That Was The Week That Was 18-22 September 2023
The Magic of Flight
When played well there are moments in rugby that approach the boring parts of Australian football, but with many more concussions, per head. When played badly, rugby is all you need to know about the upper class of Britain.
It is fair to say that the Rugby World Cup match between Argentina and Samoa Friday of last week, the week that was, had all the excitement and thrills of a particularly nasty part of the Battle of the Somme. There was a lot of falling over, but neither side made any headway. The momentum, such as it was, was impossible to tell from being on the defensive. The driving rain in the first half merely added a touch of artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise dull and uninteresting narrative.
So boring was it we were gifted that most clear signal of disinterest on the part of the crowd, the Mexican wave. Some of the players looked like they wanted to join in. It is an interesting side-thought to ask would WWI have been over quicker if the soldiers had tried a Mexican wave instead of shooting each other?
But then, something magical happened. A paper plane, hand folded, drifted down from the top of the Western stand. It came from the left-hand side of the Argentinian defensive line. It floated, it would catch a slight updraft, it swoop, soar again, and then it would float further. On and on it went, finally coming into land gracefully a few metres behind the Argentinian try line a metre or so from the right corner flag.
Everybody in the grandstand was completely captivated. It was all quiet in the Western Stand as it flew along. No-one could take their eyes off it.
All of which goes to show two things. First, everybody loves flight and flying. Secondly, even the darkest and most distressing of days, there is always an aviation angle.