So, to the game...........
I'm excited, nervous, worried, hopeful, downcast, terrified, upbeat, confident and scared! How and why is it that this game makes me go through the whole gamut of emotions in the space of half an hour? I'm thinking about all the personal battles on the field, who has the better scrum/loose forwards, who will shine in the lineout, who can break a tackle or two, who would I put my life on to make a try-saving one on our 5 metre line? Who will back themselves in a break up the narrow side?
Who will restrain themselves when someone deserves a thick lip? Who can deliver that flash of genius that such an occasion deserves?
Who will hold their nerve in that cauldron and give of their best? Who will keep their heads when all around them are losing theirs?
They've all got the big match temperament but who can maintain it in the heat of battle and against insurmountable odds? Who would I put next month"s wages on to split the posts with a drop goal in the dying seconds?
Why am I going through the wringer already and it's over 7 and a half hours to k.o?
How can this torture be ecstasy and vice versa?