On Saturday I went to my first rugby match since I've been in the UK. Scotland versus the New Zealand All Blacks. It was amazing! We started things off the proper way, with dinner and a pint at the Grosvenor Pub and then walked down with the kilt-wearing, Nessy-hat-sporting fans to Murrayfield in Edinburgh.
The match was started with a pipe band marching across the field and a lone piper who played from atop the stadium and led the crowd in "Flower of Scotland." To introduce NZ, their team performed a haka, a traditional Maori tribal dance. The Scottish crowd was so excited throughout the game and remained cheerful despite their home team's defeat by their Commonwealth cousins - 3 to 49.
Those of you who know me well, know that I played girls' rugby for Keble College while I was at Oxford, so this was actually a sporting event that made sense to me (unlike American football). It was thrilling to watch and had me wishing I could still occasionally tackle those who get in my way and send them limping off the pitch!
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