I’m on my way to Japan. Not literally, but mentally. Which is much cheaper and the jet-lag is better. Dependent on what gets drunk in the meantime. But by tomorrow morning I’ll be there. In Yokohama. A short bullet train ride from Tokyo. Near Kanagawa. Which I know because on our (real life) trip to Japan in May we accidentally disembarked our train in Yokohama, thinking we were in Kanagawa. Only to be told by a lovely local taxi driver that he could take us to our hotel in Kanagawa but it is 65kms away and would cost a few yen. So yes, I know where all these places are. I’ve eaten raw fish in the best of ‘em.

So its impractical to physically attend the final of the rugby World Cup tomorrow morning and finding Yokohama is way more challenging than finding ‘channel 3’. And I’m gonna guess that there won’t be too many tickets knocking around even if I did go there.

Whereas Lila’s house is just round the corner, they have channel 3 and I don’t have to eat any more fish. Just croissants. Possibly some Danish. Coffee. Tea. But I do have to miss my Saturday morning Tai Chi class, which I hate to miss. It’s a big decision. Firstly because its such a great and energising way to start the weekend (punching people in the face, breaking arms, kicking knees out) and mainly because notification of failure to attend receives a one word message from our esteemed Grand Master. The text reads: ‘TOSSER’ and you immediately think ‘yes, I am, its true’ and never want to do it again.

Yet this is a world cup final. And England rugby has a history of such events. 2003. Everyone remembers exactly where they (on the couch, with the daughters, screaming our heads off) when Jonny Wilkinson split the uprights with a gorgeous drop kick to beat Australia (could it get any better??).

So now its South Africa. Who have the reputation for being big. Rough. Powerful. Rough. Aggressive. Rough. And big. Not the most totally desirable list of adjectives for an international rugby squad but its gotten them this far. So now its in the lap of the Gods. Who are: Eddie Jones, Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje. God lives inside all of us apparently and never more so than on the rugby pitch.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!
A xxxx