UPDATE: EARLIER THIS week we asked you how far you’ve gone to support your rugby team.
And since then we’ve been reading about your epic away days, missed exams and new friends.
But we had to give the luxury Guinness PRO12 final tickets to Leo Troy.
“Over the past 11 seasons my now wife and I have been following Connacht Rugby,” he wrote. “Last September we married and of course it was memorable year for both us and Connacht Rugby.
“As the Pro12 winning season progressed we decided we would have a Connacht Rugby themed wedding. We started by sending our invitations which were a copy of the Pro12 final ticket.
“We entered our reception to Shipping off to Boston – the Connacht Rugby entrance tune – and wearing our jerseys. Our table plan was laid out with team players and numbers as was the squad named for the game that day which happened to be the away game that was abandoned in Zebre.
“Thankfully we were able to make the rearranged fixture.
- The luxury Fan Experience Area is the ultimate way to support your team at the match. You and your friends can watch the game in a prime location, with unrestricted views, free gifts and a cold, creamy pint served directly to your seat. The winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday at noon and entrants must be over 18 years of age.
So, let’s hear your stories of supporting your province over the years, home and abroad in the comment section below or email competitions@the42.ie:
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I watched a few matches, on the telly, in Irish.
@I likes beer: STOP THE COMPETITION! WE HAVE OUR WINNER!!!
For the pro12 final last year, I had to get the Train to Dublin, then the Ferry to Holyhead, wait 4 hours there for a train at half 4 in the morning to Manchester, then sit there another hour for a train to York before a final connection on to Edinburgh, arriving a a few hours in advance after 23 hours travel, then returned home via a Bus to Cairnryan and a ferry to Belfast before a bus down to Dublin and waiting 7 hours wandering around the streets of Dublin for the train station to open to go home the following morning, and I’d do it again tomorrow if I could.
@Patrick Breen: ah sure that’s nothing I flew from Dublin and I live in Naul
There will be a lot of porkies told here
I bought 10 tickets to the RaboFinal for next week last August. 3rd and 4th Row right where the trophy presentation will be.
We are all Leinster fans…..
@Luke Mc Gahren: you’re about 3 seasons too late for the Rabo final
@Jerry: Sorry GuinnessPro12Final*
There marketing was good and the name stuck.
Slept beside a wheelie bin on the platform of Pembroke railway station on the way to Cardiff in 2006 because we arrived at 1 in the morning and there was no train till 7.And we had no tickets for the match either.
Watched Munster’s semi final win on de telly last Saturday. Well actually fell aslerp while watching it. But at least I had the good intention.
Am I in with a shot?
Unbelieveable performance by the way.
My spur of the moment Aironi 4 ever tattoo seems like a bad mistake now.It was to cover up my Border Reivers tattoo.
I along with my fellow coaches brought an under 14s team to see the Munster vs Maori All Blacks game last November, only to discover that when we got to the stadium we had one extra under age player with us ( 20 junior tickets and 21 juniors) so I had to give up my ticket and stand out side the stadium. Luckily/Thankfully one of the Stewards took pity on me and gave me a spare ticket, so I missed the Haka and the jersey presentation and most of the first half.
I swear, I was one of the 400,000 in thomond park in 1978
Lots of deserving candidates here so at this point I would like to withdraw from the competition. I harbour a dark secret. I once spoke while a conversion was being taken in Thomond Park drawing ire and frantic shushing from the surrounding fans.
I know its sounds indefensible but honestly it’s not as bad as it sounds. You see I wasn’t actually in Thomond Park at the time, I was in a pub about a 100 miles away but the new breed of rugby fan has taken “respect” to a new level infact every time Sky compliment them on it, they up it a notch again. I need to get with the program, I hang my head in shame!
Yours very respectfully,
Da Hayeser!
I actually had a heart attack leaving Kingspan after the loss to Munster in October.
Had a second one an hour later when the severity of the loss kicked in….
@Ian Frizzell: that drop goal??
