Hey guys, I plan to attend the game between the Eagles and Munster with a bunch of friends. I'm really excited because after some time following the game on TV I'll go to a live game for the first time. My friends and I were wondering if it is customary to do a barbecue at the parking lot, just like with football or soccer. Could anybody help me out on this? Thanks a lot!
The last game I attended (in the USA) was actually the 2005 game vs Wales at Rentschler field. A lot of guys were cooking and BBQ'ing. I found the atmosphere to be better in that parking lot than anything at the MLS Revolution games. Not like the NFL games but still a good buzz. I was truly surprised at how many people were tossing around rugby balls and wearing European and Aussie/NZ rugby tops. I asked every one of my friends and work colleagues if they had an interest in going and not one did. Went by myself. My wife is from the UK and she didn't even want to go. Funny though, I go to Canada every year to watch the Churchill Cup tournament and they never do it. Never. Maybe some of the West Coast guys can weigh in on the San Diego 7's or the games in the Bay Area. I'd say bring it along and do it. Tell you what though. That 2005 game there was stupid hot. It must of been 105 degrees. New England in August is hot. They kicked off at 2pm. I probably got there around 12.30 and didn't leave until maybe 4.15. I also had easily 5/6 beers, 2 cokes and 4 bottles of water and never went to the mens room once. I probably lost 5 pounds in the process of wandering around in a cotton USA rugby jersey. It was unbearable hot.
It's a shame they didn't shelts. That Wales team put forth the most awesome performance I've seen against USA Rugby in the USA. Of course the abjection of the USA's performance didn't help (they were so bad I stopped feeling bad about my split loyalties and just rooted for Wales, kind of self-multilation or something). I ran into Tom a few weeks later and had a word with him (he knows of my dual loyalties), his response was a sigh and "Don't remind me about it!". Regarding your last paragraph I remember how brutal it was as well. I'd been holidaying in New England seeing some of my family and it was quite temperate. No humidity, cool nights, perfect for an SF kid like me that never feels humidity except for my annual visits to NE. Then on game day, BOOM. Brutal brutal humidity. I had a heck of a tan at the end of the day though! My mom and aunt watched in the shade of the concourse for the whole game. It was that first really brutal day of the year and it hit for the rugby. The fitness of the US got found out - Wales handled it quite well even though it never gets anywhere near that hot in Wales. BTW, tailgating wasn't a big thing at the Tests in the Bay Area. But Balboa Park has no parking and is easily accessible by public transit (a genuinely urban ground) so people left their cars at home. There was a real rugby bar nearby though. At Santa Clara there was more but not much. Rentschler is really dead perfect for tailgating though. BTW, by a stroke of luck I'll be holidaying in North Wales during the U-20 World Cup, not far from Wrexham where the USA's pool is. I'm going to try and see a few of their games and report back here. They have SA, Samoa and Scotland in their pool but this USA team may not be that bad..they have a decent number of guys at top college programs, Cal and Super League clubs and for a US men's rugby team to qualify for a *16* nation world championship is a decent achievement.