Jet lag is not slowing Miles Harrison down as he begins his marathon commentating duties in New Zealand.
Miles' Diary Part II
The Rugby World Cup is here as the best teams on the planet go head to head in the pursuit of the Webb Ellis Trophy.
Sky Sports commentator Miles Harrison will be in New Zealand for the next six weeks to watch the biggest games and to follow the competition from start to finish.
And he'll bring you a flavour of the tournament in his regular online diary, right here on
skysports.com.
In Part II, Miles tries to get some sleep, vists Christchurch and starts his marathon commentating duties.
Catch up with previous entries here...
Day Five - Friday September 9
Mr Jet and Mr Lag are still on tour with me - two hours sleep is not really enough, is it?
I'm taken back to that time which all parents will never forget, the birth of their first child and how sleep becomes a luxury. It's up with the lark, actually before the damn thing, and off to the airport. But, my plight is put into perspective when, at Auckland Airport, the gentlemen on the seat next to me in the departure lounge awakens to ask what's the time and has he missed his flight?
Luckily, he hasn't but says he's feeling a little tired on account of having milked one thousand cows that morning and, as he so rightly says, they don't milk themselves. He does it every day and now he's off to market to buy some more - now, that's a real job. So, Harrison, get a grip, all you have to do is get on a plane to Invercargill to see the Scotland rugby team.
The flight is via Christchurch and it is my first visit back since the earthquake. From my position on the plane, there is no evidence of the destruction but I'm told that the city still pretty much resembles a war zone. It is, of course, something that people in this part of the world will never forget.
I hope that everybody back home holds the thought too because this proud and rugby-mad city needs continuing help from all across the world to get back on its feet. I know so many members of the rugby community have being doing their bit - Leicester Tigers have been particularly supportive and this World Cup is another chance to keep Christchurch in our minds.
As for Scotland, it's the captain's run for a team clearly now itching to get started. Scotland only played two warm-up games in August, I'm sure partly because they were playing Romania and Georgia in their first two World Cup matches, building towards the bigger tests here from Argentina and England.
Andy Robinson is in fine form but he has those steely game eyes on. But, so too has Steve McDowell, the former All Black prop and World Cup winner in 1987, who is coaching the Romanian forwards these days. Steve assures me that his forwards fancy this. Are these bullish or prophetic words?
In the evening, it's back to the hotel to watch the opening ceremony. Now, I'm normally a cynic about these things - I'm not an opening ceremony kind of bloke - get on with the action and don't waste the time and money says this curmudgeon. But, what is happening?
I find myself enjoying it and I can't help thinking that, if you're watching this on the other side of the world, there's enough in there to make you think that this place, New Zealand, could be a fascinating spot to visit one day. On that level, the ceremony works for the tourist board but it was also a tasteful and thoughtful piece of choreography. Well done to all concerned, you've changed this man's perception of these things.
The All Blacks look pretty well choreographed too in their first-half display against Tonga. There's a bit of post-match criticism that they don't push on after the interval and so allow Tonga back in but I've been doing this job long enough to have lost count of the teams I've seen lose their energy when the game is, in effect, won. The players wouldn't be human if they didn't turn some of their thoughts to bigger things once the Tongan game is in the bag.
Day Six - Saturday September 10
It is pouring, I mean really chucking it. I wake up in Invercargill (and, by the way, it is 0230 again!) Still, don't fight it and I'm sure some of it is excitement anyway - how could you not be excited about the prospect of covering two World Cup games in a day, in two different cities? It is Scotland versus Romania first and, then, it's off to Dunedin for England versus Argentina.
I arrive at the ground and bump into Scott Hastings and ask if he would be amenable to standing pitch-side for a piece in the build-up. Scott is upbeat about Scotland's chances, not just today but in the tournament in general. This is a tough Pool but there is a clear route out of it; yet there is a trap door too. I finish the piece by reiterating how difficult the conditions are but the sky is lightening from the south with a cold southerly blowing up.
It clears up nicely and, 15 minutes into the game, it all looks so easy for Scotland. The sizeable travelling Scottish support sampling the Southland hospitality are having a good time as Romania are leaving alarming gaps in defence and the Scots are slicing though. But, then, Steve McDowell's hopes or, should I say, expectations come true and Romania are, in the end, five minutes away from a remarkable result for them and for the World Cup in general.
