In the 2008/2009 season, London Wasps refused to play their away Guinness Premiership match against Sale Sharks because part of the pitch was too wet. Here are some reminders that rugby is a game for all seasons and should only occasionally be subject to Rain Stop Play.
Scotland v England 6 Nations Championship - Murrayfield 2000
In 1999, Scott Gibbs and Neil Jenkins had broken English hearts, denying them both the Grand Slam and the final 5 Nations championship. 12 months on, they were playing a poor Scottish side at Murrayfield. They had been totally dominant throughout the tournament and Scotland had lost to Italy. Surely nothing could go wrong this time, could it?
Once more the rugby gods decreed that the game would be played in that piercingly cold rain that only a winter’s day in Edinburgh can produce. The conditions deteriorated but England seemed unable to move away from plan A and kept trying to move the ball. It played into Scotland’s hands and Duncan Hodge snorkelled his was over the line for the winning try, ruining England’s Grand Slam dreams again.
Crusaders v Hurricanes – Super 14 Final – Jade Stadium 2006
The game wasn’t spoilt by rain this time. The challenge to players, supporters and commentators alike was the fog which rolled in over the stadium, turning the showcase game of the 2006 Super 14 tournament into a farce.
Spectators at one end of the ground were reduced to watching the match on the big screen at the stadium, so thick was the fog, which knocked visibility down to a few yards. The commentators fared no better, they were forced to split the commentary with the touchline reporter who was the only one who could see the far half of the pitch.
Ultimately, Crusaders sneaked through 19-12.
Bath Rugby v Stade Toulouse - Heineken Cup– The Recreation Ground 2009
Both sides had already qualified for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup, but the all important home draw was at stake. A repeat of Toulouse’s 18-16 home win over the West Countrymen would see them playing in the South of France, a Bath Win would see them back at the Rec' for the quarter final
The weather was atrocious, very few games would have been played in the sweeping rain that hit Bath and it’s riverside ground. As a local said before the game, ‘The Romans built all over Bath, but they didn’t build on the Rec’, What does that tell you?’
The conditions dragged both sides into a war of attrition which didn’t suit either of the free running teams, and the match finished as a mud spattered 3-3 draw, with Toulouse spurning numerous drop goal opportunities. The result, both teams ended up away from home, the Frenchmen meeting unbeaten Cardiff Blues at the Millennium Stadium and Bath going to Welford Road to meet Leicester. Both lost.
New Zealand Juniors v British Lions Wellington 1977
This match spawned one of the most iconic rugby photographs of all time. Fran Cotton, the English prop festooned in mud standing at the front of the lineout was immortalised by photographer Colin Elsey, who won the sports photograph of the year competition with it.
Elsey could have chosen anyone to photograph in a match which was played in a torrential downpour in which both sets of players were indistinguishable from each other, but the Lions managed to win 19 points to 9.
Virtually Every Match Played at Connaught
BBC Wales show a live Magners League match every Friday night during the season and at various intervals, scores from other matches will be announced by the commentators. Irish region Connaught usually play their home games on a Friday. On a regular basis, the score will come up with one side or the other winning comfortably.
This side will usually slump mysteriously in the second half, with a large lead mysteriously slipping away as the gale force winds which sweep down the ground take their toll. This is a ground where Felipe Contepomi, whilst playing for Leinster, kicked a goal, only for the wind to contemptuously throw it back through the posts as both sets of players looked at each other wondering if the kick was good or not.
If London Wasps played their home matches at the Sportsground in Galway, they may never take the pitch!
Rugby Played in the Worst Conditions
Neil Hughes - Growing up in West Wales, there was little doubt that rugby would be one of the great passions of my life. I played with great enthusiasm ...
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