The press release states "As massive rugby fans the chance to visit one of our favourite countries – play some gigs and watch the British and Irish Lions play Australia is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity. We can't wait to play a selection of our greatest hits to our Australian fans and the thousands of Lions fans travelling Down Under."
According to contactmusic.com: "Bassist Nicky Wire adds, "(It will be) three gigs in two weeks, with lots of rugby in between – it was, as decisions go, a bit of a no-brainer… We were last there (in Australia) in 2010 but have never managed to coincide with a Lions tour before, that's the Holy Grail for rugby fanatics. Who knows, maybe we'll even get the once in a lifetime opportunity to play a few songs on the pitch before kick-off too."
To quote Obelix, these Welsh are crazy.