The land of the long white cloud
Soaring eagles and spring-like deer
Force the quaking fear
Over the gain line of hope and pride
In empathy, a tsunami from the North
Joins the ruck and the mall of the South
The RWC, for short, is here
Exchange for the moment
Brute power of the Lions game
For the nose-touching Maori welcome
Earth-shattering noise of the Celts
Drowns the peace of Kiwi and Auk
The passion of the daffodils
And the leaves of the Shamrock
Put the mighty nations to shame
Red roses and blossoms fall short
Azzurri’s scrum collapses
Jocks meet their nemesis in Malvinas
England have Georgia on their mind
Petit Tonga blow away the French
Wallabies out-jumped by Leprechauns
From the high veld of Gauteng
To the valleys of Rhondda
Malone in Dublin
Matilda down-under
Wales wins the anthems
All Blacks the haka
Hospitality for some, hospital-passes for others
Rugby’s welcome to ferocity
In the final dying days
Sam’s card the colour of his shirt
Leaks tears in the valleys
Leaves tous noir contre les Bleus
A nation saved by a point
The cup of world’s rugby over-floweth
Wellington, New Zealand, November 2011
