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Ben Dirs

A toast to William Webb Ellis (26)

Menton, Cote d'Azur - I have to be honest, I鈥檓 not really into visiting graves. As my nan used to say, you鈥檙e a long time toes-up - what鈥檚 the point in hanging about with dead people while you鈥檙e still alive?

But I made an exception for William Webb Ellis, the man often credited with inventing rugby union and without whom this magnificent trip of ours may never have happened.

The Webbler lies in the in Menton, a resort nestled between Monaco and the Italian border.

The former pupil of Rugby School spent the last six months of his life trying to recover from TB in the dry Mediterranean air, although, given some of the gradients in this town, he might have been better off in Holland.

And, having failed to find a place to park after two hours driving, Tommy must have wished he鈥檇 died a few miles up the road in Nice.

I鈥檓 not sure what campervans ever did to Menton, but it had a whacking great beef with Le Bloggernaut and we were eventually forced to schlep back from a supermarket a couple of miles out of town.

William Webb Ellis' grave and the Webb Ellis Cup

Mercifully, the yomp was worth it, not only because we were able to raise a little toast to the main man, but also because the views over the Med from his resting place are enough to make even David Campese break out into an impromptu song and dance.

Word on the street is that Menton is the thinking man鈥檚 Monaco 鈥 officially the warmest place on the and, my Lonely Planet tells me, big on lemons.

It has also gone large on the World Cup, with a rugby exhibition up and running and a Webb Ellis Way - a series of illustrated panels explaining the history of rugby - in place.

If only it had let us park on its streets, I might have been able to take a look myself.

Our otherwise stressful jaunt round Menton did include one moment of light relief. On realising we鈥檇 travelled 10 seconds or so across the Italian border, Tommy decided to chuck what looked to me like a highly-illegal U-turn on the promenade.

Cue irate Italian chap on moped giving us a volley of abuse, gesticulating wildly and cuffing Le Bloggernaut鈥檚 wing mirror with the back of his hand. Stereotypes, aren鈥檛 they brilliant?

Onto the weekend鈥檚 festivities, and you鈥檒l not be surprised to learn that the we鈥檝e met are in typically bullish mood ahead of their quarter-final with in Marseille.

On Wednesday, I bumped into one in a campsite toilet and it turned out he had rather cleverly tweaked that marvellous old Dennis Lillee-Jeff Thompson taunt:

鈥淎shes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Giteau don鈥檛 get ya, Mortlock must.鈥

I was about to fire back a stinging riposte when I realised he鈥檇 inadvertently urinated on my feet, which is perhaps the biggest drawback to wearing flip-flops.

In truth, his errant aim was probably a blessing. What was I going to say that would cut him down to size? 鈥淵eh, but we鈥檝e got Andy Farrell and he can kick the ball down the middle of the pitch really, really far鈥︹

The Aussie fans even expect their pack to hold its own, which is bordering on a miracle when you consider it features several players beasted by England at Twickenham only two years ago.

That said, it is forecast to rain on Saturday and anyone who has ever played rugby at any level will know a greasy ball is one of the game鈥檚 great levellers.

As a decidedly mediocre full-back in my day, that鈥檚 a line I鈥檝e trotted out plenty of times in the past and one that I鈥檓 sticking with.

We return to Marseille today and Tommy will no doubt fill you in on the atmos ahead of the match on Friday. With droves of English, Australian, South African and Fijian fans heading into town, it should all be going a little bit crackers.

I鈥檝e had a look on the web and it seems you can pick up an England-Australia ticket for 50 squid, but I鈥檓 going to stick my neck out and say you鈥檙e better off just rocking up and bagging one outside the Stade Velodrome a few minutes before show-time.

We鈥檒l be there at some point, but only if Le Bloggernaut, like some giant mechanical witch, can make it out of Menton without being torched by the locals.

An aside to finish. It鈥檚 not often you stumble across a restaurant at the bottom of your campsite which offers views of Monte Carlo, but that鈥檚 what happened to Tommy and I last night, which was, as they say on the Cote d鈥橝zur, a bit of a touch.

