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October 11, 2009

Posted on 10/11/2009

You lot say hi to 'The Fly' for me

Bath prop David Flatman muses on the significance of Ravenhill following his side's Heineken Cup defeat to Ulster in The Independent on Sunday.

"As the final whistle blew, we celebrated for a matter of seconds before our thoughts drifted back to our fallen friend. The changing room was both relieved and sombre at the same time; sombre, that is, until I checked my phone. Expecting a message of congratulation from my parents at home, I was staggered to see Wally's name pop up on my screen. "I'll get through this, boys, don't worry," he said, "just you lot say hi to 'The Fly' for me." The fact he was comfortable enough to text was promising but that did not stop me being confused; what was The Fly?
"The Fly, as it turned out, was the nightclub to which we all flocked that night for a celebratory drink. Ulstermen and Saracens alike shared jokes, beers and kebabs (I had salad) late into the night and Wally was toasted more than once. This week's visit was similar in terms of atmosphere, although somewhat more restrained (a 9am flight home can't help but temper one's enthusiasm).

"Ulster, or rather Ravenhill, retains all that is sacred about the rugby ground. To play there is to enter one of Europe's most hostile, oppressive environments where everything – weather included – seems stacked in favour of the home team. The howling, growling wind and the horizontal, seemingly grit-infused rain conspires to make forward progress remarkably difficult. But as soon as the match is over, the animals become gentlemen and all of rugby's bad intentions seem to evaporate into the Belfast mist as the men with whom one was just brawling enquire as to your movements for the evening."

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