Sports in Australia

Hello all. I haven't been on for awhile. For this I apologize. This week marks the last week of coursework during my time at Sydney University. I have just four assignments left, and then I'll wrap everything up on June 13th. After that, a month and change of working before heading home via eight or nine separate countries. Aside from keeping up with Uni and working, I've been enveloped by the hysteria of Australian sport.

As many of you know, I like sports. Simple enough right? The past weekend (not the current one), I went to two sporting events in two nights. First up was the Australian football team taking on Ghana in an international friendly. This game was a bit dull, as the tactics employed by Pim Verbeek were hardly aimed for entertainment. But the result was there, so that was key. The embarrassing moment for Australia happened before the match when the officials in charge failed to procure the anthem of Ghana. That's poor form. Then the game itself happened. It wasn't all that exciting, although there were one or two moments, near the end of the game where Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was called up to maintain his clean sheet. The Socceroos (as they are dubbed) won by a meager 1-0 scoreline.

The next match was a Super 14 semifinal. The NSW Waratahs were taking on the Sharks, a provincial team from South Africa. Winner would face the Crusaders (a team from New Zealand) the following weekend for the title.

Upon sitting down at my seat, which was second row from the field, the size of the players immediately struck you. These guys were massive. We're talking the size of an NFL lineman in height, but way less body fat. And that was just the pack. The backs for the Sharks were all at least 6 feet tall and built like small trees. There isn't a sane person in the world who would want to tackle them. That was just the Sharks. The Waratahs had some formidable sized players, Lote Tuquiri, Rocky Elsom, and Phil Waugh (who is built like a trash compacter).

These impressions all sank in before the game began. And when it did, the speed and agility of the players for their size was remarkable. If you know anything about rugby union, the ball is always live unless a penalty, infringement is whistled, or the ball is knocked out of play. The kind of collisions I heard was unlike anything I had ever seen at a sporting event before. It was perplexing to think people enjoyed playing a sport like this; especially since I had gone to a few practices myself.

The actual game was a lot of fun; the stadium was full and the crowd was into the match, making for lots of noise and excitement. Add to that the four tries the Waratahs scored, and the night was full of joy, as NSW won. A good game of rugby is definitely something worth taking in live.