UK Trip Pt 2 - Cardiff - 20-28th August

We spent most of Sunday getting sorted out after our late arrival - we got the kids bedrooms set up and clothes put away and went shopping for groceries.

Later that afternoon we drove into Cardiff to buy me some rugby shorts and to have a look around the souvenir shops.

Here's a few of our pictures of Cardiff:

Our street

Centre of Cardiff, walking towards Cardiff Castle

An interestingly named old pub (although I thought it was sheep in Wales...)

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle Tower

Millennium Stadium (now called Principality Stadium)

View from our apartment window

 The highlight of the day was the Old Boys Rugby Parade.  We met up with all of the other Old Boys teams (and there were lots from many different countries) and we marched from Cardiff Castle to Millennium Stadium (now called Principality Stadium).  The weather was pretty wet so there weren't too many people out to watch, but the teams gave out hat-pins, koala's, badges and stickers.  We had a joke that any kid on the side of the road would be buried under a pile of koalas and badges before the walk ended.

It was a great atmosphere and an awesome start to the tour.  I don't have too many photos as Kris videoed the march (but its 1.2Gb and 9 minutes long so I cant post it), but here's what I do have:

Me outside Principality Stadium (Wearing my Skane Old Boys Jacket)

Here's the list of teams entering the competition over a variety of grades:

Argentina

Old Orcas
Pueyrredon Rugby Club Classic

Australia

Alice Springs Dingoes
Arkives
Blue Veins
Budgies
Bundaberg Rumruckers
Central Coast Seagulls
Central West Old Bulls
Charters Towers Knackered Bulls
Crippled Crows
Darwin Stubbies
Dee Why Loin Kings
Drummoyne Vintage Reds
Gladstone Rugby Old Goats
Goulburn Fermented Reds
Grafton Big River Bullrouts
Irish Expats
Katherine Krocs
Midland Puffin’ Billies
Mount Isa Ugly Mongrels

Nelson Bay Grey Gropers
Newcastle Spears
Northwest Galloping Goannas
Old Tasmanian Devils
Orange Emulators
Penrith Legless Emus
Perth Wanderers
Pine River Pensioners
Port Macquarie Vintage Ports
Redland Crabs
Rocking Chairs
SAM Rugby
South West Rock Lifers
Stillbillies
Sydney Downunders
The Outsiders
Viking Longhorns
Whitsunday Whales
Ye Olde Dogs of Wanneroo

Bahamas

Cracked Conchs

Brazil

Keep Walking Rugby

Canada

Antediluvians Rugby Football Club

England

The Old Vulgarians
Caldy RFC
Martin John

Germany

Frankfurter Bembelschwenker

Japan

All Kyoto MA-I-KO
Chiba-Ken & Yuwaku
Fuwaku
Gunma Wakuwaku
Hosei Univ. Rugby OB Club & Meiwaku
Maebashi Old Danbo
Niigata Fuwaku Half Backs
Samurai Tokyo
TROT Tokyo Club

New Zealand

Bays Bullshitters
Canterbury Baa Baa’s
Counties Cavaliers
Evergreens Manawatu
Golden Koru Rugby Club
Katipos
Koru Raharuhi Wikaire
Mainland Kiwis

Merivale Maulers
Rimutaka Rams
Saints n Sinners
Shirley W’s
Stuffed Hawks
Suburbs Marauders
Upper Hutt Yellowbellies

Russia

Moscow Lads

Scotland

Forrester RFC Rubies

USA

Chicago Frogs Rugby
Colorado Ol’ Pokes
FBI
MARS
Old Barking Dogs RFC
Texas XXX’s

Wales

‘Andsome Mavericks
Barry RFC
Cardiff Harlequins (Host Club)
Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd (Host Club)
Rumney RFC (Host Club)
Welsh Assembly XV
Wooden Spoon XV
WRU Select
Y Gogs