Their escape at the end deserves credit but Scotland were minutes away from embarrassment. In the tunnel after the game, I say to Andy Robinson, "I wasn't looking forward to doing that interview." The sense of relief is palpable - Scotland have got out of jail but, given their forward display and the nature and playing styles of the other teams in their Pool, they are on parole. Clear issues need to be addressed upfront.
Next, it's the drive to Dunedin - scenic but there's no will to take it all in. It's about making the ground in time for kick-off which, in the end, we do comfortably. Jon, our Kiwi cameraman, take a bow - excellent driving mate! First impressions of the new stadium are, to coin a Kiwi phrase, 'awesome!'
You just know that the noise generated is going to be huge and the most important quality about any ground has been achieved in the construction - it is intimate. I bump into David Davies, the former London Wasps Chief Executive, who is now working in Otago and who has overseen the development of the stadium. He and all involved have done a cracking job.
The game itself doesn't disappoint. I know some of you will say otherwise and I take your point and I know where you are coming from. But, it is brutal, absolutely brutal, a classic arm wrestle of a rugby match and I happen to think that they should have a prominent place too. Do I think England are going to lose at any point? Hard one but, if I'm being totally honest, 'no' is the answer.
Staying power and fitness have been issues for Argentina and are again here as England hold their nerve and show their strengths towards the conclusion of the game. Ben Youngs, with an injection of pace and energy around a tiring Argentina fringe defence, does the trick and England find a way to win. That is the positive but, like with Scotland earlier, there is plenty to work on. In the interview with Steve Thompson all this is acknowledged.
I think, given the nature of the escape, it is probably the wrong time to ask why he kissed Mario Ledesma? Save that for another day. Talking of which, it is nearly another day, time for bed - sleep? Please!
Day Seven - Sunday September 11
Windy Wellington is our destination for Wales against South Africa and the flight in doesn't disappoint on that front. The fans from both countries are already out in force and I have a chat with a lady with a giant plastic...daffodil from the Rhondda.
"How long are you out for," I enquire (that's to the lady not the daffodil!), all in the interest of television you understand. "Four weeks," she replies. "But, it's a seven week tournament?!" I say cheekily.
Yet, there is a confidence coming from the Welsh supporters. It could be the Steinlager talking but this is a game that Wales have targeted since the end of the Six Nations and there's a youthful exuberance about this team. The players file through their hotel lobby to a big cheer as they head off for one last stretch before going to the ground.
Shaun Edwards shakes my hand with match day firmness - he's fired up and his players look in the right place too. You sniff there's something in the air. On the giant screen, Italy are holding Australia... this World Cup is already proving to be full of surprises. Are Wales about to become the side that don't just surprise but win?
I cannot impress upon you enough how wet and windy it is shortly before kick-off. Standing outside the ground, appearing on Sky Sports News with James Cole, is like standing on deck on a stormy night. The weather perhaps favours South Africa and their big, experienced pack but it is so bad that it could be a totally levelling factor, ruining the night so nobody can do anything of any note.
Injured fly-half, Stephen Jones, tells me it is going to clear up according to the forecast.
Stephen is right; a Llanelli man should know all about changing, squally weather! The rain eases but the wind is never going to go away, this is Wellington. Sadly, for Wales, it is one of those nights destined not to be. All that territory, all that possession and all that agony of another narrow defeat to the Springboks.
Did that James Hook kick go over? Should Wayne Barnes have gone to the TMO? On the first, not sure; on the second, you bet. The technology is there, so use it - it may not have been conclusive but you have to have a look. These things, they are too important now. Down in the tunnel, Mike Phillips, Shane Williams and Jamie Roberts all troop in for interviews and look devastated, battered and bruised but, although this is a heartbreak, it is not a tournament breaker - Wales have to believe that.
It's back to the hotel as the hour just slides past midnight. An exhilarating and already, a super World Cup, this journey is going to be fun. It's off to Queenstown tomorrow, I've never been there and I'll tell you all about it towards the end of the week - bye for now.
