With time on our hands and no place to go, sports can provide a vicarious pleasure as we put ourselves in the players’ boots from the comfort of our own living rooms.
This weekend Six Nations rugby kicked off with Scotland beating England at Twickenham. Who did I want to be in that match? Stuart Hogg, the Scotland captain, made some brilliant runs through the England defence and kicked well with ball in hand.
I played rugby briefly at school, so I can only imagine the thrill of setting up or scoring tries, making jinking runs, throwing dummies and leaving in your wake the bodies on the ground of your opponents who failed to tackle you.
NFL Super Bowl LV (why do they use Roman numerals?) will be a great battle between two teams with exciting quarter backs, the youngster Patrick Mahomes and the wizard Tom Brady who at 43 has won 6 Super Bowl rings and has set many records in those winning games. Calling him GOAT might seem disrespectful until you work out the acronym: greatest of all time.
Look for the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tactics to smash through the pocket that Brady uses to protect his amazing passes. Mahomes can dodge, duck and dive his way out of the defensive blitz and still make great passes.
Will I still be awake at 3 in the morning when Super Bowl LV enters the final quarter? Maybe. Will I want to be the receiver who catches a 40 yard throw and scores a touchdown or the guy who sacks Tom Brady?
First I have to work out if I’m more Welsh than Irish for this afternoon’s rugby clash.
odespinner 