iGiveUp on the Six Nations

iGiveup on the Six Nations

Philosophers like to muse about whether a chair, if it is in a closed room and no-one is there to see it, really exists; or whether a tree that falls in the middle of a thick forest without anyone there to witness it, actually fell.

On the day that Wales won the Grand Slam, and as a Wales supporter, I've given up on the Six Nations because, thanks to the restrictions on viewing it here in Germany, it has become akin to that chair, or that tree. I didn't witness it, I'm not a part of it, and I'm feeling annoyed and frustrated instead of overjoyed.

RBS Six Nations are to blame, but the Welsh Rugby Union has to take its share of the blame too. They don't care about whether I am part of it, so stuff them. I've got better things to do. It's a shame that it makes me feel a bit further away from Britain, indeed a bit let British, but I'm proud of my international lifestyle and how I'm making a mark as a foreigner in a big German city, so I'm not going to let it bother me. From now on, it's just not worth it.

It's absurd that I am writing this article in front of a TV connected up to a computer on which I can watch video on demand, even old iplayer episodes if I take the time to work around restrictions. But watching the rugby live means either searching for some unreliable pirated stream and opening myself up to computer viruses, or spending about an hour going to an Irish pub in town.

Today I opted for the second option, arrived pretty late and was faced with the prospect of paying ten euros to watch the last twenty minutes of the Wales vs. France match. Already frustrated by the iplayer blackout, both radio and TV, and the appalling live text commentary that I was trying to get on my phone, I decided to call it a day. And not only for today, but for all Six Nations matches, for ever.

To watch all the games would mean giving up five afternoons every year, and -- assuming entrance to a pub is always that expensive -- would be pretty expensive if you add the price of a couple of beers. Even then, I could do without the emotional ups and downs of winning, losing, and then utter frustration when even getting to see the damn game doesn't work out.

So bugger it!