Bermuda Rugby Classic | Chicago Addick

Dec 16

2015 Top Five Bermuda Things

I have now lived in Bermuda over 7 years, 2 more than I lived in Chicago, which every time I think about it just sounds more incomprehensible. Chicago was a place where everyday I experienced something new. I never found a routine because the city would always throw up alternatives.

Bermuda is not like that, little changes apart from the tide of the sapphire blue Atlantic Ocean. However this year the island finally appeared to come out of the other side of a tough recession and there is a very noticeable wind of optimism coming in with that tide.
Please click for more

Nov 8

Rugby week

Seeing JPR Williams, one of Britain’s most recognisable rugby union ex-players, walking around Hamilton yesterday can only mean one thing. Add to that loads of big fellas trying to balance on moped’s driving past me in a line on a typically windy Bermuda road this morning and it has to be Bermuda Rugby Classic week.

The Bermuda Rugby Classic began here in 1988 after organisers crystallised many years of end of season rugby tours during the 70’s and 80’s starring players like JPR and John McBride to create a veterans tournament that spans a week of drunken frivolity, and that is just the players!
Please click for more

Nov 16

All Blacks win Rugby Classic

After watching the All Blacks comfortably beat a fancied Argentina in the semi-final on Thursday they looked like they had a bit more in the tank than the Classic Lions who outpointed South Africa in a blood and thunder tussle the night before, and so it proved as New Zealand beat the Lions 17-3 in last night’s final to take the 2014 Bermuda Rugby Classic.
Please click for more

Nov 10

Queen Elsa, Roman Abramovich and Mike Tindall

What do they all have in common?

Driving into Hamilton today I at first thought that a huge block of snazzy flats had been built in the harbour, but on closer scrutiny it was in fact the return of Roman Abramovich’s 533ft long super-yacht ‘Eclipse.’

It was here last year, which I did a little bit of research for, but since then the Russian billionaire has lost his title of owning the world’s largest superyacht to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s whose newly constructed Azzam, which is 57 feet longer! Boys and their toys, although both yachts are available to charter, which is more tax efficient apparently, the Eclipse to hire for a week? $2 million. A snitch.
Please click for more

Nov 16

Tie my kangaroo down

I picked a good night to go the Bermuda Rugby Classic. Every night this week it has pissed down and Wednesday the corporate tents were flooded out, but last night it was dry and warm as Canada took on Italy in the Plate semi-final and after the Lions played Australia in the main event.

Canada booked their place in the final with a close fought win over the Italians 10-7, and will play France in Saturday’s Plate final. In the later game the Lions gave a good account of themselves against a much stronger Wallabies side.
Please click for more

Nov 13

Rugby Classic

The 25th Bermuda Rugby Classic is under way at the National Sports Stadium and runs the whole of this week. The ‘Silver Classic,’ has over the year become the unofficial veterans rugby World Cup and if ever you are planning a trip to Bermuda and want to a fun and exhaustive week, then this is it.

The matches are fiercely competitive but the players, that include this year Josh Lewsey, John Petrie, Shane Byrne, Serge Betsen and Gordon Bulloch among many others, have a lot of fun and can be seen around the island all week immersing themselves in, shall we say, the local culture!
Please click for more

Nov 14

Los Pumas win the Rugby Classic

Argentina are the 2011 World Rugby Classic Champions after beating the Classic Lions 25-19 in the World Rugby Classic Finals on Saturday night. It capped a week of Rugby Classic surprises and disappointed a largely British crowd at the blustery National Sports Centre.

The tournament was delayed by two days thanks to Hurricane Sean when the majority of the tents came down overnight last Saturday, but when it kicked off it brought with it some early shocks as favourites South Africa lost to Argentina and Australia went out to Canada, who are normally just here to make up the numbers.
Please click for more

Nov 7

Wind problems

50-mile an hour winds tore into the National Sports Centre on Saturday and Sunday and caused damage to the large tents and ancillary equipment causing the Bermuda Rugby Classic to be cancelled for two nights.

There is a very unorganised non-tropical low pressure weather system located about 400 miles southwest of here pushing thunderstorms and powerful winds into Bermuda. Strong winds caused some yachtsmen to be rescued taking part in a race as well as delays to the arrival of cruise ships.

There has also been sporadic power outages across the island and we were woken at around 2am on Sunday morning to our alarm re-setting itself after the power went out earlier. At least I could physically go around the house putting the clocks back an hour!

Please click for more

Nov 6

Rugger Bugger

Only because it’s the hugely fun Rugby Classic Week in Bermuda and we are overrun with visiting clients, so my attendance and interest won’t be what it should be. Although it’s not all bad in that I will be able to get to The National Sports Centre on Thursday for the semi-finals, which precludes a day off on Friday.

Friday is of course 11/11/11 and Remembrance Day which is uniquely honoured with a National Holiday in Bermuda and this week I will wear my poppy with pride.

Back to the rugby then and this is the 24th year of the Classic and the tournament has moved from an excuse for a early winter break piss up for old pros to a highly competitive tournament involving some of the world’s best players, some of whom have played professionally until very recently, such as Josh Lewsey, who was playing for the Wasps this season.
Please click for more