What an experience!

As no doubt our readers are saturated by the coverage of England’s formidable victory I thought I would today give my report on the match experience.

The game was played in Yokahama, a city a 30 minute drive without Tokyo’s constricting traffic. The stadium is a modern bowl and we were seated in the corner behind the goal. As with most modern stadia there were an abundance of bars that make money and shortage of toilets that do not – not one on our level. The sight lines were good but the seats too narrow.

The build up on the screen was mainly footage of games, the odd interview and very loud music that seemed to endure throughout the game. It was some mercy to classical music lovers to hear as a break from the head banging, percussive modern music Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

The Rust party wore their England shirts and there was only good humored banter from the majority of All Black supporters around us. At a football match the stewards would have removed and re-seated us.

The All Black supporters were knowledgeable. The chap next to me picked upon every foul and soon was praising the English defence as they started the game with brio and intensity.

The mood of the Kiwis soon turned to dissatisfaction. Their team simply could not get their best game going, they missed the retrieval work of Sam Cane who came on at half time for Scott Barrett.

In my simplistic terms, sport is no different from life: inexplicably you can have good or bad days.

The New Zealand team had a bad one, the England boys a good one: Maro Itoje, Jamie George – apart from one poor throw which led to the only try conceded – and Manu Tuilagi played to their peak of their game whilst Sam Underhill and Tom Curry worked tirelessly.

After the game there was some confusion on the whereabouts of the meeting point.

The stadium has no drop-off and collection point for coaches. The departing Kiwis were down whilst the England supporters did not “large it”.

Bob stood took the mike in the coach and gave a passionate speech about how kind and gracious everyone was and wanted to invite all for a drink. Wayne Smith told him better to switch the mike on so he repeated himself.

We all convened back in the hotel bar for a few beers. I asked Wayne Smith, who had coached the All Blacks to two World Cup victories, what he would have done at half time.

“You can change the tactics but you have to turn on that switch on that will ignite a come back.” he said. “ This never happened. You guys played really well and should have won by 30 points”.

As in their cricket defeat in the World Cup, you see the best of New Zealand’s character in defeat.