FOR ANYONE STROLLING along the banks of the River Torrens on Saturday, there was a striking sight waiting just outside Adelaide Rowing Club.
Parked only metres from the water was a big red and yellow bus, surrounded by a group of people enjoying beers and food.
One fella was being lineout lifted beside the bus, the lift helping him to reach a beer tap right at the top. Kids ran on and off the brightly-coloured vehicle, which will carry some of their dads on tour in the next few weeks.
Logos for the Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions nations plastered along the sides were a strong hint as to what it’s all about. 15 members of the local Brighton rugby club will be driving the bus from Adelaide to Melbourne for the second Lions Test, then onto Sydney for the third Test, before returning home.
They’ll be stopping overnight at rugby clubs along the way, sleeping in clubhouses, making new mates, and raising funds for Hearts in Rugby Union, a charity that helps players who have suffered life-changing injuries while playing the game.
This is what the Lions should be all about.
Brighton, based in the beautiful coastal suburbs of Adelaide, has strong Irish connections. Naturally enough, they were thrilled to have the Lions in town on Saturday.
JT Brosnan and Brian Hayes of Brighton rugby club.
It was a big deal for everyone in Adelaide rugby, which isn’t the biggest or most famous scene in Aussie rugby union. They don’t get many international games – just three in Wallabies history – and the Lions hadn’t visited since 1888. So this AUNZ XV game was very welcome.
“The whole league here has taken a complete bye round today, just so everyone can go and support it,” said Limerick man Brian Hayes, who has been living in Adelaide since the early 2000s.
Hayes, who will be one of the 15 who head off on the bus for the South Australia Lions Tour [SALR] on Wednesday week, has been busy correcting anyone who has been talking about the ‘British Lions’ coming to town.
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“I’m a very proud Irishman,” said Hayes, who went to school with Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast at Crescent College.
He will be joined on the bus tour by Longford native Noel Murtagh, who continues to play for Brighton into his 40s. Hayes has been coaching the club’s underage sides for the past decade, with his son now on the U18 team. Former UCC centre Paul Moynihan, who played with Stephen Archer back in the day, is also a Brighton man.
The club is home to lots of Scots, English, and South Africans, as well as their native Australians. They’re a proud club who try to spread the rugby union gospel in what is Aussie Rules heartland.
The AFL is like religion in Adelaide, explained JT Brosnan, a Brighton clubman who originally hails from Kenmare in Kerry. He was involved with Sydney Irish RFC for a few years before moving to Adelaide and coaching the Brighton third-grade team.
The AFL’s status as top dog was underlined on Saturday night before the dust had even settled on the Lions’ game at the Adelaide Oval. Soon after the final whistle, stadium staff had pulled up the rugby posts and were getting the venue set for Aussie Rules.
The Adelaide Oval. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Port Adelaide, one of the city’s two AFL clubs, had an important game there on Sunday.
And yet, the crowd of 43,124 at the Lions game was a new rugby attendance record in South Australia.
The small Adelaide rugby community is passionate. La Rochelle centre Ulupano Seuteni is from Adelaide but he went to school in Queensland, something that still happens with the most talented players in this neck of the woods.
Just this week, 17-year-old Adelaide native Levi Slater signed a development deal with the Queensland Reds of Super Rugby. Hayes coached Slater in Brighton before he left for boarding school at the highly-regarded Nudgee College in Brisbane when he was 15. Several others have taken similar paths in recent times.
The late Ted Fidock, who passed away last year, was Brighton’s president in the 1970s having played for Australia against Sri Lanka, Fiji, and the Maori All Blacks in the ’50s. The celebration of Fidock’s life took place at Brighton rugby club.
“We consider him our South Australian Wallaby,” said Brosnan.
“So even though it wouldn’t be known as a big rugby spot here, there’s a hugely passionate community.
“The Lions being here is a shot in the arm, it shows we haven’t been forgotten about in terms of the contribution to rugby and everyone is psyched about it. Hopefully, we can get some more kids playing rugby because that’s an important thing.”
The Brighton lads heading off on the bus tour are as excited as anyone about the Lions being in Australia.
The bus was previously used by a church group and Brighton bought it cheap on Marketplace and converted it. Support from club sponsors helped them to paint it, add tables in between the seats, and hook up the beer line for the lineout lift tap.
Adelaide to Melbourne is an eight-hour drive, while it’s about 10 hours from Melbourne to Sydney, but the SALT crew will take their merry time with both of those trips. They’re excited to meet other clubs, with some of their hosts changing training schedules to accommodate them.
Hayes and Murtagh can’t wait to be part of the mass of Lions fans for those second and third Tests. For them and Brighton, this trip is what rugby is all about.
“It’s in aid of a very good cause,” said Hayes.
“Hearts in Rugby Union supports players who have had career-ending injuries. We’ve already had a big wine sale, we have the QR code so people can donate everywhere we go, so if we can get a few grand towards the charity, how bad?”
If you make it to Melbourne or Sydney, keep an eye out for the Brighton boys from Adelaide.
