Episode 21 - "At Your Service"

This week Banana's Rugby Tours Ltd is formed as Anna talks about leading fans through a haze of Mick Galway possible-sightings, session-oysters and bike-discos with Donnacha O'Callaghan like a young Francis Brennan. Bear watched the second-half in the INEC after a Michael Corcoran-fuelled first half sketchy drive to Kerry.
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the Banana and Rubbie.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
You join us from the back of a bike cycling
through the around the port in Larachelle as Dona Calla
Callahan pedals us around like a little child hanging off
the bag. Welcome to Banana and Bears Rugby Podcast. I'm Tom,
and over there is Gullo. How are you Gollo?

Speaker 1 (00:28):
What is the crap?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Well? Oh, you're geting?

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Could I say lott even more of my hair after
the weekend?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
How he's on Social Butterfly like any rugby event I got,
he's there first.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
He is on real I I'll tell you a quick
story before you tell me all your amazing stories about
goll Of. Somebody asked me on Sunday did I ever
meet him? So I did. I met him a couple
of times, But I said, I was hosting a thing
in cor Go time. And you you you only get
to see the You realize how influential that kind of

(01:08):
team is when you see what I was seeing. So
I was hosting this thing for Heineken, and it was
Dennis Leamy Classy and Mikeudrisk and Goloff. And I'd watched
enough gangster movies to know what I was seeing. Right
before the thing kicked off, I was kind of giving
the lads to the lattle and do you know what
I mean, it's sure, look we'll do this. When we're
like yeah, no bother, no water. All four were scanning

(01:31):
the fucking room like hey, stoppy fingers over there, he's
just gonna be on the mic and we're just gonna
and lads were coming up and like whispering things in
their in their ear, and then it would pass on
to Gollof and he'd kind of give a nod and
then the other person would run away. I don't even
this is just in a regular bar. Like people were
kind of going, you should see the unfladire. He's a
right good player, and Golof kind of just took his

(01:52):
hands out of his boxmou so the moment we have
a look at him. Turns out it was Ralph Keyesson,
who's a specimen of a child, and it was like,
goodboe are you He was like, oh, I'd like to
play a bit of rugby right and have a look
at you next day, go back to work. Look, and
it was just it was the most Matthia looking shit
I've ever seen, and it carried on throughout just watching

(02:14):
them in operation how these people and then swing around
to some of the best videos like this man's got
to be sixteen early hanging off the back of a
pike to you, did you get to meet You didn't
get to meet him, did you?

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Gollum, No, he's very elusive. Even though very elusive Slash,
everybody else met him.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, it's so strange, like some people is.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
It's so typical. I bumped into some people about ten times.
And then there's some people that I didn't see at all,
Like I never met my cousin who I was planning
to meet, never met them, and they were here for
a number of days. I never met Golif, I never
met Barry Barry Murphy, and.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
And someone else, someone else I didn't flip meat.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
Actually, there was quite a good good few people that
I knew around that I didn't meet. And then some
people I literally bump bumped into about ten times. I'd
be like, right, go on, I'll see in about another
half an hour anyway wherever we both end up, including
Donica Kinathan who must have bumped into about about on
seven different occasions, and he was loving the video. Like

(03:25):
the tour he was saying, you're like the friendsss. Brennan
of Rugby. Was like, what an honor and the ironically right.
He had said that to me already, like we thought
when he saw the video.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
He was like, you're like the friends with Brendan and Rugby.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
And on the Sunday I was like to the girls,
the four girls from Bows that were over, I was
bringing them out I for a cycle and we were
just picking up our bikes and Donica and his party
passed and I was like, right, you're late for the tour.
Laate for the tour and he was like oh, laughing
away and then they walked off and I was like,

(04:06):
go on, see you whenever and I put on I
usually do disco bike, so I'll put on my put
my speaker into the carrier and like throw on some tunes,
put on the Vinger bus.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
And I had a large shell.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Flag hanging out the back of the bike and all
the girls.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Were following on next thing.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
But twenty minutes later recycled past and again he was
like a here for fox.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Fucking friends is Brennan's tours. I was like no, no, no,
everybody ready yet you are?

Speaker 2 (04:35):
You are lovely lovely played you. That's lovely now what
you needed the glasses down the end of your nose
with just you know, a little cord hanging them off
and just go yeah lovely now yeah, yeah, jeezus, this
great great and we all eat nysters. Sorry Jesus, that's fantastic.
By the way, to everybody who we told to go
watch the video, clear that everybody went and watched the video.

(04:58):
Affected you had to give like a PSA after the
video went up? Did anybody go on what video? And
I gave a lovely it's the one video that that
Donica Kalen is talking about, And I gave a lovely
walking like a lovely tour as to what to do
in the forty eight hours you'll be in Larachelle. And

(05:18):
then you had to give a PSA? Would they it's
gone okay.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, yeah, I know because someone wrote to me they
were like, that's not actually true, is it?

Speaker 1 (05:30):
And I was like, oh, Jesus, I never really thought
this that people are like.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Kind of shocked by this because this is generally genuinely
on the weekend mornings and sometimes during the week people
from Larachelle go to the market and they drink white
wine and have oysters for breakfast. Like when we go
on rugby trips away, our coaches will have white wine
and oysters for breakfast, and it's like having a mimosa

(05:56):
or something. But it doesn't necessarily mean that that's you
on the white wine now and that's you for the
rest of the day, like it's I.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
I got nervous that.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
I was like, oh my God, like, is everyone just
gonna will people even get to the match?

Speaker 1 (06:08):
And Jesus, like.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
I was worried and someone on the way home for
the match could bear he could not walk in a
straight line. We went over like you are right, Oh yeah,
We gave him bottle of water and whatever. I didn't
talk to him, but the girls are saying and that's
because he went to the market in the morning. I
was like, well, I fucking told him I'm gonna stop drinking.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Like I knew it. I knew when I got to
that bit I went. But also, I'm talking to you
all the time, so I know when you mentioned things
about the French people like yeah, it's there are completely
different breed people. They can have a little old winer
rooney and on they go again. They can go on
with their day, whereas you know what I mean, Irish
people know you opened that door, one tiny little crack

(06:51):
at all, and we're off to the races straight away.
Left for the rest of it. But I didn't even
consider it, and it was only when I saw your
your public service announcement go up, going Okay, here's the
thing that's I suggested, only going for ysters and one
white wine and heading on with your day. But don't
be getting on it like you're not on it from there,
because you won't make them matchy bastards. Like I loved it,

(07:12):
and then you like the videos of the place absolutely
thronged with the Anna experience. I've gone for oysters and
white wine, troned with red faced, red jerseyed people. I
was like, well their coursonana now, because if one thing
the French don't want is loads of customers because they're
they'd have to do it. Like it was, did they

(07:34):
eat them out of oysters or what was the crack?
Was anybody up there for you're ignorant going have you
need black pudding?

Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, they would have been, because like people were ordering
it and then like no one like I was eating
the oysters on my own at the same at the
next table, like the one fellow was eating the oysters
because his girlfriend couldn't have them, and like but.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Boats there were, there was a considerable amount.

Speaker 3 (07:58):
It was the wine was more the worry and the beer.
Like the people of Larachelle are like stunned by how
great the weekend was. And I told them honestly, like
I said, I was like monsters, a different crowd now
to Leinster, like they couldn't have foreseen, Like I know that.

