The AIs are here and into battle we go...

Yes, the long awaited AIs are upon us, with us all proudly showing our colours. Our brave teams will do battle, each wanting to defeat each other and taste the glories of victory....



... but let us not forget. The importance of the true sacrifice made by brave men and women. Many of them, not only soldiers, sailors, airmen, but sportsmen, who I'm sure would have rather done battle on the sports fields than the killing fields they found themselves.

I'll say no more than ask you to take a minute to remember them this weekend.

T’was Madness By Peter Atkinson

Deep in the trenches and stenches they stand
Where their life’s in the balance, poised in fates hand.
The front line can make courage soon disappear
With the rage of the battle and the palpable fear.
Our troops line to die when the whistle is blown,
To a slaughter so vile in the killing zone.

What mind in command could consider it right
To march men with rifles to engage such a fight
Where opponents attack with such focused disdain
Meet machine-guns a-blazing; reap carnage insane.
T’was a war that was numb to a phalanx of death
Were the leaders perplexed; suffered intake of breath?

What contest deemed fair would plan such a match?
Where a soldier on foot would cross a mud patch
To a death that was certain as bullets would slay
Those Innocents ordered straight into harms way.
Christ, why was that ever considered to be
A fair contest? T’was madness and none disagree.

I will be attending our local rememberence service before going to Edinburgh in the afternoon for the All Blacks game.

We will remember them.

As Armistice Day is celebrated on November 11th, a fitting post.

April 25th is normally when we celebrate these things Down Under but I hope the ABs have a poppy on their sleeves. Lest we forget...

For the match with the Maoris Leicester have special shirts - embroidered with a poppy and with letters on the back instead of numbers. These shirts will be auctioned online afterwards - with proceeds going to the Poppy Appeal.

http://www.leicestertigers.com/news/15285.php

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

I wasn't at Twickenham or Murrayfield, but from what I saw on the TV, I would like to applaud the fans for their courteous and respectfully observed silence.

I'm not sure if a minutes silence was observed at the Aviva, as I missed the opening moments of the TV broadcast, but I'm sure it was if held.

But I was at the MS, and I have to come on here and say how appalled I was at the mindless idiots who think that when the stadium stands to pay its respect, it is funny to scream, shout or whoop, so they can be heard over the quiet.

I know that some of my fellow countrymen, will say it was the Argentinian fans, and maybe it was some. But I don't buy that, as there where only a handful of Argentinians at the game, and from where I was, I witnessed several idiots wearing welsh shirts around me shouting out. I could not tackling them at the time, after all, that would mean I would be making a noise. But I did see 2 of them in the toilets at half time and addressed it. To which they gave me a mouthful of abuse. I would like to thank the BIG guy wearing the Opsrey hoodie for stepping in and "helping" the lout towards the exit when he saw fit to spit at me, as I didn't get chance to thank you personally at the time. I should add, I'm more than capable of dealing with idiots like this myself, but I had my young nephew (5 year old) with me at the time and couldn't leave him by himself.

I know it is a minority of mindless morons who do this sort of thing, but it really made me ashamed.

Sir Biggles, shouting and making noises during minutes silence just seems to be common practice amongst the drunk chavs that go to internationals. Some nations seem to attract it more than others.

"But I was at the MS, and I have to come on here and say how appalled I was at the mindless idiots who think that when the stadium stands to pay its respect, it is funny to scream, shout or whoop, so they can be heard over the quiet".

It's the Welsh that bring the soccer "yob" element to our wonderful game i'm afraid.