By AlanQuin
January 10 2003

So we have arrived at Friday. Normally that is the day that the anticipation begins to build. The adrenaline starts to run. The hopes and fears begin to gnaw at ones stomach. Tomorrow is match day! Except this week and next week it is not. Quins are not playing and with that goes the realisation that fate and she who must be obeyed, or at least kept in a good mood, will be wanting to be taken shopping or accompanied upon some similar to-be-avoided expedition.

If you can avoid having to undertake the normal, mundane tasks there is much rugby on television, particularly if you have sattelite TV available. Today at 19.15 on British Eurosport you can watch Llanelli -v- Burguoin. Saturday brings Toulouse -v- Newport at 14.00 on the same channel. Some forty-five minutes later BBC 1 is showing Northampton –v-Biarritz. At 17.30 for those who do not mind the commentary being in Welsh, SC4 is showing Connacht –v- Pontypridd. On Sunday, at 13.30, again on Eurosport there is the Wasps –v- Stade Francais. Somewhere, I think there is also Leinster –v- Swansea, but my sources are contradictory and it is possibly a match too far!

Some of that should keep the addicts from the trauma of withdrawal symptoms. The beer and other food intakes can still be consumed and by the end of the week-end it is only the fact that we have not been watching the men in funny multi-coloured shirts and will have nothing much to add to the message board that will cause regret.

Next week-end there is similarly a glut of television but relieved by a 2nXV match at Newport on Monday evening. Hasta la vista!