November 23, 2003

Sporting excuses

I am an Australian living in London and I am dreading going into work tomorrow. I'm already trying to figure out what lines to use when my sports mad colleagues start ribbing me about Saturday's rugby result.

So far I've come up with the following:

"It took you long enough!"

"We have to let you win some time"

"It was becoming embarrassing winning every trophy / cup / medal so it was about time someone else experienced the glory"

"Rugby? I don't follow the game. Don't you know I'm from Victoria; the only ball sport that counts there is Aussie Rules!"

It reminds me of a cartoon I once clipped out of the newspaper when Aussie tennis champ Patrick Rafter unexpectedly bowed out of Wimbeldon a couple of years ago. Two blokes are pictured sitting in a pub; one turns to the other and shakes his head in dismay. "Now I know what it feels like to be a Pom!" he quips.

Perhaps I should just try that simple line instead . . .

Posted by kimbofo at November 23, 2003 08:53 PM
Comments

or you could always just mention the cricket?

Posted by: kristen at November 24, 2003 07:46 AM

A friend in England came on instant messenger just after the rugby game. I kept a copy.
------------------------
friend:
Awesome
eeksypeeksy@yahoo.com says:
happy?
friend:
Ecstatic
friend:
Tears in my eyes
friend:
Hoarse throat
friend:
It was soooooo close
------------------------

And he was just sitting home by himself with a cup of tea and a television, and not, for example, winning a million pounds or finding a long-lost twin living next-door. He's the same guy I watched a couple of years ago nearly rise out of his skin in anticipation and then mope for a couple of days when England lost to (I think) Germany in the football world cup.

For the sake of being sociable, I sometimes try to to cultivate an interest in sports, even to follow a team or two, but it just never works. I always end up just sharing a few friendly beers with excited friends but not getting very excited about the game.

But that's just me. Sports fans must find themselves in tricky situations when watching the old home team play the new home team. "Yay! Woo-hoo! Uh, I mean, damn! Damn!"

Posted by: Eeksy-Peeksy at November 24, 2003 03:33 PM

So update us...how was it? Surely there is a smart quip out there to put them in their place...uuum I fear not.

Posted by: Philip at November 26, 2003 08:07 AM

For those that are interested (and judging by the lack of comments regarding this post, I take it not many English people read this website!!) I survived the day. Perhaps it's my scary reputation at work, but it took until 4pm before anyone mentioned the rugby result - - and even then it was only said in passing. It was the next day which caught me more by surprise as a trickle of joke e-mails doing the rounds began to fill my in-box. This trickle soon became a flood. But I'm pleased to say they've stopped arriving and the 'R' word has now died a slow death . . .

Posted by: kimbofo at December 3, 2003 06:16 PM