(08:19):
So what was one of the lads in the pub
in the market who I know for since the first
day came to LaRochelle. I know them since then, and
he said that they get through eight kegs in a month,
and they got through six. They got through six on
the weekend, so I'd say they were starting to look

(08:40):
nervous about running out of booze. It was just the
perfect kickoff time on the Saturday, so it brought people
in the Friday, all day Saturday and Saturday night and
all day Sunday. It was just it was an unbelievable
weekend for the town. Like we spent like most of
the morning at the market with a serious sing song

(09:02):
with like these French people nearby within walks down the
Old Port and I.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
Just I was struggling to take it in.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
It was like, do you know what I thought of?
It was like the Quidditch World Cup Final?

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Do you remember that?

Speaker 3 (09:21):
Like, I know, did you read the Harry Potter number four?
But when she's describing the Quidditch World Cup Final, that's
what it felt.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Like, because it looked like to me a mixture of
an unreal wedding and a festival all at the one time,
where you're all just kind of suited and booted. The
crack is ninety, nothing can go wrong. You're after like
everybody's on it, and every time you round the corner
you're like, oh yeah, you know what I mean, you've
the place, You've the run of the place. It was

(09:49):
so much better being in a in a town like
that than being in a big, big city because you're
gonna you know, you're gonna mingle with people who don't
even care that or know that they the Rugby John.
It was a big festival, but it looks of things.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
It is comparable to Cardiff, Like it was like Cardiff
on a mini level, because you know, Cardiff's so great
because you're the center point is around the stadium, so
everyone around the stadium doesn't know what's happening, regardless of
it being in a big.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
City or not.

Speaker 3 (10:19):
But like the beauty of La Rochelle itself, like as
a backdrop as a setting, just elevated it so much
more and like the.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
People were shocked.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Like we went to we had training on Friday night
and I'd been in town and I saw like what.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
Was happening with amount of people around.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
And I said to the lads, like if you've been
into town, like I said to the girls, and they
were like, oh no, And I was like, oh Jesus,
you have to go in and have a look. And
they were like are they already here, like asking if
the fans that like on the Friday night and I
was like, lads, just go and look like you're not
you're not, You're never like you've never seen anything like this,
and they hadn't. They hadn't ever seen anything like it,

(11:01):
and actually, come to think of it, it's probably the
biggest occasion that they've seen. Because the thing is the
stadium can only take so much and the French don't
like come to town in throngs, whereas you know in
Ireland would all go there anyway, and then you watch
it in the pub.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
They don't do that as much. Now.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
We did meet a bunch of fellas here, the fellas
we were having the sing song at the market with.
They came down from Paris just to watch it, just
to be here for the occasion, and that's not that
common at all. So the thing is that the stadium
only has small capacity really when you think about it,
so the town can hold it.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
The town can manage it quite well.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
But never I don't think they've ever seen that number
of visiting supporters.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's like, you're it just sounds like a wave of
everything they had no idea about, just came around the
corner going what nobody seemed to know what in the
name of is. It's like now you you had, you
know what, you had preempted it, and lo and behold,
you sent me on an article about the you went.
I called it that a lot of them were turning

(12:13):
their nose up because the ticket holder, the season ticket
holders had to buy their tickets. So of course mon
monster heads were absolutely ready to jump on it. How
many do you reckon? We're how many monster people do
you reckon? Roughly got in. They were saying, too, it.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
Had to have been more than that, Like, how are
you counting? You can't count that?

Speaker 1 (12:35):
No, Like I.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
Met I met a fellow from Bows and his girlfriend and.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
They had come from Vietnam.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Like, how do you know who has purchased that ticket?

Speaker 1 (12:44):
Like and Roger had.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
Yes, that was the article I was talking about, Roger saying,
this is where like all of the expats who were
in France, in Europe, wherever else, this is where they'll
meet for the weekend. Because that's the thing about living
somewhere else, you don't have to to buy the flights
and stuff like. That's why I love That's why I
went to Italy because there aren't there isn't the throng

(13:06):
of Irish people in Larachelle trying to get to Italy
for the Six Nations, the Ireland.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Six Nations, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:14):
They were so much easier because they're not competing with
the throngs. So that does bring in an extra definitely
a couple of hundred.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
I don't know, I'm not very good. I'm a bit
of a.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Dougal McGuire when it comes to looking at crowds, you.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
Know, I don't know. They were just lows.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Them Granny the Granny's coming to own my club.

Speaker 3 (13:36):
I'd say there's about five million of them out there,
but I thought there was five million Monster fans.

Speaker 1 (13:41):
That's what it felt like.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Because they made this as like I sacrilege, right. I
had to head off for a gig. So I'm driving
down to the c and Clarnet my seven Neil DeLamar,
and I had the radio on and we got there
for about twenty five minutes left in the match, just
dumped there in the Glen Eagle like you want to
see it the most plow a match Colchi affair because

(14:07):
Mario Rosenstock was in the huge room. We were in
the other room, so that was like there was well
over two thousand people in the ic so car parking
spaces were at a premium. But yeah, I just mounted
this mound of earth and I went right. We'd nearly
climb out the fucking window because I was just chomping
at a bit because this match had me the arrest.

(14:28):
Listening to it had me stressed. So ran in caught
the tail, caught the last twenty five minutes and I
was like, gee, us. They do not sound like two
thousand people. I would say this even looking at them
engaging and going, we've got quartered the room anyway, We've
got quote we have to have there must be four
thousand people in that stadium from Munster. That must be
because gaging it as they panned around, I'm like, yeah,

(14:50):
there's no way, that's only one eighth. No, we've got
quarter of the room for sure.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah. And like obviously top four teen games, they're always
despite how LaRochelle have been doing, they're always.

Speaker 1 (15:07):
Is a good atmosphere.

Speaker 3 (15:10):
It started to wane a little bit now in recent matches,
so I wasn't sure kind of how this would make
the LaRochelle fans react, But because.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
They had seen.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
The excitement from Munster, it just elevated the react the
crowd reaction from LaRochelle.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
It was so good.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
I hadn't heard it like that maybe ever, the singing,
the energy maybe kind of versus Leinster. But also those
were like cold nights and brainy, you know, the sunshine
and the oh it was just glorious. And it was
half as six as well. So by the time they're

(15:50):
finishing up, the sun has started to set behind the stadium,
so there's a gorgeous like orange glow from most of
the stand. It made it so kind of sad and
for Laura Shelle and then so like such an amazing
like hold on to this moment for Monster, Like it
was just, oh, couldn't have been better for Monster?

Speaker 1 (16:15):
I must say.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah, I mean it's I couldn't. I still couldn't wrap,
Like one part of my head was gone absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
this is how this was written in the stars. This
is it. Yeah, this is what we used to do.
You're like, we haven't done done that in a long time,
you know what I mean? And of course it's nearly
Shakespearean and how the weather went with us, you know everything,

(16:38):
like there was a full story, even God of convincing
Roger to put you know, a picture of Mico up first,
and you know talk about you know, his his achievements
and stuff in Irish sport. It was like Jesus's Cristy
fair plady. But you might be sabotaging yourself as all,
but you definitely are juicing up the Monster crowd by
giving them something, something to something to hang their hat

(16:59):
on there, like even before the match kicks off.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
But yeah, I think.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
No, sorry, I was just saying it was a classy move.
Ill said, it was a classic move by by Ogara,
Like do you know he was like, okay, a sport
to sport and this is what you know, this is
the right thing to do. But even he I saw
an injury outwards because yeah, of still working with Magic
the bastard. Basically he convinced me, you know, and you
don't want to give the opposition, you know, even the
opposition fans anything at all. But clearly he's a classic customer,

(17:31):
like you know.

