Paris, Lens and the Rugby World Cup

After the Deca Ironman - A time to relax                  

Our accommodation in Maisons-Lafitte, with Irene and Jacques James at Les Colombes was the best of the entire journey – spacious bedrooms and luxury bathrooms- just what the doctor ordered for the guys. Stephen drove us all into centre ville with a good selection of bars and restaurants and the guys enjoyed their first beer for 3 months and a good meal, which they kindly paid for.

Friday was a ‘chill out’ day for us all; the first day for 3 weeks when our time wasn’t dictated by the schedule of miles to cover and places to pass through. Val and Stephen walked into town in the morning whilst the others rested and sat in the sun. Rob, Faye and Dan went in for lunch whilst Sandra and I tried out the RER service and went back to the Stade de France to enjoy the atmosphere before the opening game between France and Argentina. The French media had been hyping up their team throughout our week in the country and expectations were incredibly high – the result later that evening seemed almost inevitable as a result.

Irene had contacted the local press and the boys were interviewed by a local journalist at 5.30pm to follow on from their radio interviews during the day. Then they were off into the big city to meet up with Dave and enjoy a meal and a few litres of the black stuff. Meanwhile, our hosts had invited the 4 parents to dinner as their guests and we enjoyed a superb meal and then sat back to enjoy the match on TV.

On Saturday, Stephen and Val headed off for the Chunnel whilst the camper van headed north, bound for Lens. We arrived around 2pm and after a brief shopping trip, parked close the to stadium and met Peter and Elaine Shields, who had our tickets, as well as David Rush and his son, all over via Eurostar for the game. As the others enjoyed a beer, Sandra and I walked up to the stadium and eventually set up our Triathlon banner and collecting buckets in a small park, part of the main route for the many English fans. Donations were being made by many spectators when the boys arrived and joined us for an hour. They held the banner and accepted the congratulations of hundreds of people – we collected almost 2 full buckets of donations by the time, we all set off for the match.

The game was something of an anti-climax, with a solid but uninspiring England performance apart – they will raise their game for South Africa next week. One disappointment, more for me than the boys who were unconcerned, was the lack of any message from the RFU about the meeting with the RFU President. 

After the match, we stopped for a meal and then drove back to Hesdin and La Chope, where Katie and Eric and some of their customers were waiting for us and cheered the boys into the bar. Several more beers were consumed in a very friendly and relaxed environment and we found out that morning that Katie and Eric had raised 500 Euros to add to our charity funds – our thanks to all the customers who donated and especially to our hosts who made us feel so welcome.

I’m sat on the ferry heading back to Dover as I type the final few words of this diary – we missed our allotted time after running out of diesel! We’re all looking forward to getting home – as Dan said, ‘it’ll be great to sleep in my own bed again’.

One massive challenge has been met and one inspiring journey has been successfully completed but other journeys continue. I will continue to try to make sure that the boys receive the recognition they properly deserve for an extraordinary achievement. Leeds Carnegie has invited the boys to attend a match and make a collection this season and I hope that the RFU and other rugby clubs will follow. Beyond that, the road to making a tiny difference in helping the futures and dreams of ‘the forgotten tribe’ stretches into the distance. Who knows where it will take us?

Thank you for following this diary and for all your kindness and support.