THE RUGBY GAME

I didn’t really know what to expect. I had never been to a rugby game in the States before, let alone a sports game in Europe. What I did expect though was a far stretch from what I actually got.

Marie and Marco asked me if I wanted to join them in coming to the Rugby game last Saturday, and I jumped on that opportunity. Let me back up. I have noticed two things that are extremely important to the people in the South of France and those things are drinking good wine and rugby. If there isn’t a conversation happening about wine, there is a conversation about rugby. Everyone knows, plays and lives rugby. It’s incredible how important it is here, when we hardly play it at all in the states. We play football, which is actually close; expect that the men all have really big pads on. If you ask me, rugby is a far more manly sport than football. You have so much protection in football. In rugby, all you have is your body. I won’t be joining a team anytime soon.

It has been quite cold here in Mazamet and also very rainy, so I put on everything warm that I had- three jackets, a puffy coat and a beanie to top it all off. No I wasn’t looking like the most beautiful flower, but I was going to a rugby game in the cold! Being absolutely adorable was the farthest thing from my mind.

Marie, Phillipo and Marco

It was just Marie, Marco, myself and a friend of theirs named Phillipo. Phillipo is one of the most hilarious people that I have met while being here. He is strangely quiet and gives you looks that you make you unsure if he is angry or just curious with you, until suddenly he is a loud, joking and crazy man. It’s either one way or the other with Phillipo. You never know which one you’ll get until it’s all just happening. Oh dear, Phillipo. How you make me smile.

These two were always happy to let me point my camera at them. In fact, everyone in the lions club was happy to comply to my need to take photos of all of them at all times. A special thank you to all of them.

Marco, watching the game with some serious intent. 

Men of the Lions Club.

We drove to the game, immediately bought a beer and then Marie and I separated from the two men. We went and sat on the very sidelines of the stadium. Marco is the President of something called The Lions Club, here in Mazamet. It is an important club that all of the very nice gentleman are a part of. The Lions Club has a lounge room at the top of the stadium where they go to watch the game. But more on that later.

Here is Marie and I, just chillin’ on the sidelines. We always laugh and talk and have a very good time when we are together. I am so lucky to have her. Also, she is a stunning woman.

During halftime, Marie and I decided to leave our seats on the sidelines and head up to where Marco and Phillipo were in the lounge, and oh my goodness I have never had the chance to do anything like this. There were just older men in the lounge, laughing, drinking and watching the game very loudly. It was exciting and fun to be with them. They would drink, spill their drinks and drink some more. They had a very nice setup in the lounge. I wasn’t complaining. I couldn’t believe I got to be up there with them.

Marie in the lounge watching the game, drinking Champagne.

These are the men in the lounge. 

Every time Castres (our team) made a goal, I was kissed my many different men, all who were excited and so happy to be at the game. This was a very important game for the surrounding cities, because if Castres failed to win, it would throw off the entire community of rugby. They wouldn’t get funding for smaller teams, they wouldn’t get to play in the next year, and they would be knocked out of some kind of roster completely. There was a lot of tension coming from everyone in that stadium, and when we were winning, the amount of joy was palpable.

Adorable, and so happy.

It wasn’t long before we had won the entire game, and the drinking continued and the laughing, the kissing and the celebrating got even more intense. At many times, I went into the lounge only to be cornered by a random member who wanted to ask me a million questions about America and about myself and who was very reluctant to let me go.

After we left the stadium, we jumped into the car only to drive several blocks when we parked. Little to my knowledge we were going to a large VIP after party where the players came to be interviewed and drink and to be congratulated. Marie pulled off her coat, put her magic fingers through her hair and she went from cold and windblown to looking like a million bucks. I still didn’t realize what a huge deal this party was and walked in with my beanie glued to my head and my arms poking out of my puffy coat. I will never forget how seriously underdressed I was at that party meeting all of the glorious rugby players in their suits and the many important people who were invited to that party and no, there was not another person in a beanie and coat like me.

Sometimes, I wonder how I got placed in a family who has such amazing opportunities and will drag me to all of their exciting events with all of their wonderful friends. I keep thinking, ‘how lucky am I?’