rivercityvibe   “Puerile, smutty, schoolboy nonsense” – My Mom

As a season ticket holder to the Jacksonville Axemen, I like to go to all home games, drink the dollar beer and mock the cheerleaders. For those of you who don’t know, the Axemen are our local Rugby League team, and they play at University of North Florida. I should say that they deserve our support because they UTTERLY FUCKING DOMINATED in the first two home games of the season. They have now won four games in a row and sit on top of the ladder. Be proud, Jacksonville.

Conclusive

So far this season, we have played a couple of yankee teams at home and have handed them their scrota on a plate. Seasoned.

I think I know why.

Putting aside the undoubted talents of Australian Spinner Howland, the manager/coach/scrum half (nearly did himself a mischief on Saturday …) they also have a secret weapon in the Pope brothers. Taco and Apple.

You know, Taco Pope and his brother, Apple.

Taco Pope.....

...and his brother, Apple.

These two legends prove the rule that not everyone with hippy parents grows up a Birkenstock-wearing wuss. These guys may well wear Birkys – I don’t know, I don’t care, but you’re not going to mock them for it. They’d steamroller you. They’d rag doll you around the field like you were nothing……..

I hear there is a third one called Pepsi.

I shit you not.

Our local Rugby team, the Jacksonville Axemen are a treat to watch if you think you would like a cross between football and the kind of thing you saw in the Roman Coliseum around the time of Christ. It’s a bloody, violent and fast-paced game, much beloved of its players. It also attracts a lot of hot chicks (to watch, not to play. That wouldn’t work). What’s more, as a minor sport in North Florida, the Axemen need and deserve our support. To drum up interest, they’ve released a TV Commercial on YouTube:

Some subtle messaging there. My take-away is that beer is quite important to these guys. As it is to me.

It’s a match made in heaven…….

Two world class Rugby League teams descend on Jacksonville this weekend as guests of the Jacksonville Axemen, our local gang of sports-hooligans. I went to the international game last year (it takes place annually). There I witnessed a team from Yorkshire, England, DESTROY a team from Sydney, Australia. I am glad to see that the Axemen’s Spinner Howland (himself Australian) who arranges this game every year, had the sense to dispense with the  southern hemisphere this time. He’s arranged for the game to be played by two teams from what the usual source tells me is the cradle and spiritual home of Rugby –  the north of England.

For reasons that I will not (cannot, without a pain) go into, I won’t be attending the game this year. I will, however, have agents there to report on it. There’s a lot of tailgating involved and it will be huge.

One thing I am not missing is tonight’s  pre-game party at my buddy Drew’s O’Brothers pub in Five Points. The Axe Maiden Cheerleaders will be there, and the festivities start at 7.30 pm. I’ll report on it tomorrow, probably…….