Speaker 3 (17:32):
Yeah, but there's such a level of actual respects there
now between the two sides.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Like I actually think the Larashell.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
Fans were almost like as close as it was, and
a lot of them left they were so disappointed, but
there was a lot of them that were like Jesus,
like that was that you know, fair play, like to
have kind of ground that out with the fans that
are here with the crack.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
And as well the end at the end of the match,
you're talking about the rugby.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
In a bit, but like let's like we'll stay everybody's
talking about the rugby.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
Well you need to get you know, you had your
finger on the pulse of the whole thing. Let's hear
all the good stuff.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:15):
So, like one thing at the end that was really
funny was they were pitch invaders.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
People kept running on the pitch and the French were
loving it.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
They were like way, so like it's so funny because
I haven't seen that happen at all in stard Marcela Fland,
like it doesn't happen, like but obviously Monster fans were
frecking hammered and they didn't give a shit, and like
every so often one would just at the end of
the of the match, one would like jump over and
run on. And the security that are chasing them down

(18:46):
are in suits and dress shoes, so they're obviously slipping
all over the place, and like they could see it
happening that they weren't getting caught and they were running
through and like getting like the all people around them,
like the security that were chasing them down, were slipping over.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
And he just said to a change of directing and
everyone'll be like way. So that really.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Lifted the somber mood, because their mood was somber among
LaRochelle fans, like they were so disappointed. But that really
kind of lifted the mood because it was so funny.

Speaker 1 (19:20):
But yeah, it was.

Speaker 3 (19:23):
Some of the behavior from the from the security guards
was crazy, like one of them threw a chair at
one of the paper I was like, fucking hell, like
literally frisbee adu that was flat, Like holy shit, like

(19:45):
this could be very fucking bad. Thankfully no one was
injured and as well, like all the kids and stuff
are on the pitch afterwards, like they all get to
run around and the pitch. It's so cute, like all
the kids, the LaRochelle players and coaches kids, they all
run onto the pitch and they all play at the
end like.

Speaker 1 (20:01):
They don't give a damp about it. They don't even know.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah you put the video on rugby or no rugby,
like you know, it's a good evening. Like when the
kids are they don't give a shit. They're just running
around as mad as Larry's just joined themselves like having
the crack.

Speaker 3 (20:15):
I have to say though, and I won't dwell on
this because I don't want it to overshadow because overall
it was an unbelievably amazing weekend and the Monster fans
are such great crack Boss. There are some desperate potholes around.

Speaker 1 (20:32):
Oh, like some caught actors.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
Like there was one box down in front of us,
good bit down. Oh and actually remember I was saying
to you the girl the women's team was away, so
none of us up took our tickets. There's only me
and one other girl who's injured, so they put us
in a box. So I actually watched it from from
a corporate box, which was really nice.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yeah, there was really nice of them. But I'm in
star little spot the corner.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Would it loved to be down in the thick of
it as well, But it was incredible regardless. But there
was one books down in front of us. Now I
must see. There's a couple of different generations that that
you're turn that turn up here. There's the retirees, you know,
all the outfellas, and I'm actually starting to recognize all
of them, Like, and they're sitting out of the market

(21:21):
all day and they're great crack al but they're lovely crack.
Now they do tend to say sexist things, but look,
I didn't wanted to ruin my weekend.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
Because that's just for them. That's the way it was.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
Then there's the kind of the ones who were run
away from their kids, but they're like and their wives
and stuff for their wives are with them, so they're
like mildly sensible. And then there's this young, young, young
batch and they're they're all fellas, like bunches of twenty
something year rolls, and there's a bit good bit of

(22:05):
fucking con acting going on, which I wasn't too oppressed with.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
Now, the one fella I was saying there a second ago,
he was down.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
In front of us whenever Monster scored, he turned around
to the Larwerchelle fans and start kissing the badge.

Speaker 2 (22:17):
Oh my god, Oh no, sit.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
Down your little bollocks, Like why aren't you why why
are you.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
Concerned with the Lara Shelle fans right now?

Speaker 3 (22:25):
You should be celebrating what's happening from Munster instead of
being a little shitthead.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
And I was so un impressed with that. I was
I wanted to be like, sit down, you little fucker.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
And and I heard reports of other behavior like that
going on throughout the stadium. We like, we don't want that,
like literally, that is not the reputation that we want
for ourselves, like any in any in any game, like
Monster or Leinster or whatever. Now, I also found that,

(22:56):
you know, there was a lot of messy and I
know people were very drunk, but like they people smashing glasses,
people getting smart. There there was a good bit of
that going on now, which I wasn't impressed with. So
like I'm just saying, now, plads, that's not what monster

(23:16):
is about.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
Like you can be graceful, and you can be messy,
and you can be drunk, but just don't be a blocks.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
Like there was just a lot of hot acting going
on and I wasn't happy with it. So hopefully all
those people have run out of money and they can't
go to Bordeau, whereas all the retirees have stayed on
and they're literally they're all still around La Rochelle.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
They're going down to Borda to weekend. Amazing, amazing.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
It's unfortunate, but you know what, you can see it happening,
all right. Yeah, but it's like pure euphoria, and it's
it's the kind of mob mentality and there's a like
there's a gnobbishness that's going to come unfart, like when
you get like I do you know, the kissing of
the crest and stuff like that was like that's fucking
that's a very lenster thing to do, Like do you

(24:01):
know what I mean? And that's awful to say about it,
but you know what I mean, because they're such a
huge fan base, that's going to be a pocket of
them are going to be fair anchors and you're kind
of going, you should be you should be frightened of
a clip around the year of some lead you know,
some outlet from Limerick. Do you know what I mean?
A puck in the head going, I got that ship
out kissing your jersey and turn around to it. What

(24:21):
do you don't you fucking eat it? Because do you
know what I mean? That's not only not what Monster's about,
that's not what Rugby's about. Don't be a fucking knob
and then going down the town bustling glasses. You should
be frightened that Mike always going to come around the
corner and put a boot in your hole, Like that
should be kind of in the back of your mind
all the time. Yeah, do you know?

Speaker 3 (24:41):
So we don't have to that did feel like I
wanted to say it, because you know, we to hold
each other accountable to high standards, because like, if you
can carry yourself like that when you're winning and when
you're like doing well in European in European rugby.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
Because the thing is like.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
And I I was on the French I was on
French radio today, Actually would you believe talking about this?
But like because they were asking me, like the six
is the women's six Nations good as the.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
Men's six Nations?

Speaker 3 (25:09):
And I was, yet six Nations is the best tournament
in the world because we're such close neighbors, all of us,
and like, you know, some hours difference or whatever, but
the cultural differences are so amazing that they need to
be celebrated and we need to show culturally the best
side of ourselves. To understand the best side of the culture,

(25:29):
of the French culture, because if someone's smashing glasses and
you get thrown out, like, oh, he is only a bollocks.
Like I heard that about the about some of the
owners of some of the pubs. They're like, oh, he's
only a bollocks, and like he's not. You were acting
the ballocks. So like to see the best of the world,
you have to put out yourself. And in rugby, like
that's definitely fucking true, Like people opening their arms to

(25:51):
like invite you into their houses and giving you like
a free shot or like you know, sharing a sing
song like that's that is the best best best of rugby,
like regardless of what happens on the pitch, connections with
people that you wouldn't get to meet on a normal day.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, absolutely, do you know what? The warms the cockles
my heart just thinking about so do you know what
I mean? Look at empty vests make the most noise
and stuff like that. So I suppose we, as you said,
we won't well on it, but it had to be said.
And if you're listening here, cop on, just cop on
to yourself. Micall was going to get you. He's going
to get you. If not, and else run you down
on our bike. Right, we need to get around to it.

(26:32):
We need to talk a bit about the rugby, and
we've been well talked about at this stage. But my word,
if anybody's going at this is your first time listening.
If we do have new listeners, brilliant to have you
on board. But as you find, it's a lot about
the cracks around the rugby with the rugby kind of
gets we get there's a bit of an in there somewhere,

(26:52):
but we're kind of adjacent a lot of the time,
but I'm more about the vibe. What what what? What
is to say prior to the rugby.

