Programme Notes 2008/9

London Irish

I was so sure that we were going to go unbeaten this season! I know I’ve had to lower my ambitions to just winning the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup, but I think we’re still on track. I wasn’t able to go to Castle Grim last week, and therefore couldn’t enjoy the free pint of Greene King IPA available to Quinssa members en route, but the pre-match comments were interesting with Oliver Azam quoted as saying "Quins like to throw the ball around, they like to play expansive rugby. I would say they fancy themselves a bit so I just hope we'll be up for the game and we give them a good spank." This made me laugh on two levels. Firstly, that playing “expansive rugby” was arrogant and, secondly, the response to this should be to bend Mike Ross over his Gallic knee and apply a flat hand to his backside for the sheer temerity of passing the ball!

Today sees the return of a proper home game [at the Twickenham Stoop] with our old rivals London Irish from down the M4 in Royal Berkshire. This is a fixture that provides much tension due to the close rivalry between the clubs. I’ve always been intrigued about the concept of being “Irish”. Last week it was reported that England was now the most densely populated nation in Europe. This wasn’t always the case, because I’ve estimated that 200 years ago Ireland had a population of 150 million. This has to be true, based on the number of people in North America, Australia and Great Britain who claim they are Irish! There is something about Hibernian blood that if you have eight Great Grandparents, just one has to be from the Emerald Isle for you to claim the right to sing the Fields of Athenry and despise the other seven for being arrogant!

Another recent discussion point has been the news that our own Woody, the “talisman” himself, has been appointed a Director of today’s opponents. For some of us it will be hard to bear that a true and great Harlequin has made such a decision. Many will see it as a dagger to the heart. Don’t worry though; I’m sure that he will be wearing his old quartered shirt under his pin-striped suit at each and every Board Meeting.

If you read my last Quinssa notes you might have thought me being flippant when I suggested that our seats might take a bit of a battering during the RL season. You might have thought that I was over concerned with bottoms. However, you can imagine how vindicated I felt when I read that one Season Ticket holder returned to his usual pew, in this place of worship, to discover his seat had completely disappeared. Now I’m not directly accusing anyone of theft or criminal damage. What I actually think happened was that being northern, thus being of a wider girth, the proponent of the 13 man game didn’t realise it was in his possession until when he stood up to collect his chips and gravy in a Wigan gastro-emporium, the missing seat fell out from between the cheeks of his generous derriere. Just a thought to leave you with!

Cliff Funnell

Cliff@quinssa.org.uk

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