Sixty minutes until kick-off in the third Test and it’s getting busy at Harpenden RFC. Derek Wallace, the clubhouse manager, hardly has time for a handshake. He’s in the kitchen cooking slices of white pudding he’s brought over from County Mayo especially.
Wallace is a dab hand at the grill, and Harpenden’s full English is maybe the only one in the country that comes with a side of dauphinoise potatoes. He’s not sure how many fans they’ll have in. It was well over a hundred for the first Test, and twice as many for the second. He’s worried it’ll be more than they’ve catered for the third. Anyhow, the lad behind the bar is packed off to the shops for more baked beans.
Outside, the younger kids are all out playing on the big artificial pitch, which is the club’s pride and joy. “Come down here most mornings in winter,” Wallace says, “and Owen Farrell’s out there with his dog, practising his goal kicking.”
