Today we have Daniel Davis’ testimony not only about his first impression of our city, CoruƱa, but he is also going to tell us about one of his passions: Rugby!
Before you keep reading, take a look at this video to get a better idea about this sport:
What’s rugby about?
Little bit clearer, right? Keep scrolling to find out how a rugby player actually lives here in CoruƱa!
My name is Daniel, I am a teacher here at the Euroschool of English, what you are about to read is an account of my rugby season here in A CoruƱa.
Despite living in GijĆ³n four years ago and playing against my current club, Club Rugby Arquitectura Tecnica (CRAT), I knew very little about A CoruƱa. Like most people from the UK I had heard of Deportivo but, apart from that, I moved to A CoruƱa with an open mind, ready to learn as much as possible about the city and the people.
One plus point to start with, was the fact that I joined up with the rugby team straight away.
Rugby is a sport unlike any other, where teamwork, discipline and respect are the core values, this means that any team in any country will welcome a new player and treat him like an old friend. This was exacly the treatment I recieved and it helped me settle in to life here in no time.
The season started with an away game to Belenos RC in Aviles, a “short” three – hour bus journey. This was a totally new experience for me, coming from Wales where a 30 minute journey would be considered a long one. Wales as a country is the same size as Galicia, with almost the same population. The difference is that in Wales there are over 200 clubs with 79000 registered players, compare this to Galicia where there are only 14 and the difference in popularity is stark. The travelling situation was highlighted in two journeys that I will mention.
The distances we covered this year were for me truly staggering, if I left my home town in Wales and travelled east on a bus for 8/9 hours I would be somewhere near the Dutch/German border, not preparing for a league game in the same country. Coming from a rugby mad country it is interesting and refreshing to see the comittment that these people put in to play a game of rugby.
One Sunday when we were due to play a regional game in Ourense. I had been on the bus for an hour when I asked (in my broken Spanish) how long the journey would take, “only two more hours” came the reply. 3 hours for a local fixture?! Worse was to follow however.
We have two teams, one team in the national second division along with teams from Asturias and the Basque country. One example of an away trip was early in Feburary and a trip to Eibar. A league game in the Basque country means leaving A CoruƱa at 12 on a Saturday and arriving in Bilbao 7 hours later. After a night in a hotel and an early morning journey to Eibar the game started 24 hours after leaving A CoruƱa. After a famous victory (the club’s first in Eibar) the realisation of the 8/9 hour journey back to Galicia sank in.
Our season was a good one, winning as many games as we lost which is very good considering we often had to travel without many players due to work or family commitments.
We, CRAT, play our home games at Acea de Ama and our season runs from October to April. Why not come down, watch a game and enjoy the friendly atmosphere? You’ll be sure to recieve a warm welcome!!
So, doesn’t it sound appealing? š If so, be sure to watch the rugby World Cup this summer which is being held in Britain!
Remember to leave your rugby comments and questions below!
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