Try scorer
A weekend in Brive
Try scorer
By Leipziger
October 31 2006
So, the Falcons lost 41-12 to Brive at the weekend, however that was just a sore spot on a fantastic weekend for those who followed the lads to France and generally had a top time in the small, friendly town of Brive La Gaillaurde.
Try scorer
October 31 2006
So, the Falcons lost 41-12 to Brive at the weekend, however that was just a sore spot on a fantastic weekend for those who followed the lads to France and generally had a top time in the small, friendly town of Brive La Gaillaurde.
Friday began at 5.30am, waking up with a spring in my step (no work yeah – hopefully Lisa won’t get the normal abuse I do!), and a Tube ride to Waterloo for the 8.12 Eurostar to Paris. As I sat back with a tonne of legroom, sipping a Brown Ale, I realized this was the first time I’d been out of the UK since Paris 2005 – hopefully a better result this time.
I got to Paris at 11.45 as expected, and had a long hot walk through some not very nice parts of French capital from the Gare du Nord to the Gare d’Austerlitz for the train to Brive, with left at 2. The Corail 3641 continued after Brive to Montauban and Toulouse – everywhere a rugby fan could want, and was it ever cushy!
Upon arrival in Brive, I found the town to be as far from “sprawling and ugly” as my guide book called it as could be, it was a nice, traditional place almost untouched by big brands, full of pavement cafes and bars, markets and a slow pace of life. I could almost live there.
The youth hostel wasn’t brilliant, one bed in the room with a very thin mattress and one with a frame and nothing else! Still, at least I had a room to myself and for €30 for two nights; you get what you pay for. I went around the town to try to find some other Falcons (my mobile not working!), but failed and settled for a huge chicken and pineapple pizza for dinner, with a nice fried egg in the middle.
After a couple of pints, including one of a nice beer called Grimbergen at a rugby bar where a couple of (non-English speaking unfortunately) Brive fans were watching Castres-Treviso, it was time to end a long day in anticipation of the big match on Saturday.
Waking up with huge pain in my neck from the thin mattress, and in my ear due to a guy trying to throw up in the bathroom opposite my door, breakfast saw a group of about twenty 7-year-old girls and their two, presumably teachers on a long table and then a big Geordie in a rugby shirt in the corner, feeling pretty dippy. They did offer me a cupcake though.
After finding Lyn and J at their hotel, and another quick beer I found Brive’s club shop, and got myself a pennant and scarf. Then to the Hotel de La Poste to meet up with many Newcastle fans over for the game. The La Poste sold a very nice beer called Edelweiis, of which Peter and I partook many times. A nice salad and a lot of chat then it was time to head to the ground.
The Parc Municipal is quite a nice ground, with large stands on either side of the pitch and stalls for food, beer (and jam) at the north end. The sun was shining, and in the Grande Tribune it was very, very hot! Personally, I went for a bottle of water just before half time, and then again before the second half started. A sign said 24 degrees C on the way to the ground, way too hot for the end of October.
No Falcon player blamed the heat mind, indeed at the beginning the lads made some good advances into the Brive half, but their wing Farid Sid set up the opening try from an overthrown lineout which Damien Chouly scored. Matthew Burke ran in a superb score to level, but come half time the French side had run up a 19-5 lead with further tries from captain Ludovic Valbon and Lucoano Orquera.
Brive began the second half as they ended the first, with Chouly scoring his second from a scrum. The Falcons hit back with a penalty try for a maul being pulled down, however seconds earlier referee Huw Watkins might have already given the score when John Rudd was hauled down on the line and Brive punched the loose ball into touch. Toby Flood converted, but three further tries from the hosts took them out of reach. The introduction of several replacements couldn’t salvage anything, and Brive were the winners 41-12 to gain revenge for two defeats last year.
Post-match, we cheered and chatted the players out of the stadium, with Geoff Parling making to do a runner when a chorus of “Happy birthday” began. Several members of the team then put in an appearance at the La Poste bar in the evening, chatting happily with fans, although Robbie Morris refused to join in a dance of Swan Lake by one traveling supporter. The team generally agreed that they had just not been good enough to win the game.
The next morning I woke up, ready to say goodbye to Brive and get the 7.45 train to Paris. Waiting in Brive station, it struck me that there weren’t many people around and the train’s lights were still off. Then it hit me – the clocks went back!! Oh no!
So I there was over an hour to go until the train left. Wonderful. Fortunately there were other Geordies on the same train so it wasn’t all bad. I should have realized it was too dark and quiet, but no, I was just a numpty.