Speaker 3 (27:01):
This is kind of related and it leads nicely into
the rugby because I obviously wore my lar Rochelle jersey.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
I was expecting a lot of ship from Monster fans.
I was.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
I was expecting people to call me a trader or
a turncoat or whatever. Anyone I spoke to literally understood
exactly what I was saying, like which surprised me, Like
everyone side with me half of aford explanation and what
like how how I put it, how how I toster

(27:37):
is the release I rugby have rugby if dad is
thanks Monster Rugby and that team of you know, the
the two thousands. That is what brought me into rugby.
And then I obviously started playing and I have traveled
the world. I've played in all these places. But my

(28:00):
whole life has changed thanks to rugby. Like I owe,
like everything that goes on in my life right now
like to rugby. So for me to now live in
a different country play for another team, you know, represent
that team really well and like they support me now
I have to support them, so I'm actually it's a
monster that gave me that. So I am honoring monster

(28:26):
by supporting Lara Schell and for what you will. But honestly,
anyone I said it to and I was waiting for
me people to like, yeah, fuck that, you have to
be monster. Everyone was like fair play. I completely agree
with you. I completely see where you're coming from.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
That is not just not just yes, you're absolutely correct.
That was actually beautifully put in all fairness. That was
nicely nicely put there was you won't be a fair
knob to not get it after you've explained it. Plus,
it's the rugby thing, you know what I mean. You're
like glass by the way, nice jersey, you know what
I mean. It's how cool is it for them to
meet somebody who's playing rugby in LaRochelle? You know what

(29:08):
I mean? For Like, it all tied in brilliantly to
the full story. Like there's you know, the monster connection
with yourself obviously in the women's team, there's Roger skin
utun the lane. You know, everybody's had a hand, Like
there's a lot of cross pollination there, very very it

(29:28):
was a perfect setting. And plus, I mean LaRochelle have
beaten monster a couple of times, you know what I mean?
So or when we last played prior to that, I
was trying to think because I was actually being asked
why listening to the match on the way down, I'm like,
my brain isn't working. Now I'm dug into the match.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
No, they've never played competitively. They only played in a
warm up game in twenty twelve, pre season game friendly
in twenty twelve.

Speaker 2 (29:55):
I knew there was a friendly, but I did. Yeah,
was it that far back? My god, my god, it's yeah,
it was. It was sensational. But getting on the rugby,
So you get in there, did you bring any grub?
Did you get a nice grub? But I need to
ask about that actually because you got the copper box.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
Oh, not in the corporate box because it was obviously
one of the leftover ones. So we kind of coke
and a free fizzy water, and I was delighted myself.

Speaker 2 (30:23):
Absolutely no cheese at all.

Speaker 3 (30:26):
No cheese, but we were all cheesed up from we
had dinner or lunch in Jean Battiste La Salas beforehand.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
All sure, now lunch in Jean Baptists. So the the
vibe inside the stadium even though you were in your
fancy n box like you know, Queen Regent and all
the rest of it. The the vibe must have been
class even prior to kick off. How early were you in?

Speaker 1 (30:48):
Um, it's in a good bit I was doing. I
was doing some.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
Recording of like chat to some fans and stuff, which
was really funny.

Speaker 1 (30:58):
And really interesting.

Speaker 3 (30:59):
So I'd say that I see it was in to
kind of see the end of the warm up and
the team's going in and then it kind of stayed
outside chatting to people and then went up to the seat.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
So I wasn't sat down for too long before.

Speaker 3 (31:13):
But like it was absolutely bausing by the time sat down,
and like the start of the match, well like when
when Larschell scored like very very early, I literally was like,
oh jeesus, this is a long It's a long match
to go ahead this early.

Speaker 1 (31:34):
It's a long match to hold on to a lead
like that. So I yeah, and I knew, like we
were saying it last week, like with.

Speaker 3 (31:42):
Casey and Crowley on the kind of the boss from
Connacht and how well they were playing.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
I literally was like they could flip and.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
Change this game, and like having Abrahams like back and
like playing.

Speaker 1 (31:53):
The way he was.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
I was like, oh, it's got a long all day
for Larachelle to hang on to that lead, and it's
turned out to be to be right, what was your.

Speaker 2 (32:04):
I was listening to it. I nearly put the car
into the ditch about nine times, to be honest with you.
It was very stressful. I wanted they had to turn
it off, and then I turned it back on. It
was like, no, no, I'll go on, so go onderless.
It was, Yeah, it was deeply deep. It was brilliant
but stressful, like because of course you're not You're not
the radio is. It's it's almost it's like they it's

(32:25):
just such a different medium. I missed it.

Speaker 1 (32:28):
You know.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
In one way, you're kind of going, this is forcing
my imagination to really work here as to what's going on.
I can't wait to see it, you know what I mean?
It was it was, I guess like reading a book
and seeing watching the film afterwards, like what if you
know the outcome? But it's just a different way. But
I was my excitement to get out of the car
and go running in in my head. I was like,

(32:49):
I haven't been dis excited by monster in a long time,
do you know what I mean? And you got into
the bar. But and then people were just glued to it,
and the thing was they were all going the show.
So it was kind of mad. I was like, wait,
how's it going? Yeah, you know, because you know I'm
going to be on stage in front teat in thirty
thirty minutes time like this, We'll just part suspend disbelief

(33:11):
for a minute and I'm going, I'm very funny. Can
we just watch this? So it was like Jesus, even
watching about I can only imagine, like there can't to
be in a single art in a seat. When Abrams
took off like that, oh my lord.

Speaker 3 (33:29):
And then when you see like obviously this stage, I'm
still like going for La Rochelle, so like I'm waiting
for him to be chased down and all you can
see is Casey coming up in space and.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
You're just like, ah, we're doomed here. Like it was
just class.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
And then like the charge down from Coombs, like I
was just so excited.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
Was so it was such a like dagger to the got.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
For a LaRochelle fan, and even like coming up to
the end like to drop goal putting that like it
was it's just so ironic. It's like the Ron and
O gar a thing to do, and Crowley pops up
and does it in his backyard like the irony of
the whole thing, and I love it.

Speaker 2 (34:15):
I mean, there's there's, it's it's mighty ducks, it's so many,
it's you know, Saturday night lights. It's once we were tightened.
You know, it's so much tied into that moment, like
and then he drops, Like the only thing that would
have made it cheesy in American is if he turned
around like and just you know, gave you, Garret, like
the double guns or something like that up in the state,

(34:36):
open the crowd, up in the audience, like or up
in the crowd that would.

Speaker 1 (34:39):
Be given giving him the middle finger.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
Sucking bitch, like because even like to be fair, old Garrett,
even you obviously read it like call him a little
fucker for doing it, like it's brilliant, but has to
deeply kind of in one way go because and they
have their own story, you know, as everybody knows, like
he tried to sign him years ago and he went, nah,

(35:05):
you're grand that's say where I am.

Speaker 2 (35:07):
And it's all paying off now, you know. But it
was Jesus. It would seem everybody was honor do you
know what I mean? Nobody even like Smith, like who
wasn't getting a look in with with Connacht? Do you
know you give a fellow bit of confidence and if
his skills will come to the come to the surface

(35:28):
with a bit of confidence like they must have been
in some mindset even before that game, like just to
come you.

Speaker 3 (35:35):
Know completely, It's like, you know, would you would you?
I was thinking about this actually during the game.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
Like it's good question to ask players.

