This forthcoming Saturday, at 9:47am, six mates and I will board the Greater Western Railway service at London Paddington station with beers, coffees and bacon sandwiches in tow, ready to pilgrimage west for the Wallabies’ annual victory over Wales.
Upon arrival at Cardiff, we shall complete the most rudimentary of accommodation checks, dispose of our cumbersome luggage, and march to meet and revel with the antipodean diaspora, who will inevitably have conquered the hallowed drinking mile, St Mary st.
Litres of Brains, Guinness, Fosters, Heineken and Kronenburg will be consumed, banter will be thrown about with reckless abandon, some folks will fall by the wayside and not make kick-off.
Speaking of making kick-off, the march from St Mary st to the resplendent spaceship known as the Millennium Stadium (what’s this ‘Principality Stadium’ nonsense?) takes all of five minutes, a victory for logical, sensible town planning, matched only by the twin religious monuments known as Caxton St and Lang Park.
5:15pm is when Bernard Foley or Dan Biggar will commence proceedings, and the 80 minutes thereafter will be a vitally important marker for both teams.
Wales will look to blow away the theory that they are vulnerable and tired after Lions tours, and Australia will be looking to build on their fantastic momentum from the New Zealand and Japan matches. It would help if they could recall the defensive wall from the 2015 World Cup group game against the men in red, memories of which keep me warm on these increasingly bitter autumnal Northern Hemisphere nights.
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This Wales team will be vastly improved compared to the one smashed by Australia in 2016, as not only will Warren Gatland be back in charge following his torturous, soul-destroying, how-did-he-survive stint as Lions coach in New Zealand, there are also minimal backline injury concerns (George North aside), which means the emergency crowd abuse magnet known as Alex Cuthbert need not be deployed. Don’t worry though Welsh fans, Rob Howley will still be there to soak up the punishment.
Having made the trip to Cardiff twice previously – for the corresponding fixture in 2014 and a day at the Ashes in 2015 (spent at the gorgeous Sophia Gardens ground) – one thing that stood out for me is the sheer friendliness, sportsmanship and craic on show from the Welsh fans towards us Aussies.
Perhaps it’s our shared dislike of the English sporting teams that unite the Aussies and Celts, not to mention our shared love of drinking industrial amounts of beer, as similar courtesies are extended in Scotland and Ireland.
A Wallabies victory would only ratchet up the tension and stakes before the grudge match with ‘Fast’ Eddie Jones and the ‘Swing Low’ mob at Twickenham (funnily enough, another fantastic, pub-lined walk from train station to stadium). We have had the wood on Wales for nigh on a decade now, and although they will eventually beat us again, this weekend will not be the time.
Our two greatest challenges this tour will be the aforementioned England game and the Scots at Murrayfield, which has developed into a nice little rivalry ever since Craig Joubert’s 100 per cent correct decision in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final.
I could never dislike the land that gave the world Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals and Stereophonics, therefore the craic will be shared liberally and the vibe will be ace – perfect for some Cardiff carnage.
The Doc
Roar Guru
Great read! We are headed to Cardiff to see Wales v South Africa in a few weeks. Will look out for the drinking mile. First time to the rugby since Ireland played Argentina in Adelaide in 2003. Too long between drinks
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
It was just water for us. :-(
Harry Jones
Expert
Carlos I don't think I've ever been more waterlogged than that night Or beer-logged
Samuel Honywill
Roar Pro
Of some interest to you Roarers: R. Evans, Owens Francis, Ball, Jones (c), Shingler, Navidi, Faletau G. Davies, Biggar, S. Evans, O.Williams, J. Davies, L. Williams, Halfpenny. Subs: Dacey, Smith, Brown, Hill, Cross, A. Davies, Watkin, Amos. Tasty looking backline - Owen Williams is overrated and I'd have gone with Watkin but he's certainly a signal that Wales are looking to play differently. Also interesting how Gatland was willing to back Liam Williams at full back against the world champions for the Lions but he's reverted to Halfpenny here. Watch out for Steff Evans - arguably the form wing in Europe; a constant menace, always looking for the tracking run ala Chris Ashton but also adept at offloading and picking good lines. Starting pack looks good too outside of Navidi, who's a versatile player but lacks a bit of oomph in any area of his game to truly stand out for mine, although Wales' injury list at openside is fairly brutal and leaves them with little choice. Shingler's another Scarlet who' been in excellent form and is quicker and more athletic than Lydiate or Warburton say, so again it's a pointer as to how Wales are looking to play. Back replacements on the bench look good - Watkin is a phenomenal talent - but the forwards look both inexperienced and lacking in impact. Sam Cross is a Sevens player who's pretty much only played two games of 15s. Aus probably got the bench depth to take it if it goes close but it's a strong looking starting 15.