One time in band camp
The 2008 Heineken cup final I had no accommodation organised in Cardiff.. so I took the Dublin to Holyhead sailing .. drove to Cardiff.. got stuck in Traffic and only managed to arrive in Cardiff a half an hour before kick .. after the game..I ended up sleeping in car.. next day drive back to Holyhead.. got lost in the Welsh mountains and missed my sailing home .. epic journey
Travelled from Luxembourg by train to Montpelier to watch Munster play Clermont , beaten but brilliant day, 2 great sets of fans & 2 great teams. Proper rugby supporters
@Seamus Farrar: Oh man wat a wkend that was. I ve friends in monpellier that still talk about that wkend.
I ahm, I ah; I slept with my wife’s best friend so as I could go to the H Cup final with her in 2000.
The only room available in Swansea (travelled by ferry) was a double room for her & me so we took it.
My wife knew & all, she was delighted, it meant she’d someone keeping an eye on me while I was away.
.
(disclaimer – Nothing happened! But technically, yip, I slept with her)
I was in hell last Friday watching that Leinster performance. Does that count?
Season before last I cancelled my Thomond season ticket, my wife was pregnant at the time she wasn’t keen (to say the least) on me getting a season ticket for the following year. Still managed to get to every home game in thomond with little or no grief :)
Been to France, Wales, Italy and Scotland to watch Ireland, Munster, Munster and Leinster respectively. Have been on all forms of transport at some point to get to a game: Car, Bus, Train, Boat & Plane. Its doesnt really compare to the fans who travel to Aus/NZ though. Especially the ones who go game to game during the Lions tour. Now thats dedication
For 2002 final in Cardiff, took horrendous boat trip to Wales through the worst crossing conditions possible, while pregnant with my first child and suffering from the worst bouts of morning (should I say anytime) sickness ever. Arrived back in Ireland 2 days later, not feeling great both from the match, travel and pregnancy. Had to head to hospital a few days later, where less than 2 weeks after the game, my beautiful daughter Kellie was born at 25 weeks (thanks Munster rugby), weighing 1lb 15oz and who now 15 years later, is an ardent Munster fan, travelling to all the matches we can since she was a toddler. Munster Abu.
Heading to the airport this afternoon for what will be my fourth 10,000km round trip of the season. When Axel passed we all had to up our game, not just the players. Thankfully this time I will have more than just 48 hours in the country.
Got the ferry on the Friday night To Fishguard arrived in Cardiff at 7:00am on Saturday stayed up and went to the millennium stadium to watch the greatest comeback in rugby ever
For the ’03 final we couldn’t get a flight to Wales from Cork for love nor money. So we got bus to Dublin and another bus to Wexford. Thumbed a lift out to Rosslare and got the ferry over. The plan was the rent a car when we arrived but little did we know Fishguard didn’t have a rental company. So we got a lift to Swansea in a lorry with a sheep farmer from Connemara. From there we managed to get on a Neath supporters bus and landed in Cardiff an hour before kick off. The Welsh were great craic and mighty singers. Perfect timing, great match and fantastic result. I’d tell ya about our journey back but I’m restricted to 800 characters. I’ll have to save that for the next competition!
My son and myself left his communion party early to go to Leinster vs Munster a few years back
In 2012, a friend and I were both second year arts students when Leinster and Ulster made the Heineken Cup Final. We had no money, but made it to Twickenham via ferry to Hollyhead and train to London. It cost me literally all the money I had, and also meant taking a 4-day break in the middle of a 5-day break between my college exams. I came back and had the exam the next day on the British Empire – literally all I knew was that the Empire in Britain was all Irish now. I got the worst exam result of my entire time in college. Worth it.
In spite of her illness my daughter Kate made the trip to Thomond Park to support Munster in the Champions Cup semi final against Toulouse. She was frozen with the cold but was treated wonderfully by Munster Rugby and stayed as long as she could. It’s our abiding memory as Kate passed away on the 4th of May just four weeks after the game. It was her last trip.