And as I leant back and surveyed the red, yellow and blue tricolore pinned to the ceiling (you鈥檙e still allowed to smoke in France) and knocked back my second post-duck , I thought to myself, 鈥淲illiam Webb Ellis, I think I love you.鈥

Ben Dirs is a 大象传媒 Sport journalist travelling around France in a camper van with Tom Fordyce.


Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 11:29 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Pierre wrote:

Ahhh Mr Dirs, you are really into this thing now aren't you, you lucky so-and-so. Great blogging, great photo, and I even feel as relaxed as you with the fag and limoncello. Better get yourself fired up for tomorrow though. We need all the help we can get.
Blog on dudes

  • 2.
  • At 11:34 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Anonymous wrote:

ok viceky

  • 3.
  • At 11:37 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Rog wrote:

How are both of you fairing on the lady front, any luck yet or is it still as dry as the death valley?

  • 4.
  • At 11:49 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Grant wrote:

Duck and Lemoncello on the Cote d'Azur...

Enjoy it whilst it lasts lads. Before you know it you'll be back to the ODI commentaries and, judging by the score so far today, they'll be pretty tough going this tour!

Have a good one.

  • 5.
  • At 11:52 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Grant wrote:

Duck and Lemoncello on the Cote d'Azur...

Enjoy it whilst it lasts lads. Before you know it you'll be back to the ODI commentaries and, judging by the score so far today, they'll be pretty tough going this tour!

Have a good one.

  • 6.
  • At 11:52 AM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • oliver brett wrote:

This is your chance for a swim, chaps. Took the family to Menton for holiday last year in the LAST week of October and the sea was still really warm.

There is an amazing covered market open seven mornings a week near to the beach as well, and some stunning gardens.

You still owe me a tenner by the way.

  • 7.
  • At 12:04 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Peter Squires wrote:

Tsk tsk, smoking in restaurants is illegal in France too!

I do hope the licence fee - which I don't pay - isn't used to pay the fine

  • 8.
  • At 12:09 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Looney Loiner wrote:

William Webb Ellis did not invent Rugby. He invented Rugby League!
It says "He picked up the ball and ran with it" It did NOT say, "He picked up the ball and kicked it off the pitch into the crowd"

  • 9.
  • At 12:13 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Mark Coster wrote:

Where can I get my hands on some Lemoncello for Saturday?

Will they have any in the Shed at Campion?


  • 10.
  • At 12:17 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Mark Coster wrote:

I want some Lemoncello for Saturday?

A little slice of the med - it might give me some hope?

Do Campion Old Boy's have it in stock?

  • 11.
  • At 01:01 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • A G wrote:

Nope. You can still smoke in restaurants in France - til February anyway, cough, cough

  • 12.
  • At 01:02 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Fraser wrote:

Can I be the first to have a greet about a waste of the licence fee? All this could have went towards buying Jonathan Ross a new ivory backscratcher.

Keep up the good work. Should Scotland miraculously qualify for the semis, Paris won鈥檛 have seen an invasion like it since (insert dodgy war joke here).

  • 13.
  • At 01:14 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • OxS wrote:

Tough life! Do you have to come home when England get dumped out on Saturday?

By the way, why do I have to "Complain about" every comment on your page - most of them seem just fine, if a little vacuous.

  • 14.
  • At 02:04 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Carole in Maidenhead wrote:

Just heard Farrell is out. BUT IT WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. We're not good enough. I wish we were, but we're not. The Aussies will skin us alive. Be careful Dirsy, too much smoking in French restaurants and you will lose your Smirting skills.

  • 15.
  • At 02:26 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Anonymous wrote:

england have goods qualitys but they lack that umph the power

  • 16.
  • At 02:39 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Leigh Thompson wrote:

Please stop complaining about your bloody license fees. There are plenty of people on here who read this blog and enjoy it. If you don't just go back to your humourless career obsessed life and leave other people to have fun. I can never be bothered to right comments on a blog, but the stupid, selfish imbeciles who keep moaning because they do not know the meaning of fun has got me riled. Leave us to enjoy ourselves, please!

  • 17.
  • At 03:20 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Brian wrote:

Nice one lads. Brings back all the memories of travelling around the South of France. You are very lucky men, the Craic sounds great.

