Rugby by the River

Rugby is the ultimate combination of drinking, camaraderie, competition and violence. The team's flight left at 5am, boarding at 4:30. So we did what any good rugby team would do, met up for drinks Thursday night then went to the strip club, then waffle house and finally to the airport. waited a bit got on the plane. Had a few drinks at our connection, landed at our destination. At this point we had about 24hrs until our first game and we were all running on fumes... alcoholic fumes. I was driving one of the rented vans to the hotel, about an hour away, and when we stopped for a red light I fell asleep at the wheel. DING! time to change drivers.

Friday night the team split up with half of us going out to find some of the other teams and the other half drinking at the hotel. Saturday was cold and looked like it was gonna rain. We lost two games to really good teams and commenced to get drunk. They sold beer on the fields and you're surrounded by hundreds of other like minded individuals. That night we found a Karaoke bar and took that place over. We were singing everything from Air Supply to Sublime. The French team showed up as well as a few of the NYU players and added some spice to the mix. We shut that place down at 2am and headed back to the hotel. With guys puking out of the van window, splattering it on the side, peeing off the second story onto the other van and arguing in the parking lot I say he had a good night.

Sunday morning we all looked like hammered shit, and rolled up to the field about 30 minutes before our 10am game.I was surprised how well we did. Not a single one of us threw up on the field. We either did it before the game or at half time haha. The field had been rained on all night and it was like playing in a swamp. We lost that game by a close margin, and were done for the tournament. That meant we had ALL day Sunday to get rip roaring drunk with the other teams.

Most of the team started at this immediately. However one of the teams that beat us Saturday, Smurfit Graduate Business school in Dublin, had suffered some injuries and came and found us to ask if we had some guys who would play with them in the semi finals. Myself and one more played with them and beat London Business School. They asked me to play with them in the finals and got one more of our team as well. We beat Harvard in the finals and Smurfit took the championship. Drinking with the Irish is a hell of a good time. I'm still recovering from a mix of the games and the celebrations two days later. I might have to apply to that school and continue my education.