Shanghai Tour Report 2001 - A Very "Cuddly" Tour

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The Survivor Circus hit the road again last weekend (not maybe), for our annual Thanksgiving tour. For the second straight year, we traveled to China; this time to its largest city & the home of the Hairy Crabs; Shanghai. As always, we were treated very well by the hosts, had a fantastic weekend, left our mark(s) on a new spot (or in this case a taxi cab), and somewhere in all that played a game of rugby.

The 24th was a kind of rugby festival day in Shanghai...a touring side from Otago University in New Zealand was in the middle of a China tour & made a stopover in Shanghai, undoubtedly because they had heard that the Survivors were going to be there that weekend. In addition to having their own match to play against a Chinese sports institute team, they had the rare opportunity to watch a live Survivor game...unfortunately, not many of them managed to come to the pitch early enough for that....so, I guess they'll have to wait for the next opportunity - maybe next weekend.

Our first night out saw about half the boys head off to experience the famous Shanghai nightlife...it was certainly not in any way disappointing. Fantastic, in fact, but I guess considering where we're coming from Kabul would seem both impressive and progressive in that regard. The natives were indeed friendly...and from what we were told the next morning, "cuddly" as well. From that moment, a new Survivor nickname was born; we now can add "Cuddles" to our repertoire of names; although I must admit I never imagined such a nickname for a rugby player. As you probably guessed, he is indeed a back.

Once the cuddling was finished we moved forth to the pitch, a considerable distance away, and were somewhat shocked when we arrived - it was one of the nicest looking pitches many of us had ever seen; perfectly maintained, flat, covered in grass, and with proper rugby posts. Our game being first, we quickly suited up and got underway.

The game was a very good one - evenly matched and hard-fought throughout; marred only by a few rough spots & some squawking by pissed-off players (a rugby game, in other words), but a fun game to play nonetheless. After a scoreless first frame, we got on the board in the second half thanks to a persistent forward drive finished off by a nice back run. Unfortunately the conversion attempt "cuddled" the post a bit too much & we were left with a 5 - 0 lead. We managed to keep that lead right up until the final play of the game...after much back and forth play & an international incident where we lost Dr. Evil for ten minutes after he was kneed in the forehead by a rather slight scrum half. The Crabs scored on a penalty run on the final play, and then were given 2 chances at making the conversion (the first one missed, but they were rewarded with another attempt after the ref called us for shouting during the attempt). The second one went through; finishing the game at 7-5 Crabs. A tough one to lose, & a bit questionable at the end, but a good game all the same. As always, the Survivors played well as a team & everyone put forth a great effort; "Cuddles" was awarded man-of-the-match due to his hard-nosed and great play throughout.

After our match we stayed around to watch the Otago Uni team destroy the Chinese Sports Institute...I think everyone lost track after the first 10 tries or so, then went back to the hotel for a huge banquet with all the teams there. Great feed, a few too-long speeches, plenty of beer & lots of fun, but the highlight clearly was the auction held at the end of the banquet; an all-time record was set for the amount paid for a Survivor jersey: over $160! Think of how many San Miguels one could buy for that in Manila! Think of how many.......

Never mind. Anyway, our shirt even went for more than an Otago jersey worn (& signed) by an ex All Black who had played with Otago for 5 years. Now that's one to tell the grandkids. The buyer - (the pub owner of the watering hole the team hangs out at; O'Malley's) asked us to sign the shirt so he could put in on the wall in his pub. If you make it too Shanghai, be sure to visit O'Malley's & check it out.

From there it was onward again, to taste some more of the Shanghai night scene. Unfortunately Cuddles couldn't make it out with us, despite a valiant effort, as he had way too much trouble getting out of the cab upon arrival at the pub. His caring (but not cuddling) teammates shoved him back in with clear directions on where to take him....legend has it he managed to do an interior decorating job on the cab during the ride home. Fortunately the driver had a large bag in his supply kit; undoubtedly standard issue for late-night Shanghai taxis. Cuddles's performance was then matched by out tour fool - Dr. Evil (ne: Mr. Powers) whose new nickname seems to suit him much better. Dr. Evil decided that one spot in the pub's lovely courtyard was lacking in vegetation & the only way to rectify that was to provide some protein-rich fertilizer. Maybe next visit, there will be a whole new look to the pub...we'll have to wait and see.

After O'Malley's rumor has it that a few of the boys carried on elsewhere in the city...but that can not be substantiated at this time. You all know the rules, I'm sure. Damn fun town, though!

So another tour has come and gone...another fun one as well. Thanks to all the boys who made the trip & a special thanks to the military boys who came along - I'm sure that considering the present situation they are pretty busy so it was great that they were able to take the time to be with the team. Hope to see them all again next time around!

Winter is here, the final tour of the year has passed...but do not worry, as we have a pretty full dance card lined up for 2002, including three spring tournaments; Guam (Feb), Manila (March), and Phuket (May).

Start making your plans now! See you down the road.....

Ted