Sale Shark fans in Trafalgar Square
By Anne B
December 9 2003
Two pairs of socks, thermal underwear, Sharks shirt, scarf and hat, gloves and thick coat, backpack full of sandwiches, camera and collection of England flags - we were ready to rumble.
Sharks in Trafalgar Square
Two pairs of socks, thermal underwear, Sharks shirt, scarf and hat, gloves and thick coat, backpack full of sandwiches, camera and collection of England flags - we were ready to rumble. We had decided in advance that Trafalgar Square was the place to be and that an early start was required if we were to get a decent spot so we left Cheadle at 1 am in the bitter cold. The gritters had been out so the roads were clear and apart from a few hardy long-distance lorry drivers we had the road much to ourselves till we got close to London. The kids had a few hours sleep on the road down in preparation for the long, cold day ahead. The plan was to drive as far as Highgate and proceed from there by tube thus avoiding parking and congestion charges.
We reached there just after 5 am and found the perfect spot just up the road from Highate station. After the first of the sandwiches for an early breakfast we set off for the tube. London at that hour showed few signs of what would lie ahead and questioning glances were pointed in my direction and the unspoken suggestion that we could have spent a couple of hours in bed sounded very loud (I had been the one who insisted we should get there so early). However 'she who is never wrong' was proved right again when we reached Trafalgar Square at 6.20 am to find about a hundred people already there and bagging the best spots! We managed to get just behind the barrier at the front and introduced ourselves to our neighbours - a couple from Potters Bar with their young daughter and a group of rugby fans from Kings College who for some strange reason had a milk crate with them - this was to prove priceless later in the day when a bit of extra height was required. The kids headed off to find some hot coffee and a toilet - we didn't know then that this was to be the last chance to get anywhere near a loo for the rest of the day!
By 8 am the crowd had built up substantially behind us and by 10 am the square was full. The crowd were enormously good natured. Lots of singing and cheering. The cameras and reporters from all the breakfast television programmes were there. My eldest (Orangutanfarmer) was interviewed by Capital Radio who thought we were 'mad' to have traveled all night to be there. Loads of his friends at home in Manchester were watching on television and ringing him on his mobile to say they could see him. Every time the cameras rolled the flags were waved and another chorus of Swing Low would ring out.
Then from close in front of us was heard the unmistakable sound of an Australian accent! A reporter from Channel 9 in Oz had taken up his position in front of us - this triggered many choruses of 'You all live in a Convict Colony' and 'I sh*gged Matilda'. Fortunately he took it all in good fun and was able to laugh with us!
From somewhere behind an inflatable rugby ball appeared and for a about an hour an impromptu game took place. Scrums were easy as we were all in one large one but we also managed a couple of lineout jumps. Several times the ball landed in the fountain and police and security people would go in and return the ball into the crowd. One policeman attempted to drop kick the ball back in and got a chorus of 'You're no Jonny' for his effort! I must give huge credit to all the Police and Security people in the square - they were friendly, helpful, joined in with the fun and really allowed a very big crowd to have a great time.
As 12 o'clock approached the television people started testing the big screens. Every now and then a picture of the square would be shown and everyone would cheer loudly - as it flickered off 30,000 voices in unison said 'ooooh' when it started again the said 'aahh' - to great laughs from the reporters.
One of the biggest cheers of the day was for a fireman. A group of them were lined up on the steps of the National Gallery and one opened his brown fireman's jacket to display his England shirt.
We were able to watch the parade on the big screen as it worked its way towards us. Those of us who had been in the square since before dawn had no idea what had been going on elsewhere so it was astounding to see the crowds all along the route. The atmosphere really began to build as we could see them getting closer to us. John Inverdale came on to tell us what would happen when the buses arrived (cue lots of jokes from the crowd about waiting hours for buses and then 3 of them showing up). The reception when they arrived was amazing. I was madly waving my Sale scarf at Jason but I don't think there was any chance he would see it in the tide of red and white flags that were being waved. A favourite moment for me was Lawrence Dallaglio and Lewis Moody with their hands above their heads singing Swing Low along with the crowd. The players all looked to be amazed at what was happening to them but they seemed to be really enjoying the whole experience. Our Jase had the look of a man who knew he had achieved his ultimate goal, his place in history - not triumphant just truly happy.
On the big screen they showed various clips from the game. There was a huge cheer for Lol as he made his break, another for Jonny as he took the pass and a huge cheer for Jason as he dived for the try. The crowd roared for Mike Tindall as he dumped George Gregan into touch yet again. Another cheer for Matt Dawson as he spun the winning pass and a crescendo for Jonny as 'that kick' went through the posts again! The players were able to watch it from the bus along with us and share in the reaction of the crowd. It was a magical moment. I discovered too that I am not the only one who knows the Five Live commentary by heart as the crowd as one said "it's coming back to Jonny Wilkinson, he drops for World Cup glory, it's up, it's over, he's done it'.
Congratulations to the lads for a job well done, to London for putting on a great day for us fans (and clearing up the almighty mess we left behind), to the police and security people who joined in the fun with us and the lone Aussie reporter for taking his ribbing in good part. It was a wonderful day to be a rugby fan and a wonderful day to be English.