Speaker 3 (35:46):
Would you prefer a strong body like in physically in
the best shape you've ever been in and a weak
mind not even like week week, but like you know,
a mind that can can let you down? Or would
you prefer a strong.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
Mind and uh.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
You know some some kind of faults in your physical performance?
Like the answer is like so put very easily both.
Would you prefer a strong body in a weak mind
or a strong mind and a weak body? The answer
is strong mind, weak body.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
That's the answer all day long, because you can make
it do whatever it needs to do.

Speaker 3 (36:26):
But what one hundred you can believe is so much
stronger than anything physical like you and like a bit
of energy. It's it's like the eth away for effect
for Ireland, like how well he has played has brought
the team up, not to take away from all everything
else that the team has done, you know.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
And they're working seriously hard. It's the same for Monster.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
But I think the Casey Crowley thing and Crowley being
welcome back to Monster, like I know, for me when
when Ireland things got hard for me, going back to
club was was like my saving grace. It saved me completely,
like being able to just go and play and having
people around you that like really love you, Like that's

(37:10):
what Crowley's at at the moment, like I'll fucking not
even i'll show you, but I'll show me like how
good I am and how much I love this, and
like how much they're back in him and how much.

Speaker 1 (37:20):
They're enjoying it.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
It was just unbelievable to see and like I'm sure
you saw that clip as well of Crowley being dragged
into the.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
Crowd by like like.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
How like oh like how amazing, Like can Fair fucking
play to him?

Speaker 1 (37:37):
Because it's not right what he's gone through.

Speaker 3 (37:42):
It's not right at all, And like all the talk
about you know, the whole ten thing and he just
keeps showing up, you know, and that can't be easy either.
I'm sure there's a bit of a bittersweet to that
as well, because like he if he had done this
for Arln, he'd be going on a Lions tour. But

(38:02):
now we don't know, you know, so you can only
you know, perform where you are so and and and
he's doing that like mightily well and they're talking about
now within the thing.

Speaker 2 (38:14):
Yeah, that was my That was what I was gonna
come to. First of all, do you want some really
good news one Jack Crowley Crowley This Evening has signed
from Munster.

Speaker 3 (38:22):
I saw that, Yeah, but I was like, I was like, ah,
it didn't have to didn't have to happen that way.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
It didn't. It didn't and there's no point like but
the same like they were fluting around with Peter Mahney
as well, you know what I mean, they were fluting
the Monster do a bit of fluting in the background sometimes,
like fluting around, you know, hiring the coaches and stuff
like that. There seems to be a policy with things
like that, but look at it. I mean, it's not.

Speaker 1 (38:50):
But it shouldn't have happened that way.

Speaker 2 (38:51):
No, no, but I do. I tell you I really
liked I was speaking actually with Alex and Eankville and
they couldn't resist it himself and Zebo and what we're
going to just yanked him over the over the hoarding.
You're like, get here, we need to show you how
in love with this scenario we are. But what I
did love was that was that no, this is this

(39:12):
is just a match, this is one of four. I
was like, yes, Oh, that's the sort of chat I
want to hear. That's exactly the sort of chat I
want to hear right now. This is just one of four.

Speaker 3 (39:22):
Like less, it's crazy as well, given that, do you know,
Monster were considered, like you know, after losing Roundtree earlier
in the season, kind of a team in limbo interim coach.
There's almost this notion of writing off the rest of
the season and just kind of refinding yourself.

Speaker 1 (39:38):
Then, you know, with your new coach at the beginning
of the season.

Speaker 2 (39:40):
So you've you've said this many times over over the
the years, and now the ears at this stage is
that we have no idea what's been said, Oh what
is the belief system? Is in camp? All we can
look in is we we're only allowed looking over the
over the curtain every so often, not even around the
curtain or through the curtain. We just allowed to just
poke our nose over the top of the curtain by

(40:01):
the curtain pole, and we're just able to smell the
air inside in the room and kind of guess from that.
We have no idea, Like I listened to an interview
with Jack Crowley very brief. My god, the man is
you can only describe as Jesus Christ. There are Buddhists
not in a level minded place. The way he speaks,

(40:22):
so eloquent and so intelligent, but so well balanced, it
would seem mentally he sounded like the Dalai Lama. He
was like, well, you know, there was nearly metaphors coming
out of him that he was making up himself like
Jesus Christ. It was amazing. It was like listening this
and none of the usual out drafts did you get
from players you know who are just they don't they

(40:44):
have no interest in the They have every right to
just give you this prepackaged sandwich of shite that you know.
But he wasn't at all. He was Oh, he was
so silky around, you know, because he was being poked
a little bit this way and that way, and it
was just it was incredible to listen to a young
man being able to speak that eloquently. He was like,

(41:05):
Jesus Christ, you sound like a well versed you know,
lecture or something. This is stunning the way he was speaking.
And obviously it's his play making. It still is the
same way. Just sit like that. That drop goal. Normally
drop goals, do you know what I mean? They never
come off beautifully. The last time I saw one that
gorgeous and meaty, I mean absolutely was Paul Warick. He

(41:29):
who was an absolute mercurial. He could do it on
the fly, He could do it running. Remember what Paul Warick?
He could like the last fell at that cracked one.
I just never think that they always have a bit
of a day to air, you know, deadness in the air.
That one was going over over, you know what I mean,
It was one hundred percent going over. I just loved it.
And even though Garay went you'd see good drop goals

(41:51):
by Jesus Christ, that was a peach. That was an
absolute peach like from you'd be delight with. You don't
even need stay looking, just be gone. I reckon next
week against Bordeaux, and I reckon, he just kicks four
of them straight out the gate. Just kick four of
them and then they'll think you're going to go for
a drop goal every time you get the ball after that,

(42:11):
because he seems to have it, you know, seems to
be easy to him at this stage. What do you reckon?
That's just my tachnic, thanks.

Speaker 1 (42:18):
Him and tell him that hold on a second. J Doug,
who's probably listening. Sure he listens to the pod.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Of course, yes, of course is to be surprised. We
do actually have a few monster players listen to the pot.
We do.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
There was there was a good fear of the monster players.

Speaker 3 (42:37):
I was surprised by this walking around the market, like
being in the morning, like being people, just like cheering
for them.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
It was very cute, was very cool.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
Who what was your standout moments? I know this is
a very cliche, but I do want to know, because
you were at it and everything else, and you were
from looking in from the Lara shell side, what were
your standout moments were? Like Jesus or Cless.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
The two tries anyway that I spoke about their Casey
and Coombs, there was one so the atmosphere for the
first half was unreal, and the Teddy Toma try and
a few other moments the second half when Munster kind

(43:26):
of started to stretch ahead, Larachelle fans kind of lost
their mojo a small bit and.

Speaker 1 (43:31):
I was like, oh, this is gone now, like they
won't find it again. And there was a couple of
moments towards.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
The end, like there was a I actually thought it
was a fifty to twenty two, but apparently.

Speaker 1 (43:43):
Whoever was back.

Speaker 3 (43:45):
Wouldn't have been perhaps I can't remember, touched it and
it went into touch so it was a huge roar
from LaRochelle, and like the fans really got back into it,
like it was so close obviously, and that that was
really cool. That kind of what I thought was a

(44:05):
fifty to twenty two moments that fucking set the place
a light again and I was like, Jesus, if Larsa
will do it now, it's almost thanks to this kind
of turning energy again towards the end, but Monster were
enjoying themselves too much, like in anyway, to be fair,
not a lot of people are talking about the ref.

Speaker 1 (44:25):
And it's it's it's disappointing for no not to this point.
It's not the word too.

