I didn't realize it was such a huge deal

J'ville played host, this weekend, to a Rugby game between the Leeds Rhinos and South Sydney Rabbitohs. It had been mentioned here and there during the week, but Friday the hype picked up a notch. Apparently the South Sydney team is owned by Russell Crowe, and there was a very good chance he would be in attendance. Fans from both teams were in town, which I found a little amazing, seeing as they were coming from England and Australia...for a rugby game.

The game was played in the stadium at the University of North Florida. What that stadium gets used for when not hosting rugby is a little puzzling, since UNF is also known as the University with No Football...maybe soccer, but i digress. Not only did Russell Crowe show, but so did Greg Norman and Dennis Rodman, and 12,000 fans. The rugby league people were pleasantly surprised. Radio commentary (which is where I caught parts of it as I ran Saturday errands) was performed by my favorite local sports talk station. From what I'm gathering, the whole thing was a huge success.

For the record, the Rhinos racked up a big lead early, but the Bunnies staged a late comeback. It fell short, however,and the Rhinos went on to win 26-24.

I just really had no idea. I mean...no, it's notthe Super Bowl, but looking back...it seems pretty cool. When I heard about the game, it sparked mild curiosity, but not enough to make me go out of my way to attend the event. Maybe I missed something worth catching, if it ever comes back.