Kick off!

Hi All

I'm new to this game so bare with my whilst I find my feet!  One game I'm not new to is rugby which I've been following with a passion for some time now.  With some time spent living in Ireland just after the 2003 World Cup my passion was only intensified, and rugby became even more important to me (the first game England played when I was living in Dublin was also the first game they lost following their triumph in Australia - and yes, that was against the Irish, at "Fortress Twickenham"!).  After marrying a lovely Irish girl who follows O'Driscoll and co as avidly as I follow Johnson and co (at our wedding in 2010 we had France v Ireland showing on a big screen before dinner!) it became a little competitive in my house during February and March!  Throw in some equally passionate friends and social gatherings become an intense session of banter and friendly ridicule!

So why have I started blogging about rugby?  Well I'm by no means an expert in the game but I often have my own views and I figured this would be the best place to vent them and hopefully inspire some discussion - on the off chance that anyone reads this!  I'll probably be fairly biased - as that is my way, but whilst Quins and England would be my teams of choice I'll no doubt talk about all teams - especially in the run up to the 2011 World Cup.

So feel free to comment - one of the best parts of the game is the banter and discussion it inspires in the bars and pubs once the final whistle has gone.  Lets see if we can get a virtual version of that on here (though you'll have to supply your own beer!)!!