Well Here Goes Nothing ...

What makes a young ... okay, not quite so young but not yet old ... woman who was born and bred in Texas as a Dallas Cowboy supporter develop a passion for rugby?  After all, rugby has hardly taken off in the US.  In fact, I was in my mid-twenties and on a flight to England the first time I ever met a rugby player and in my mid-thirties before I ever actually watched a match (which was the 2003 World Cup final and only because I had a bet with a friend in Australia who, by the way, has never paid up).  I will tell you what made me switch.

It was a man.

Not just any man, mind you.  It was a blunt talking retired rugby player from Yorkshire, and on our first date he had me intrigued by telling me that, once he got to know me better, he would tell me some of his true rugby stories.  A few months later, while watching the Six Nations in an Aussie bar in Leeds, he did tell me.  Let's just say it's a good thing that he didn't tell me on our first date.

But despite that, it's hard not to become interested in a sport that your boyfriend is not just passionate about but borderline obsesssive, especially when you have the attitude that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  So I did.  And I never looked back.

My other half, David, has likewise adopted my previous sporting passion - Formula One - but F1, while glamourous and exciting, has no real grassroots contact with ordinary every day people.  I have met one F1 driver, and I have had the pleasure of kart racing against him (and losing so badly he took great pleasure in pointing out that he lapped me three times ... on the first stint ...), but I have met many professional and ex-professional rugby players, my first being the great Lawrence Dallaglio.  And every single player I've met has been absolutely lovely. 

So now I'm going to combine two of my great hobbies:  writing and rugby.  I love to do both, and as a season ticket holder at Welford Road, I'm sure I will have plenty to say as my Leicester Tigers fight to defend their championship!  I also go to as many other matches as I can.  Today David passed on the news that we have tickets to see Wales play Samoa in the Autumn Series, and we're hoping to go to Rome to watch Italy v England in the Six Nations next February.  Of course, with the match being on the 14th, David is telling everyone he is taking me to Rome for Valentine's Day, which is technically true.  But for me, what better way of spending Valentine's Day than watching thirty muscle-bound men rolling around on the pitch?  Works for me!

Watch this space.