The following article appeared in the Brecon RFC newsletter.

Brecon RFC adopted a two-phase approach to supporting the Lions in New Zealand with Johnny Morris covering the provincial games and Jason ‘Charlie’ Rooza and Andrew ‘Gonzo’ Williams taking in the test matches. We caught-up with them to find out how things went.

How long did you go for ?

Johnny M: 22 days

Charlie / Gonzo: 10 days.

Which games did you see ?

Johnny M:

v New Zealand Barbarians (Whangerei) (Won)

v Blues (Auckland) (Lost)

v Crusaders (Christchurch) (Won)

v Highlanders (Dunedin) (Lost)

v All Black Maoris (Rotorua) (Won)

v Chiefs (Hamilton) (Won)

Charlie / Gonzo:

v 1^st Test (Auckland) (Lost)

v 2^nd Test (Wellington) (Won)

Which of the games you watched was your favourite ?

Johnny M:

The victory over the Crusaders prevented the tour crashing and burning after a very ‘iffy’ start.

Charlie / Gonzo:

2^nd Test – obviously. To see the ABs beaten in their backyard was something special.

What was the most memorable thing that happened ?

Johnny M:

The Maori challenge at the Waitangi treaty grounds was something to behold. It was nothing like a pre kick-off haka. At one point 300+ Maori (brandishing traditional and not so traditional weapons – a few of them had guns, I’m not kidding) surrounded the Lions squad and performed an incredibly aggressive challenge. Moriarty was bristling to take them on.

Charlie / Gonzo:

Bumping into an eighty year old man in a backwater town in the middle of nowhere and having a 30 minute conversation about rugby. The guy, a retired farmer, knew more about rugby than the two of us put together.

What was the best accommodation you stayed in ?

Johnny M:

Through a series of fortunate coincidences I managed to get a free room in the team hotel in Dunedin for a couple of nights.

Charlie / Gonzo:

We managed to blag a couple of free beds in a former army barracks in Wellington. After 4 nights in the camper van it was bliss.

And the worst accommodation ?

Johnny M:

The backpackers I stayed in Dunedin before moving to the team hotel – it was like a crime scene without the dead body.

Charlie / Gonzo:

The camper van was great. Having transport and being able to stop anywhere without worrying about accommodation was awesome. But it was -3 degrees in Taupo and with no electrical hook-up to power the heater it was a bit chilly.

What was the favourite place you visited ?

Johnny M:

St Heliers – I lived there for 5 years, it was great to catch-up with mates I’d not seen for a while in this beautiful part of Auckland.

Charlie / Gonzo: 

The Coromandel peninsular and Mount Manganui were spectacular and we had fantastic weather. The K Road in Auckland at 4am also deserves a mention.

Did you do any exercise ?

Johnny M:

2 x 50Km mountain bike rides, 2 x 10km runs, 2 x 2km sea swims and 1 x 1km lake swim.

Charlie / Gonzo:

Eh ? Does jet boating count ? We did walk up Mount Manganui.

Average units of alcohol per day per person ?

Johnny M:

5 units [editors note: sounds rubbish, but if you do the maths it’s not far off Charlie and Gonzo’s impressive total for their trip!]

Charlie / Gonzo:

20+ [editors note: due to concern for their well being they did not drink on 3 of the 10 days they were there so hitting these daily averages is pretty full-on]

What was the Big night out ?

Johnny M:

New Zealand Barbarians game in Whangerei was pretty full on. I’ve never seen so many drunk people in one place as were at Toll stadium. The Blues game in Auckland where I blagged my way into the hospitality with some mates was a good one too.

Charlie / Gonzo:

Too many to mention but the first night in Auckland was hard yaka (former Brecon RFC player and Kiwi Sam Walsh allegedly spent $385 on tequila between 10pm and 2am). The second day was pretty good too, it was the day of first test and we were on it from 9.45am and went through to 5.40am the next morning (including a visit to the notorious K Road where we discovered that we are in fact bisexual lovers).

What was the best thing about the trip ?

Johnny M:

Travelling the length of the country and catching up with loads of mates that I’d not seen since I left NZ 5 Years ago punctuated with a full-on rugby matches every three or four days. The access to players and management was pretty special and seemingly unchanged from the amateur era. I had a beer with Jon Spencer (the tour manager) and Warren Gatland – how the hell does that happen in the professional era ?

Charlie / Gonzo:

We’d never ever seen the All Blacks lose and we’re getting on a bit so to see them lose in their own capital city was something special. Our cameo on Sky TV before kick-off was pretty funny too.

Is there anything you’d do differently if you were doing it again ?

Johnny M:

It would have been nice to spend my 25th wedding anniversary with my wife but hey ho.

Charlie / Gonzo:

Knowing what we know now, staying on for the 3rd test decider would have been epic!

What about South Africa in 2021 ?

Johnny M:

Size of country, safety, friendliness and ‘rugby nuttiness’ must make NZ the best Lions tour. There’s only one way to find out. Start saving for South Africa now!

Charlie / Gonzo:

Nope. Gonzo is in charge and, as a member of the emergency services, he’s not keen on Johannesburg.

Any last thoughts ?

Johnny M:

It would have been nice to stay on with Gonzo and Charlie for the tests but I think it might have killed me.

Charlie / Gonzo:

This visit has inspired us to return, what a great country! Oh, and by the way, the rumour that we are a couple is completely untrue.