ranfurly shield

A train strike scotched my ambitions of visiting pisa this weekend ... or even bracciano.. so we settled in for another Saturday of rugby. The Italians really dont know what they're missing, with that silly soccer fetish they seem to have, and I hope rugby's meteoric rise in this country continues. It's amazing enough, that we get a pub that will open early in the morning and puts the telly on, long before standard opening hours. (But meh! It's Italy. Rules here are made to be argued with. Or flagrantly disregarded if they aren't convenient).

But our awesome autumn of Rugby took a whole new turn the other week with news that Southland Stags have taken the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since before St Kilda won the flag. The Stags are based in Anthony's home town of Invercargill, so there were some fairly excited Cundalls in the world this week. The rest of Invers was pretty chuffed too - check out the ticker tape parade given to honour Invercargill's biggest sporting moment in 50 years (with the possible exception of Burt Munro setting a new land speed record on a clapped out but lovingly modified Indian Scout motorcycle in 1962).

My workchum Alastair, who is a Central Otago boy, was effusive in his congratulations... although a pint or two later, he confessed it was because Otago hasnt won the 'log of wood' for even longer than Invercargill, and if the Stags can do it, maybe there's hope for Otago too...

Go Southland!