Yanni
Guest
Hi Andrew, Good read. I'm also a sports-mad Brisbanite living in London and heading up for the match. Will be around for an a water or two on St Mary Street also, feel free to get in touch :) Yanni
Nicholas Bishop
Expert
Nice article Andrew, lots of true rugby grit in there!
Mark Richmond
Roar Guru
Diwrnod da Andrew! Win, lose or draw, have a great day in the land of my fathers. Hearing or singing Mae Hen Lawd Fy Nhadau (the anthem) and Calon Lan before an international always gives me goosebumps, especially at Cardiff, and yes you are right, it’s the dislike of the English that binds us together, no matter the result. Cymru am byth! ??????????????
AG
Guest
rip in!
Phil
Guest
Very nicely put,Andrew.Like many of the other commenters,I am very jealous but have a great time and cheer our Wallabies on to another victory.It's funny,isn't it how us Aussies never seem to hate the Welsh,Scots and Irish but the same cannot be said about that team from Twickenham!
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Andrew, I'm very envious! There is no better place to be than Cardiff on a big match day. Enjoy!
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Don't forget that as soon as Eales got the cup from QE-II he turned around and showed his back to her with the cup way up.
riddler
Guest
will was there at the last test at old cardiff arms park.. carling/andrew/davies last test superb day.. from the train ride from london and beyond.. was at wembley for the gibbs try vs england.. what a place and what result.. was at millenium stadium for eales lifting the william.. there literally could be no be better.. plus we voted against the republic that today.. so brilliant all round.. one common denominator in all 3.. the welsh are superb fun and they can drink but other than catherine zeta jones, their women are not worth mentioning..
Andrew
Roar Guru
Great stories and memories Carlos!
Who Needs Melon
Roar Guru
It strikes me as odd sometimes that there are a group of finely-honed athletes in the middle of a crowd of thousands of people, many of which are drunk and/or stuffing their faces. Then I order another beer.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Nice read! I have been a couple of times in Cardiff. The first was in 1978 when it was called Arms Park. I managed to walk on to the pitch and imagined that I was one of the Pumas from 1976 that had lost in the last minute 20-19. I then went in 1999 for the first and last games. Both times wearing a Pumas shirt and universally accepted with open arms by everyone. The first match was more interesting as I was seated with a large group of Welsh, one of them having invited me to the game. The were nervous with Quesada's kicking. I was there again in 2007, having taken for the first time who was to be my wife with the promise that it would be a great match and the All Blacks never lost. It was hard to explain to her what happened that night. The last time was for the recent AB-Wales match before the RWC. I finally got in to the pitch for the Captain's run and then sat at the Press Box for the game. The entire stadium singing was absolutely stunning. At the end of the game, Sam Cane was walking down to the pitch and when he saw us, he turned around to say hello and shake our hands. Needless to say, I was ecstatic that he remembered us from previous trips. It was only 5 seconds and then he got down with his mates. I didn't care! It was awesome. But, the next morning, we took the train back to Paddington very early. The train station had a lot of people passed out drunk on chairs, tables, benches, etc We took some funny pictures there. The night before, the party had no borders, everyone was having a great time. Twickenham is another story. I missed, due to the crazy crowds and some poor soul who fell into the tracks, meeting in person the infamous Harry Jones. Some other time. We had to walk all the way to Richmond in the drizzle.
Harry Jones
Expert
You're right about the walk to Twickers; every 5 steps something good to eat and drink. Crawl into the stadium with bloated gut.
Ozzie Bob
Guest
It is a great weekend in Cardiff!!!! Attended the 2011 match in Cardiff with a group of Aussies, was great fun and its true the locals are super friendly. Before and after match is so much fun in the pubs and bars
Sluggy
Roar Guru
Don't get arrested mate. At least not before the game.
PeterJ
Guest
I'm going too! Except we are heading down Friday night to soak up the atmosphere on Saturday morning. Can't wait!
gatesy
Roar Guru
Great read, Andrew! Goosebumps!!