The Irish Ambassador to South Africa, Eamon O Tuathail has his work cut out next week as no less than five rugby teams from Ireland descend on his patch for the 1998 Golden Oldies World Tournament in Capetown. In fact he is being brave enough to hold a reception for them all - the UCD HOGS, with leading players fashion designer Paul Costelloe and barrister Fergus O'Hagan, Lansdowne, Wesley, Clontarf and the Legends from the North.
Those who remember in 1993 tournament in Dublin know that about 150 teams will participate, that players must be over 35 years old and that friends and family tend to come along for the craic. Quidnunc's friends on the tour assure her that no team actually wins the Tournament outright "otherwise it would be too distressing for all the others taking part". This doesn't sound much like tough rugger at all, but then the press release says that HOGS stands for Hippocratic Golden Oldies.