Tears for souvenirs and sticky-back plastic in Salford
Thursday November 7 was a landmark day for both RLWC2013 and me personally. And not just because the darkest of midnight black pre-tournament horses were going head to head at Salford City Stadium for big money prizes.
But also because that was the day we were on Blue Peter. ("I don't usually like tomatoes John, but this is delicious")*. The trophy was on live in the studio and we had a whole recorded segment too, shot at the opening ceremony.
Quite rightly Sally Bolton had us reaching for the stars and our number one TV target was always The One Show (sing along now "one doodle oo doo, one doodle oo doo"). We nearly nailed it too. We had them on the hook with the Burgess story but didn't quite get there in the end.
But I was just as delighted with Blue Peter. A direct line to my childhood? Huge TV audience of parents and kids? Yes please. I couldn't have been more delighted if they'd covered the trophy in sticky-back plastic and planted it in the Blue Peter Garden (currently located, conveniently enough, just like the RLWC2013 office, in MediaCityUK).
And so we got to Salford City Stadium with the trophy having only just been on the longest running children's TV show in the world (OK pedants I should add 'on the same channel', as Sooty is still going but has moved to ITV, the mangy little yellow sell-out).
The closest game of the tournament to the RLWC2013 office was a big one for the Bravehearts. The Tomahawks had already 'shocked the world' and appropriately for the night, got the biggest Australian kids show, The Wiggles, on their side by qualifying for the quarter-finals after just two games.
The Scots had to win and wait for the result of Tonga v Italy in Halifax.
And they got off to the worst possible start. Before a ball was even kicked. Ben Fisher was injured in the warm-up and had already called time on his career after RLWC2013. Danny Brough, a close friend of Fisher's was in tears during the anthems.
Fisher's injury meant emotions were running high but the 6,000+ crowd was treated to another great game and another tale of two halves.
Despite having the blood of the Quarters in their nostrils and what we now know was a great team, Scotland couldn't get the better of the USA in the first half. The Tomahawks went into the break 8-0 up after tries from Freed and Welch.
The commitment, pride and sheer skill Scotland had shown to that point however saw them through and they ran out easy winners in the end.
Matty Russell and Danny Brough inspired a four-try burst resulting in an unanswered 22 point haul that won them even more fans.
* = a trillion trivia points for anybody who can identify the actual source of that quote.
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