Rugby World Cup

[Markgeezer]

where will be watching England trash France

 

[Lucas]

About Nigel Owens the referee for All Blacks vs. Los Pumas

Nigel Owens

Welsh International Rugby Union referee, Nigel Owens, 39, of Pontyberem, who tried to take his own life, said:

“I came from a very old-fashioned and very Welsh home, in a rural part of Wales – a village called Mynydd Cerrig. An only child, my mum was a housewife and my dad worked in the local quarry in the valley. I started playing rugby when I was 10 and by the time I was 16 I was regularly going to watch matches with my father, around the same time as my career in refereeing began.

I didn't realise I was gay until I was 19. Overweight and depressed, I developed bulimia. I didn't want to be this way. I suppose my low self-esteem was because I wasn't happy with myself.

My feelings of depression built up and up through my early twenties until at the age of 26, I tried to take my own life. It was a spur of the moment thing. One night I woke up at about 3 am, I couldn't shake this feeling of shame and isolation. Leaving a note to my parents, I picked up a bottle of tablets and a shotgun, and walked out the house. I walked for a few hours looking for a familiar place. I went to the top of a mountain, where I used to go as a child, to see the view for the last time. After taking an overdose I fell into a coma. In the end my parents found my letter and called the police, who put up a helicopter to search for me.

I woke up in hospital, my parents were crying and all my friends were there. ‘My God, what have I done?’ were the first thoughts to cross my mind. I needed to accept who I was and once I did that I could get on with things.

Looking back there were people I could and should have turned to, but because I felt so ashamed I never tried. Men from my town would just get on with things; you weren’t even aware men had problems. You would not see a man expressing his feelings. As children we weren't even aware there were issues men faced.

Men do find it more difficult to talk about their problems; they feel they have to shoulder things. I think if I had tried to talk to someone on that night, I might not have attempted to take my own life. That's why this campaign is so important; because it has the power to make men aware help is available and that they should use it.”

I've good feelings with this referee in this World Cup and the Pumas, he was the referee in the 2007 Rugby World Cup between Georgia vs. Argentina in his first.

 

[JJL]

Hi Guys,

There is a groups of us coming to BA to work on the Stella Artois World Brew Master Championship. I was wondering where is the best place to watch the rugby on the 22nd and 23rd. There is a mixture of Irish, English, Welsh and one Belgian...we will probably let him come along too.

Tks JJ

 

[rrptownley]

Hi Guys,

There is a groups of us coming to BA to work on the Stella Artois World Brew Master Championship. I was wondering where is the best place to watch the rugby on the 22nd and 23rd. There is a mixture of Irish, English, Welsh and one Belgian...we will probably let him come along too.

Tks JJ

"one Belgian...we will probably let him come along too." Lol.

There is the 3/4th place playoff on the morning of the 21st, and the final itself at 5am on the morning of the 23rd.

There has been a recent law implemented in Buenos Aires that prohibits entry to any establishment that serves alcohol after 4am (which had successfully killed much of the nightlife here and changed little else). As such very few places are showing the matches at the moment and even fewer (read, none) will be showing a 5am match.

Bars Sugar and Alamo have been showing the games but only until 4am then switching off (even with five minutes to go on a nail biting finish).

SO, what to do...

Keep an eye on the Sugar facebook page. The owners aren´t rugby fans but they may be cajoled into showing it.

Watch the final in your hotel/accomodation.

Media blackout and watch the final a few hours later with a midday beer.




Me personally, we have a group Expats who hunker into a room with a projector, beer and curry and we make our own world cup experience there.

 

[pez]

Tell us more about this Stella Brew Masters Championship.

 

[French jurist]

I love watching Rugby players
http://vimeo.com/29347932

Good video to learn the rules too!

 

[JJL]

Here is a link to the Stella Championship.

http://www.stellaartois.com/wdm2011/es_AR/home

It takes place on the 26th October at El Galpon de la Boca

Calle Caboto 1020

Capital Federal

Buenos Aires

JJ

 

[Gringoboy]

Gareth Thomas had similar experiences.
Being gay in the ultimate macho sport can't be easy.
I take my hat off to them.

 

[zapatosgoma]

Well said Gringoboy. While in NYC and playing for a seniors side, our younger side played against the Gotham Knights, a gay team co-founded by Mark Bingham. Mark was in flight #93 and one of the passengers who rushed the cockpit. There was an emotive moment before the game, then back to rugby

http://gothamrfc.org/drupal/?q=mark-bingham

 

[HowardinBA]

el bar Concurso in Recoleta was where we watched th 4.30 am ko last saturday morning...