Speaker 3 (44:33):
It's just funny because any other moment of the game,
that instance, that closing scenario would have been a penalty
if it was in the sixtieth minute, the first minute.
The fact that it was a decision that would have
swung the result meant that they didn't give the penalty.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
One.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
But to be fair, people were like fuck that that decision.
But people were kind of I don't think people would
have applied and I say people, I mean that our fans.
I don't think people would have appreciated that it was
one on a kind of a technicality. I think people

(45:16):
were like, fuck, we weren't going enough anyway, do you know, boss?

Speaker 4 (45:23):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (45:24):
That's that that.

Speaker 3 (45:25):
They're the kind of moments that are standing out to
me there now. And then of course the security guards
throw on the chair.

Speaker 2 (45:31):
There had to be something else. Yeah, I mean watching
it in real time, you're going, okay, you that's given
a lot of the time. Then there's other times like
there's like he's still even the the Alex nankvill think
it's gone. They went today to appeel it again today
to see how it is, and like it was, you know, again,

(45:52):
I wonder sometimes if the outcome wasn't so you know,
so poor, you know so poor where Kean Brenda gat
got knocked out? Would would anybody have copped it? Like?
There's so many moments at a hunt, and I mean
literally's could have argued going, what is fucking dipping? Like
I heard an interesting one that I can't remember the
player's name, but he would have known what he was

(46:13):
doing dropping at the last second like that and seat
belt tackles, are you know it ended up being a
seat belt tackle? But thanks, but it Jesus, it's different,
but it's it's I do think you're right though. I
think it was nearly written in the stars and it
was a cool thing of Larachell people to kind of go,

(46:36):
you know what, we didn't we wouldn't we didn't play
well enough. One of the highlight things for me was
and I don't know many people, I mean obviously they're
just going, oh, you know Teddy Toma, he you know
he cut back inside being arrogant. I don't think he
was being arrogant. I think when he looked up for
he wasn't fully sure who was coming across. Now was

(46:56):
Ali eager and Josh Richley. Would they've gotten him? Most
likely not, but one was lined up behind the other,
if you can. I saw one angle that showed that
he might have just gone, who the fuck's behind him?
Do you know what they're coming across? They're sweeping from
my right to left so quickly. I bet I can
get back inside. And it's just such a milli second

(47:17):
thing that people are going, what the fuck is he doing?
He could have ran it in, he could have fallen
over that. You're like, you're not him and everything is
traveling at a million miles an hour.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
But that's definitely a training mistake.

Speaker 2 (47:32):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, Get to the cart, get
the get the fucking point with you, for God's sake.

Speaker 3 (47:38):
I think it was way too chilled out. I could
think that's something that you might do in training when
you're at kind of you know, maybe seventy to eighty
percent of your of your like this is European fucking cup.

Speaker 1 (47:52):
I don't care if you're right.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
Or wrong that it was a massive, massive error and
it is something that you could It is like people
do make mistake like that and like misread the situation,
But in training, you do that when you're one hundred
percent focused. You don't fucking make mistakes like that. Mistakes
can happen at any stage, but a mistake like that,
like a misread of who's there. I'm sorry, I'm sorry,

(48:16):
but you're like a professional who makes how much?

Speaker 1 (48:18):
Yeah, Like I go to the training on my bike
and I and I don't make.

Speaker 3 (48:25):
Those errors and if I do well, then that's okay
because I go to training on my bike.

Speaker 2 (48:30):
Do you know what? He used to do a bit
of that shit at wrestling too, Like he get caught
and like because you know, eighty percent of the time
he's class, but he teddy Tim is a bit of dope.
Sometimes he has done that in the past. But I
one of my favorite bits of the whole thing was
it was John Hadn't do you know what I mean?
He's in there. It was winning Antono Tonio. He ripped

(48:52):
the ball off somebody monstrous he ripped the ball off.
I remember, just gone fucking John had looked Like, who
doesn't love John Haddon that he's such a work art.
He's not. He's not the biggest seven you've ever seen
in the world, Like, why God does he work? Peter Man?
He's gone around absolutely empty and lads with tackles like

(49:13):
a fellow who just knows these are the last few
games I want to get to play for Munster. So everything,
you're getting everything boys.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
It was.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
Again I probably on paper, you go, Jesus Christ. They're
at home, they're unbelieved. They're the two time champions, Munster
every won since two thousand and eight. It's all with them.
But as you said at the top of the show,
isn't mental? Is everything? Because Munster wanted that more than
Larrochelle did. That's the bottom line. They wanted it more

(49:42):
than they did. Yes, it was kind of evident towards
the end, even though like it came down to perfect
a one point game, absolutely perfect. You don't want this
to be a washout or do you know how they
they took him the last twenty minutes. Sure, they just
packed up the suitcases and went off. You wanted to
be a one point game like where your hearts you

(50:02):
know has aged by ten years while watching the basket
and thing like, but I just love it. I love
the rog crowdy story through the whole thing. I think
everybody did a specially drop goal. It's like, oh classy
pushing it out to eight points, you bastarded. That's beautiful.
Now the question is how are you getting the Bordough train.

(50:24):
That's it now, there's no fancy story here, tom train.

Speaker 3 (50:28):
I hadn't even thought about this, Like I didn't even
look past quarterfinal because I just didn't.

Speaker 1 (50:35):
I just didn't think about it. And also, obviously the
Women's Six Nations is on, that's the calendar I've been
looking at. I didn't.

Speaker 3 (50:41):
I was so excited for this weekend that I just
didn't think about the following round. I also didn't know
who I'd be following to the following round. I can't
believe it is in the next closest city to me.
I actually cannot believe it.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
What is cruel? Look, do you know?

Speaker 3 (50:59):
Like it could would have been anywhere, it could be
in fucking South Africa. It is in the next closest
European Cup city to me, I actually like, what the hell?
And I was like, oh my god, Boro, and I
was like, jeez, I must look at the train. And
someone literally said me and you have to go to
that game. And I was like, yeah, I know, I know,

(51:19):
and sorry not as in I know, like oh poor me,
as in like I just hadn't thought about it, so
and then I was just able to go online and
book my train, do you know, instead of looking at
flights and whatever. And again no one from larsh not
no one from Larrachelle. But the crowd isn't going from LaRochelle. Again,
it's me on my tobal own like going going to

(51:39):
this location. So how epic And apparently now if they
win and touch gold and let's see what the fuck happens,
even though I don't think Border is likely to fuck up.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
As No, no, you're not going to You're not going
to get a Demian, you know, you know hidden back in.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
Now hang on, do you know what Border are still
more than anything else?

Speaker 1 (52:04):
They are everybody now.

Speaker 2 (52:06):
Friend, Yeah, because they switched off like a bunch of bollocks.
Is they switched off twenty one points up. Fags came
out fucking out with the lawn chair, the glassive wine
and say things like that with dead woods and eating
cheese and the lo and behold, fucking instrument started started

(52:27):
the engine and the lads were nearly with their trousers
around their ankles caught.

Speaker 3 (52:33):
So but if you can get on to their skin
while they're having the fag because like having the fags
one thing, you can just put it out and come
back to the pitch and carry on, which is what
they did. But if you can somehow lock the door
while they're still outside.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
Yes, and they go upstairs and pour a bucket of
water on their head.

Speaker 1 (52:53):
Yeah exactly.

Speaker 3 (52:57):
I actually I'm not even going to talk about semi
final because I we only need to focus on on
non bachelism country.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
Yeah, God, back to the scene of the crime.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
To the scene of the crime, is right.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
I see your sister actually wrote it. I liked it.
Was she sort of should stay away from the sardines.
One advice. I'm going to give you a hint for the.

Speaker 3 (53:19):
One wine bar. The one wine bar I know has
closed down, so it was just that.

