If you find yourself in Dublin this weekend and feel the sudden urge to break into a sprint, closely followed by a need to taste some stunning Australian wines, then get you and your teammates down to Monkstown rugby club in Sandymount for this year’s Touchwine.
What’s Touchwine?
An annual Tag Rugby event (the Aussies call it touch) organised by Wine Australia in aid of two very worthy causes, Focus Ireland and the Hutt Street Centre (Adelaide, South Australia).
What’s going on?
Well lots of fast and furious tag rugby to start (1.30pm – 4.30pm) with teams looking to take the crown from the 2009 winners Ely Wine Bars.
If that all sounds a little strenuous, fear not, there’s plenty of other good stuff going on. Australian winemakers Chester Osborn (d’Arenberg), Willie Lunn (Yering Station), Glenn Goodall (Xanadu Wines) and Andrew Wigan (Peter Lehmann Wines) will be mingling, if not togging out.
Wine tasting: John Wilson’s “Wallaby Warriors”: 5pm
John Wilson from the Irish Times has selected his “match day 22″ wine team, 22 wines from Australia. Upfront a powerful, robust pack, complemented by a zippy, elegant, racy back line and some impact substitutions.nCoach Wilson will be presenting the wines from 5pm.
Kids’ corner: 4.30pm
Face painting and clown entertainment for the little taggers to enjoy.
Cost: free
(except for the BBQ), though donations for the two charities Focus Ireland and the Hutt Street Centre will be encouraged and opportunities plentiful!
The venue
Pembroke Cricket Club/ Monkstown Football Club, Park Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4 (see map)
Time
From 1.30pm
Want to book a team?
.
If you’re not signed up already, Lar, you can come and play for us. I can’t help thinking the mothball-smelling Bubble Brothers component of the Rathbone Wine Group squad may turn out to be a little fragile/underpowered.
There is, as you say, always the wine to look forward to.
Thanks for the offer Julian, but I’ve flown in some ringers from something called the Super 14 to play on my team – The Tim Adams Titans.
Or is that the Tim Adams Terroirists Lar.
See you Sunday, John Mc D
Indeed, like the sound of that better!
What’s with the Tim Adams bit?
That’s the team I’ve put together, kindly sponsored by Tim Adams.
I can’t decide whether it’s more humiliating to be a whingeing Pom on the pitch or as a cheerleader (whingeing pom-pom Pom).
Free running I’m not at the moment, either way. Looking forward to the weekend though.
Well done, Lar, on your rugby victory. You are a credit to your people.