First match today is against Germany. We knew that they’d be strong and it was going to be even more difficult now that we didn’t have Philip any more. The Germans had impressed in their opening matches and the result was in no doubt by half time. It was going to be one of those days and for the third game in a row we conceded over fifty goals. The real disappointing thing about this game was that we went a whole quarter, the second, without scoring a single goal but we pulled ourselves together and put up a much better display in the second half to finish on the wrong end of a 59 - 11 scoreline. After this match we were given the news that Philip was to be re-classified later on in the day at 4.30 but first we had the Poles to contend with. This was the first match that we thought we had a realistic chance of winning and it was a good, close game with the Polish lads winning by 54 goals to 38. There was nothing between the teams all through and it was in the last quarter that the Poles really pulled away. At the end of this one we were all saying “if only …” but you can only play with the players that you have available to you and the team played well and showed some pride in the green after the drubbing in our first three matches.

Now it’s off with the gloves, out of the rugby chair and off to the classification process with Philip. As we waited outside the door, waiting to be called in, we felt like two school kids being summoned to the headmasters office. We were waiting outside for around a quarter of an hour and was it hell. It was enough to scare the sh*t outta you, as Philip aptly demonstrated (sorry Phil mate but I had to get that one in). The new classification panel put him through his paces and it was two and a half hours before they were finished with us. Poor Phil, by the time they’d finished with him he had more disabilities coming out than he knew he had going in and he was still no nearer to being a Rugby player or was he?? They would inform us of their decision the following day. When we finally got out of there and back to the accommodation, there was no sight of our “team mates”, they’d all fecked off to get fed and by the time we got up there to the restaurant they’d fecked from there too and left us to eat alone. Don’t worry Phil, I ain’t ashamed to be seen eating with you, you non-Rugby player you.