Speaker 2 (53:24):
One was that chin. Yeah, changing, I'll be the same
gingin Ihoa and thanks very much, but no more bachualism.
Thank you killing people out there. But yes, stay away
from the sardines. I know, and has put out some.
She made some seafood suggestions in the last week or
two sardines after after you.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
Away from the sardines, have all the oysters you want
to stay away from the sardines, bread.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
From the weekend. Eat bread for the weekend. You'll be fine, Brett.

Speaker 3 (53:55):
I had a few responses to the plunge. I was
telling people if you're drinking all day plue which is
a charcouterie board like all the pubs, to them, like
when you're having a few, like a few drinks with pals,
just order a plunch and pick away at the Alsaci,
which is good fats, good for soakage. And I had

(54:15):
a few responses being like, is that for real? What
do I ask for? Like, what what do you mean?
People looking for more information on the planche So.

Speaker 2 (54:23):
I mean, if ever there was going to be, I
think you're the new mcgulway to be honest with you,
like literally you like you gotten around you're doing you
can offer something that I bet mccullway doesn't actually have,
you know, it can't be emailed mid mid weekend for
advice onto what things want to do. Like, so they're
I think they're going forward. I think there's banana tours,

(54:46):
Banana Rugby tear tours. Great sound to it.

Speaker 3 (54:49):
Well, the one thing like that that is actually that
that is my dream job.

Speaker 1 (54:54):
To bring people to rugby cities. That is honestly my
dream job.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
Amazing that there isn't one you haven't been in, so.

Speaker 3 (55:03):
Jesus, yeah, I know, so let's see, I might have
to win a lot of first kind of just started going.

Speaker 1 (55:09):
But anyway, we'll pass the bridge when come to it.

Speaker 3 (55:11):
And the other thing was, oh yeah, sorry, this is
another reason why I actually it was a stressful enough weekend.
I spent so long helping the Monster fans redistribute their
tickets to French people. Really because because like I was
saying earlier, the French people don't just rock up, like
I put on my story that I was selling two tickets,

(55:33):
so my mom in the end couldn't come. So I
decided to sell the tickets that I got from me
and my mom, and I thought that there would be
Monster people in touch, but it was only French people
that got in touch about the tickets.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
And then it dawned on.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
Me, Oh yeah, of course, because it was all of
the Monster people that picked up the tickets. So let
me explain about the tickets again, if I didn't get
into it already. The season ticket holders at Marshell all
of their top fourteen games included, all pool games of
Champions Cup included.

Speaker 1 (56:06):
So this was the first time.

Speaker 3 (56:07):
That the season ticket holders had to part with more
money for more tickets, and because Larchelle are not doing
so well, a lot of the tickets ended up back
on the resale site. And because that doesn't happen so
often in Larachelle, the Larerchelle fans weren't looking out for it,
whereas Monster fans were there refreshing tickets because they didn't
understand stand how it worked. And all of the took

(56:31):
that met, like the messages went out to the Monster fans,
like people bought like twelve tickets, sixteen tickets, people had
eight tickets spare, like five six tickets spare, And I
knew that it was only French fans that would be
looking for the tickets because they don't rock up like
everyone who came from Munster was sorted with the ticket.
It was French people that just didn't take a chance.

(56:54):
They didn't realize the enormity of the occasion like the
Munster fans did. And so whenever I put up that
I was selling the ticket, it was the girls I
was playing with, It was their families and their colleagues
and stuff like, and random French people that follow me
that all bought the tickets, and.

Speaker 1 (57:11):
I spent half of my Saturday putting people.

Speaker 3 (57:15):
In touch, interpreting messages, telling people like meet them there,
like answering calls. It was actually stressed me out, but
like I just kind of wanted to do, like literally
use my superpowers to help people out when my superpower
is connected with both sides really strongly.

Speaker 1 (57:30):
So you're welcoming bastards.

Speaker 3 (57:34):
And in the end, someone did you know, I have
appreciated like a three point of beer, but I couldn't
drink in the One of the one of the workers
in one of the bars said to me, Anna, La
Rochelle is so lucky to have you. We are so

(57:56):
lucky to have you in our town. I thought it
was just the nicest thing for someone to say, because
I didn't get anything.

Speaker 2 (58:03):
I was literally going, now, it wasn't going to be
as lovely as eloquent as that, but it was going
to be something along those lines gone. There needs to
be some bastard, you know, making acknowledgement of how you
you know what I mean, brightening the place up by
just being there, do you know what I mean? Like
the Jeesus distress, the distress that you would you would

(58:24):
have been for those people, I'd say, I'm just gonna
put it out there. In it, I'd say Monster one
because of you, and I know you're Rochelle, but I'm
just going to put it out there. If like, if
you go back, I love a good old detective series.
If you go back through the draw thread from how
Monster were appreached about their sixteenth man and how happy

(58:46):
everybody was and not an amazing weekend. It was Jesus Christ.
It's not seven stages to think it's Kevin Bacon. To
find out that chances are, for some reason or another
associated or not, there's a strong possibility you had a
good time as a Monster fan because of Anna so
fuel fueled by oysters, fueled by oysters, as they would say.

Speaker 3 (59:11):
Well, I had loads of people come up to me
say that they were doing the tour on my recommendation,
and they said they were having a ball, so fucking
shout out to everyone, Like what for saying hello and everything?

Speaker 1 (59:21):
It was Actually it.

Speaker 3 (59:23):
Was so class like what what an unbelievable weekend like
that will go down in history if they win, that
will this will have been the key to it where
they found their mojo.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
Nice there's no yeah, and it's definitely doable. It's six
they turn around, but a lot of guys still have
fresh legs because do you know, like they didn't get
to play during the Six Nations they were either in
camp or do you know there was a bit of
downtime injury. Lets it back for injury. They were ready
to rock, like Casey and Abrams and stuff like that.
So that's I wouldn't i'd write them off at your

(59:59):
pearl now Bordeaux, as you said, the very French, but
they're kind of class in other wise. But it's going
to be another home dinner before I forget it too. Yes,
confirmation that your Icelandic mate Wendy Go is I'm right
about the Wendy Go and you are right about who

(01:00:20):
it is. It wasn't a DS, wasn't it. Yes, it
was DS Wendy Go. And it's as a result, and
it's correct about your Icelandic listener username is from my
days as a fan of the TV series Supernatural. Well,
I assume there was a Windy Go in that. So
there we go. We close now before like before we

(01:00:41):
go any further, before we head out the hills, we'll
just but we nearly have to have one eye on
the phone because it's sixteen forty bad. We have six nations,
don't we? On Saturday? So at three o'clock Monster kickoff?
Probably two o'clock your time?

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (01:00:59):
No, four o'clock your time?

Speaker 1 (01:01:01):
It's four o'clock.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
Yeah, And I booked the wrong train, so I'll actually
missed the train home.

Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
Sure, look at.

Speaker 1 (01:01:12):
More important things to talk about.

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
Would you're write Ireland England in ins Grave Park?

Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
Mighty, that's going to be class class it'll be. And
people that are going to it's called well Virgin Media
Park now were to call it apparently, but the most
great park, thank you very much to I'm getting to
be a few people with one or both eyes and
then everything often having to glance down at the at
the phone in the pocket because it's been played. In course,
you're gonna get a lot of Monster fans out of it.

(01:01:40):
I mean, this is again we don't This is like
the new and improved, you know, mostly Ireland. I'm going
to be very very interesting how they fare up, because
obviously England has so many professionals for a long time
now at this stage. But by god, I tell you
one thing, it's not They're not going to be the
whipping girls of yesteryear, sure they or not?

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
No, No, I do think for the first time in
a long time like this will you're just getting closer
to the thing is like, how do you you know,
prep yourself for a match that you know you're going
to lose. That's been the case for years.

Speaker 1 (01:02:22):
Do you know you're.

