England Fan's Close Encounters with LoL


By Barney Burnham 11/2/04
February 11 2004

England Fan, 25-year-old Dave Owen is a pediatric nurse, who's nearing the end of a year in Australia, on a working visa. he recounts for us the night when he drank with Team England in OZ. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH RUGBY HEROES

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH RUGBY WORLD CUP HEROES

by Barney Burnham 

Unofficial England's Rugby Reporter 

25-year-old Dave Owen is a pediatric nurse, who's nearing the end of a year in Australia, on a working visa.

 
He's also a huge rugby fan, who's always wanted to visit the Land Down Under.   He decided there was no better time to go than during World Cup year.  He spent six months saving and planning for his trip. He lived and worked at a children's hospice in Sittingbourne, also working at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury.
 

Before setting off, he managed to get tickets for a couple of England's group games, and decided to "take a chance" on the black market for the knockout stages."

 
His plan was to work two months each in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. He was in Perth at the time of the England team's arrival. It coincided with his first weekend off in two months. He was staying in a hostel, which was gradually filling up with incoming supporters. A group of them decided to visit a club in Subiaco. They were queuing outside, when a couple of locals told them that they'd heard a number of England players were in a nearby bar.
 
Dave and his mates decided to abandon the club and go instead for Plan B - find the England boys. They were exactly where the locals had said they were - around 15, in total.  Dave and friends asked if they could join them for a beer, and were told they were most welcome - provided they didn't talk about rugby, and asked for no photos or autographs. They were only too happy to agree to these conditions!
 
Dave himself takes up the story:" Josh Lewsey came up to me, held his hand out and said 'Hi, pleased to meet you. I'm Josh.' Lawrence Dallaglio asked us how we were enjoying Australia. Talking to Mike Tindall was like talking to an old mate. Jason Leonard insisted on buying us all a beer, saying 'Look. You've travelled thousands of miles to support us. It's the least we can do.'
 
"We all spent time talking about various things, that most blokes would talk about, and the lads really took us in as one of their own. They were really interested in what we were doing out here, and how we obtained tickets etc. I think it was refreshing to hear what us fans got up to - particularly as they didn't have the opportunity to do a gap year, as professional sportsmen. The evening went long into the night, some went home earlier then others, but a good proportion (mainly forwards), stayed on.
 
 
"In the taxi home, that night, I must have rung everybody I knew to tell them of the best night of my life. It was just a real honour to spend time with them."  
 
Their paths crossed again in Melbourne, after the Samoa game. A friend of his had attended the England-Australia match there in June, and had ended up in the same bar as the team. Dave briefed his fellow supporters about the post-match venue - an Irish bar just beneath the England team hotel. He went there, and waited, and waited....
 

"As the night went on, everybody kept asking me if they would turn up. I really didn't know. Then just after midnight, I saw Roachy (scrummaging coach, Phil Keith-Roach)  and Mike Catt, who recognised me from Perth. After a quick conversation and photo/ shirt signing opportunity with Andy Robinson too, I asked if anybody else was around.

    

 
"A mob had surrounded Jason and Lawrence, who were casually propping up the bar. So having had my night in Perth to cherish, I had my photo/ shirt signed too, and left the mob. My mates were well chuffed, having had both experiences. The England boys stayed till closing (yes I can't believe they closed too), and we all stumbled to the casino to see if our lucky streak would continue."
 
On hearing that Dave was next heading to Melbourne, Phil Keith-Roach invited him to drop in to the team hotel. Unfortunately, that was an hour away, in Surfer's Paradise, while Dave was staying in Brisbane itself, so that meeting never took place.
 
And so to Sydney:" I met Clive Woodward (no Sir at the time), in Manly, outside the team hotel. I'd managed to get hold of a Final ticket in a pub, just a few hours beforehand, and was enjoying a few beers with mates. An official RWC car pulled up outside, and Clive jumped out. Instinctively a mob attacked him, and even more instinctively I joined them. The only bit of paper I had for him to sign was my Final ticket, not a bad souvenir!"

The actual final day was, in Dave's words, "just amazing" and the memories will live forever, even though not everything was perfect: "The post-match organisation was shite. Hardly any bar would let people in with rugby shirts on. Those that would were packed, and there was no public transport anywhere. And they say the Olympics were the best yet!" Dave still hasn't watched the game on TV, and doesn't want to just yet, as he wants to keep his own precious memories of that unforgettable day.

Post-World Cup, life for a Pom Down Under is not bad at all, according to Dave:" Even on the day of the final, the Aussies were saying we were the best team on the day. They are very proud of being part of that great final, and rightly so. Of course, you still get ribbed, but we can say we have two cups now (just don't mention the other is in footy). Even the press have stopped Pommie-bashing. There are still a lot of people out here that have just stayed, giving up their jobs back home. It is a good time to be a Pom in Australia, as long as you don't talk about cricket."

In summing up, Dave has this to say about his encounters with our heroes:" I would say that they are Gods on the pitch. Fit, professional, feared by the best teams in the world. However, in the bar, they still can encompass the true spirit of Rugby. That is, that they are like any other team. Some are more talkative then others, some are actually quite shy, and others are the life and soul. They will always look after each other. They are genuinely interested in the fans - and from a fan's point of view it's very important that your idols are not prima donnas!"

A trip of a lifetime, with the highpoint being that glorious day in November, when England became the best in the world. Dave is now planning  to visit the Hong Kong Sevens before coming home. Then it's back to work, to save up for next year's Lions tour. A loyal supporter, whose loyalty has been richly rewarded. The memories will never die.

 

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