Paul Crawford “Our Man in Aironi” reports.
Arriving in Parma at 7pm the sun was setting but the temperature remained in the high twenties with humidity to match. A nice evening for sitting in the square eating pizza but not ideal conditions for rugby…
Saturday dawned warmer than the day before. Arriving early at the ground it was good to see many Aironi fans already there enjoying the shade of the club house and surrounding terrace. Even the Italians were avoiding the mid afternoon sunshine.
Dinner eaten in the company of an ex-pat Ulsterman (the only other Ulster supporter in the crowd) and an Italian and an ex pat Frenchman I watched the guys warming up…. well should that be getting hotter than when they arrived. It was 30oC by now, possibly more in the direct sun on the pitch.
After the 1st harsh penalty of the day given against Ulster in the act of receiving the kickoff the Ulstermen settled a little and passed the ball around the . . .
You will need to log in or register to read the rest of this article. If you have not already registered you can click here to register.
In 2022 we added 102,631 new images in 510 galleries with a gallery breakdown of 263 Rugby, 217 Hockey and 30 Athletics. Your registration and subscription will help us to continue.
Thanks.
Corrections, comments or questions?