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The Irish lads from Adelaide chasing the Lions in a converted bus
FOR ANYONE STROLLING along the banks of the River Torrens on Saturday, there was a striking sight waiting just outside Adelaide Rowing Club.
Parked only metres from the water was a big red and yellow bus, surrounded by a group of people enjoying beers and food.
One fella was being lineout lifted beside the bus, the lift helping him to reach a beer tap right at the top. Kids ran on and off the brightly-coloured vehicle, which will carry some of their dads on tour in the next few weeks.
Logos for the Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions nations plastered along the sides were a strong hint as to what it’s all about. 15 members of the local Brighton rugby club will be driving the bus from Adelaide to Melbourne for the second Lions Test, then onto Sydney for the third Test, before returning home.
They’ll be stopping overnight at rugby clubs along the way, sleeping in clubhouses, making new mates, and raising funds for Hearts in Rugby Union, a charity that helps players who have suffered life-changing injuries while playing the game.
This is what the Lions should be all about.
Brighton, based in the beautiful coastal suburbs of Adelaide, has strong Irish connections. Naturally enough, they were thrilled to have the Lions in town on Saturday.
It was a big deal for everyone in Adelaide rugby, which isn’t the biggest or most famous scene in Aussie rugby union. They don’t get many international games – just three in Wallabies history – and the Lions hadn’t visited since 1888. So this AUNZ XV game was very welcome.
“The whole league here has taken a complete bye round today, just so everyone can go and support it,” said Limerick man Brian Hayes, who has been living in Adelaide since the early 2000s.
Hayes, who will be one of the 15 who head off on the bus for the South Australia Lions Tour [SALR] on Wednesday week, has been busy correcting anyone who has been talking about the ‘British Lions’ coming to town.
“I’m a very proud Irishman,” said Hayes, who went to school with Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast at Crescent College.
He will be joined on the bus tour by Longford native Noel Murtagh, who continues to play for Brighton into his 40s. Hayes has been coaching the club’s underage sides for the past decade, with his son now on the U18 team. Former UCC centre Paul Moynihan, who played with Stephen Archer back in the day, is also a Brighton man.
The club is home to lots of Scots, English, and South Africans, as well as their native Australians. They’re a proud club who try to spread the rugby union gospel in what is Aussie Rules heartland.
The AFL is like religion in Adelaide, explained JT Brosnan, a Brighton clubman who originally hails from Kenmare in Kerry. He was involved with Sydney Irish RFC for a few years before moving to Adelaide and coaching the Brighton third-grade team.
The AFL’s status as top dog was underlined on Saturday night before the dust had even settled on the Lions’ game at the Adelaide Oval. Soon after the final whistle, stadium staff had pulled up the rugby posts and were getting the venue set for Aussie Rules.
Port Adelaide, one of the city’s two AFL clubs, had an important game there on Sunday.
And yet, the crowd of 43,124 at the Lions game was a new rugby attendance record in South Australia.
The small Adelaide rugby community is passionate. La Rochelle centre Ulupano Seuteni is from Adelaide but he went to school in Queensland, something that still happens with the most talented players in this neck of the woods.
Just this week, 17-year-old Adelaide native Levi Slater signed a development deal with the Queensland Reds of Super Rugby. Hayes coached Slater in Brighton before he left for boarding school at the highly-regarded Nudgee College in Brisbane when he was 15. Several others have taken similar paths in recent times.
The late Ted Fidock, who passed away last year, was Brighton’s president in the 1970s having played for Australia against Sri Lanka, Fiji, and the Maori All Blacks in the ’50s. The celebration of Fidock’s life took place at Brighton rugby club.
“We consider him our South Australian Wallaby,” said Brosnan.
“So even though it wouldn’t be known as a big rugby spot here, there’s a hugely passionate community.
“The Lions being here is a shot in the arm, it shows we haven’t been forgotten about in terms of the contribution to rugby and everyone is psyched about it. Hopefully, we can get some more kids playing rugby because that’s an important thing.”
The Brighton lads heading off on the bus tour are as excited as anyone about the Lions being in Australia.
The bus was previously used by a church group and Brighton bought it cheap on Marketplace and converted it. Support from club sponsors helped them to paint it, add tables in between the seats, and hook up the beer line for the lineout lift tap.
Adelaide to Melbourne is an eight-hour drive, while it’s about 10 hours from Melbourne to Sydney, but the SALT crew will take their merry time with both of those trips. They’re excited to meet other clubs, with some of their hosts changing training schedules to accommodate them.
Hayes and Murtagh can’t wait to be part of the mass of Lions fans for those second and third Tests. For them and Brighton, this trip is what rugby is all about.
“It’s in aid of a very good cause,” said Hayes.
“Hearts in Rugby Union supports players who have had career-ending injuries. We’ve already had a big wine sale, we have the QR code so people can donate everywhere we go, so if we can get a few grand towards the charity, how bad?”
If you make it to Melbourne or Sydney, keep an eye out for the Brighton boys from Adelaide.
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Adelaide Brighton BUS TOUR Lions On Tour Rugby