An hour's journey in Istanbul's late Saturday afternoon traffic to a pub in Sultan Ahmet with Sam and her husband, in order to watch the rugby, followed by a brisk walk through the streets because the taxi driver got lost (!!) - only to discover that the pub was closed for refurbishment - so on we travelled, au pied, au tram, au taxi and au pied again until we reached the James Joyce Irish pub off Istiklal in Taksim which we did in less than fifteen minutes - and walked inside cold and thirsty, for me to be greeted by a graduate (and his mates) who I haven't seen for a long time - so fun catch up chat filled the moments where the game took a break as we all watched Ireland pull through. Happy for my friends, not so much for my maternal ancestors in the green valleys. 

In for the long haul, at the risk of sounding like a Trip Advisor review -  the pause between games filled with fun conversation all around and a great choice of beers, but the pasta we ate while waiting for England v Scotland was, to say the least, as indigestible as the result of the match that followed. The game did have its moments however, like when I knocked my drink flying in enthusiastic support for Farrell's try that was then disallowed, beer and disappointment spilling out all over the place.  Still more fun than watching at home with my knitting though.