Once in Paris, since I had three hours to kill I tried to head for the Eiffel Tower, but couldn’t make head nor tail of the Paris trains, so just went up to the Gare du Nord for lunch and to get the Eurostar back to London as time was already getting on. I recommend the Hippopotamus restaurant, nice steak burger.
Many thanks to everyone in Brive for such a great weekend, apart from the result it was superb. Can’t wait for Montauban now.
I got to Paris at 11.45 as expected, and had a long hot walk through some not very nice parts of French capital from the Gare du Nord to the Gare d’Austerlitz for the train to Brive, with left at 2. The Corail 3641 continued after Brive to Montauban and Toulouse – everywhere a rugby fan could want, and was it ever cushy!
Upon arrival in Brive, I found the town to be as far from “sprawling and ugly” as my guide book called it as could be, it was a nice, traditional place almost untouched by big brands, full of pavement cafes and bars, markets and a slow pace of life. I could almost live there.
The youth hostel wasn’t brilliant, one bed in the room with a very thin mattress and one with a frame and nothing else! Still, at least I had a room to myself and for €30 for two nights; you get what you pay for. I went around the town to try to find some other Falcons (my mobile not working!), but failed and settled for a huge chicken and pineapple pizza for dinner, with a nice fried egg in the middle.
After a couple of pints, including one of a nice beer called Grimbergen at a rugby bar where a couple of (non-English speaking unfortunately) Brive fans were watching Castres-Treviso, it was time to end a long day in anticipation of the big match on Saturday.
Waking up with huge pain in my neck from the thin mattress, and in my ear due to a guy trying to throw up in the bathroom opposite my door, breakfast saw a group of about twenty 7-year-old girls and their two, presumably teachers on a long table and then a big Geordie in a rugby shirt in the corner, feeling pretty dippy. They did offer me a cupcake though.
After finding Lyn and J at their hotel, and another quick beer I found Brive’s club shop, and got myself a pennant and scarf. Then to the Hotel de La Poste to meet up with many Newcastle fans over for the game. The La Poste sold a very nice beer called Edelweiis, of which Peter and I partook many times. A nice salad and a lot of chat then it was time to head to the ground.
The Parc Municipal is quite a nice ground, with large stands on either side of the pitch and stalls for food, beer (and jam) at the north end. The sun was shining, and in the Grande Tribune it was very, very hot! Personally, I went for a bottle of water just before half time, and then again before the second half started. A sign said 24 degrees C on the way to the ground, way too hot for the end of October.
No Falcon player blamed the heat mind, indeed at the beginning the lads made some good advances into the Brive half, but their wing Farid Sid set up the opening try from an overthrown lineout which Damien Chouly scored. Matthew Burke ran in a superb score to level, but come half time the French side had run up a 19-5 lead with further tries from captain Ludovic Valbon and Lucoano Orquera.
Brive began the second half as they ended the first, with Chouly scoring his second from a scrum. The Falcons hit back with a penalty try for a maul being pulled down, however seconds earlier referee Huw Watkins might have already given the score when John Rudd was hauled down on the line and Brive punched the loose ball into touch. Toby Flood converted, but three further tries from the hosts took them out of reach. The introduction of several replacements couldn’t salvage anything, and Brive were the winners 41-12 to gain revenge for two defeats last year.
Post-match, we cheered and chatted the players out of the stadium, with Geoff Parling making to do a runner when a chorus of “Happy birthday” began. Several members of the team then put in an appearance at the La Poste bar in the evening, chatting happily with fans, although Robbie Morris refused to join in a dance of Swan Lake by one traveling supporter. The team generally agreed that they had just not been good enough to win the game.
The next morning I woke up, ready to say goodbye to Brive and get the 7.45 train to Paris. Waiting in Brive station, it struck me that there weren’t many people around and the train’s lights were still off. Then it hit me – the clocks went back!! Oh no!
So I there was over an hour to go until the train left. Wonderful. Fortunately there were other Geordies on the same train so it wasn’t all bad. I should have realized it was too dark and quiet, but no, I was just a numpty.
Once in Paris, since I had three hours to kill I tried to head for the Eiffel Tower, but couldn’t make head nor tail of the Paris trains, so just went up to the Gare du Nord for lunch and to get the Eurostar back to London as time was already getting on. I recommend the Hippopotamus restaurant, nice steak burger.
Many thanks to everyone in Brive for such a great weekend, apart from the result it was superb. Can’t wait for Montauban now.
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