Speaker 3 (01:02:23):
Still finding some way to be like you know they
can make mistakes too, and this could be the best
game that we've ever played. And they're all the conversations
you have with yourself, like prepared to pillay your best
game ever? Playing your best game ever doesn't come out
of nowhere. It comes when you're on a kind of
an uphill, when you're when your momentum is going up.

Speaker 1 (01:02:45):
So they will one hundred percent.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
It's just license to have more belief than we've.

Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
Had for.

Speaker 3 (01:02:54):
Ten years in this competition coming up against England. So
I hope they've fucking enjoy it more than anything else.
Joss have a crack, have an absolute crack and put
the ships up England so that like England have hasn't
had the ships pull up pull up them against Ireland
for years, like they're not scared of us.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
Yeah, we've played well against them and held them.

Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
For like the first half of the first sixty minutes
and then they run away, like actually make them shaking their.

Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
Little boots a small little bit. That's the dad is
the fucking goal.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
I like the way you even just a little further
dig in England there, well, you shaking their little boots girls,
little girl. Yeah, women against girls because it is desperately
trying to say, do you know what I mean, get
your picktails, get your picktails ready because the Irish girls
going to start swinging them around by you know, like
trench bull. But yeah, I can't wait because we don't

(01:03:52):
know Irelander class right now, So we don't know England
are always going to be class, but like older class.
So I would Jesus, I wouldn't put it off the
table because we don't know what like Jesus Christ to
put fifty odd on Italy last last the last day out?
Whoa do you know? And as you said, like what
you're alluding to is like the pressure's kind of off Ireland.

(01:04:13):
Do you know there's not expected to be the professional
long term professional women. Yeah, it's actually but by all
I'm just as us is more expletives.

Speaker 1 (01:04:27):
But by jets are the fucking yea, I completely agree.

Speaker 3 (01:04:32):
But actually one of the Scottish girls said it to
me when when they were here and I was saying
to her, she was like, do you know what preparing
for the teams like France and England especially, who've just
been you know, so so far ahead of all the
other teams in this competition for a while now, there's
actually kind of pressure off in the week because because
you don't have to win, like and there's no pressure

(01:04:53):
to win, so it's kind of a nice week for
the players. And like when you're in that kind of mindset,
who knows what you can pull out of the bag.

Speaker 1 (01:05:01):
So like.

Speaker 3 (01:05:03):
Gone for them, it will be an unbelief another unbelievable
Saturday of rugby, Like let's fuck, let's have it.

Speaker 2 (01:05:12):
I'm going to catch all of them because I'm not
going too far. I'm going to going down to Cork
City Limits Comedy Club on Saturday night. So okay, well,
always great chips afterwards, but you.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
Know chips, you love the chips and corn from the
Monster gameing from Maryland Gaming.

Speaker 2 (01:05:31):
They're always there, always is after when whether it's Monster
playing in Buzgre Park or Ireland playing the Women's There
always was any any time they've ever played, there's always
a few wins.

Speaker 3 (01:05:43):
So if there's any listeners, you better fucking heckle Tom
by saying well, we could give them a key word.

Speaker 2 (01:05:52):
Bachelorism, bachelorism or mind the rucks. Yeah, I mean bachelorism
could make weird. Then I got to explain it to you.
Do you know what? Whatever you want? Just shouted at me.
I swear I'll make you pay for it possible.

Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
Make it it.

Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
Oh do make it really really awkward, make it tense,
make it so jesus, Oh god, this is going to
get Oh no, this is going I want. I want
you to make it as as rough as you think
you could make it, and then.

Speaker 1 (01:06:28):
The magic will happen.

Speaker 3 (01:06:30):
Can I give a shout out to She was on
my case being like where is the podcast please?

Speaker 2 (01:06:35):
So that was free There you go, fantastic stuff. Well, yeah,
I've I've missed. More and more people are joining coming
out of the North the Norsey podcasts and they're they're
in the warmed To too. They're absolutely needed to over
to the Good Crack Rugby podcast over here. Bears. I
haven't had dinner at all today. I just dawned to me,

(01:06:57):
why my stomach is probably heckling me here, I was,
what's that noise? Oh, it's my stomach, right, I've just
been gone, gone, going going on. It is one of
them days, you know, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:07:10):
What, no exactly watched all about, Like you should see
you should see my flat, Like there's so many things
pile up in the couch that I don't have time.

Speaker 3 (01:07:21):
Like I literally run into my apartment, I run into bed,
and then I run out again in the morning, and
like I have a stack of clothes on my thing
that just gets higher and high in her and I
just don't time to put it away. And the worst
thing about it is like I still haven't had time.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):
To pick my fantasy team for the women's success. When
does it stop. I'm like a hamster in a wheel.
We're like two hamsters and two wheels. Maybe maybe it's some.

Speaker 3 (01:07:51):
Stage we can we can like actually like put the
hamster wheels next to each other and we can record live.

Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
That's a great idea. That's a great idea. Well, they yes,
things will start to are starting to align a small
bit for me now, so things are starting to get
a bit more normal normal at some stage, will you'll
be back home? We will get it done. Are you
I know I've asked you. Are you home May twentieth? No,
no bullocks, right, I just said it'd be a bit

(01:08:22):
of crack to have you at the Cork Show. But
that's all right.

Speaker 1 (01:08:27):
The Cork Show.

Speaker 2 (01:08:29):
Yeah, the Cork Show. You've got very cork. All of
a sudden, the Cork Show.

Speaker 1 (01:08:34):
Used to go to the Cork Show when I was
small a bit, since I was only sad.

Speaker 2 (01:08:38):
Oh Jesus, you just turned into a five year old
and all of a sudden, there with your your accent.
Holy shit, where did that come from? But sorry, my
tour show which will be on in and I'm going
to say how everybody else in the country says it Cocklands.
The British would call it Cufflins, but of course Cork
people call it Colans.

Speaker 1 (01:08:57):
They don't. It's Cockland's and Cork.

Speaker 2 (01:09:00):
Already Cork city. For some reason, they called Collins, but
everybody else calls Cockland. So it's take take what you
want for any three of those options. And there are
I think that at the last count we were over
halfway sold out a couple of weeks ago, so I
don't know where it's a at the minute. We have
a show with enough people to make a show. Anyway,
that's a good thing. On what Well, that was a

(01:09:22):
great episode, Jesus, that's people pumped. I'd say they they
they weren't thinking of going to Bordeaux. Are going to
Bordeaux as a direct result of possibly running into Anna.
And like I said, there'll be a direct lineage as
to why you end up enjoying yourself and months end
up winning the European Invested Cup because and it's just
going round putting the vibes out.

Speaker 5 (01:09:42):
I thought you were going to say we're gonna win
the Eurovision because that would be the cherry on top
of winning the European Cup.

Speaker 3 (01:09:53):
Even though the Eurovision will finish well the Eurovision beyond anyway,
it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1 (01:09:58):
Well, we can talk about Urban next.

Speaker 2 (01:09:59):
Week, right mind the rocks the last time?

Speaker 1 (01:10:04):
Oh me?

Speaker 5 (01:10:06):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:10:09):
Yeah? And a logan there, ladies and genner and logan
and a logan.

Speaker 3 (01:10:16):
Hey mine, he of you, I'm a like I am
a Eurovision nerd Oh, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:10:24):
I know, we well, we've discussed this in the past
before I know, I know you.

Speaker 1 (01:10:29):
Anyway, No, we don't have to do tonight. We can
we can literally we can. We can stop the podcast
here because it was like he's Bastard's going to shop.

Speaker 2 (01:10:39):
Giant, don't know. I have to go eat something. I
have to, honestly, right, mind the rocks, Mind the rocks,
the banana and

Speaker 1 (01:10:51):
Rubbi