  • 18.
  • At 03:39 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Carole in Maidenhead wrote:

Leigh Thompson - well said that man!

  • 19.
  • At 04:05 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Jimbo wrote:

Will Faza be fit again for the semi's or final?

Who am i kidding, I could'nt even keep a straight face!

I hear the Oz now want to play touch incase 'Dirty' england get a bit rough for them. I think it was Ghandi that first said Go Hard or GO Home you big girl!

For me play Floody and Tait and just have a real go at them, all out attack. We will fight them on the beaches... and all that sort of thing.

Forward!

  • 20.
  • At 04:16 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Une francaise en Angleterre wrote:

I have three questions:
1. Re no.15 - what are Smirting skills?
2. what are HTML tags
3. how will they improve my style?

Three comments:
1. stop the whingeing, puritanical comments about T & D wasting the licence fee. Finding Webb Ellis's grave was brave, incisive, investigative journalism.
2. there are more than enough self-opinionated experts commenting on the rugby. Keep up the smoky, atmospheric, background journalism.
3. Have heard that Katherine Jenkins has been appointed to coach the Welsh team. Any truth in this?

  • 21.
  • At 08:33 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • Alex Schuster wrote:

Let's not forget that Webb Ellis was sixty-five years of age when he died, reaching a ripe old age in terms of nineteenth century life expectancy. Though Tom and Ben paint an interesting picture of his life in Menton, his death does not have the same tragic resonance as Keats' death from tuberculosis, which occurred at a tender age. Nor is it likely that a sixty-five year old with spent lungs even attempted to scale the more mountainy aspects of the town of Menton.

Interesting to note, however, that the inhabitants of this town are the only French people to substitute the words 'Menton', 'Menton',for 'Marchons', 'Marchons', whenever the Marseillaise is being sung by the townsfolk.

As regards the role of Webb Ellis in the invention of rugby, nobody has ever disproved the story that Webb Ellis was the first to catch the ball and ran with it during a match at Rugby. But there is no further data as regards how his trangression of the rules actually translated into the game of rugby.

  • 22.
  • At 10:13 PM on 04 Oct 2007,
  • derby9 wrote:

webb ellis never claimed to have invented the glorious game, and indeed never went on to play it, he played cricket for england i believe. the story of webb ellis picking up the ball was only brought to light several years later when the RFU were trying to patent the game in order to gain control. but never let the details get in the way of a good story

  • 23.
  • At 05:59 AM on 05 Oct 2007,
  • manirish wrote:

Enjoying the blog. Watched the Ireland fiasco on the big screen here in St-Etienne with the remnants of the Tartan Army- sloped of to a little quiet bar before the end of the game to weep into my Kronenbourg. never mind a French workmate insisted on betting me 100 euros that France would beat the Blacks tomorrow. Roll on Monday!!!

  • 24.
  • At 09:40 AM on 05 Oct 2007,
  • Carole Maidenhead wrote:

RE 21: "Smirting" is smoking and flirting at the same time, famously discussed by Mr Dirs on TMS online. Enforced on our hero by having to stand outside in Blighty to have his tabs. He discovered it was a good wheeze for chatting up the ladies

  • 25.
  • At 12:43 PM on 05 Oct 2007,
  • Mark wrote:

The chant 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust' did not originate, in cricketing terms, with Lille and Thompson. It was first used in connection with the 1950s English spinners Tony Lock and Jim Laker - 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Lock don't get you, Laker must!'

Of course, I do realise that this is probably a little confusing for Mr Dirs, but it is true nonetheless!

  • 26.
  • At 10:31 PM on 05 Oct 2007,
  • wrote:

Anyway good use of various venacular. However SCHLEP is a German word also popular in Yiddish. You schlepp things. e.g. Ich habe das Ding den ganzen Tag geSCHLEPPT. " I carried the thing the whole day". Maybe you can schlepp yourself in an auto but wahrschleinlich nicht. But ein super blog.

I wish dass ich da sein k枚nnte mit euch zusammen ( together).

Viele Gr眉sse

alph

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