A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I've had a couple of queries, which I've tried to answer below.
The pronunciation of Huw is very similar to the English name Hugh, but more of a "hew" sound. Nia is pronounced Knee-ah. That's probably not very clear, sorry. My grasp of phonetics is pretty useless!
The language that Huw and Nia (and Booth) are speaking is Welsh, or Cymraeg more properly. I'm afraid that my vocabulary doesn't stretch much beyond Booth's!
This chapter is a bit explanation heavy (sorry), but I needed to put the detail in as so many reviewers mentioned they didn't know the game.
On with the story...
"So, you survived the third degree then?" Booth asked Temperance as they walked along hand in hand. A breeze had started up and was ruffling her hair.
"I don't know what that means."
"It means, I take it you survived what was undoubtedly a barrage of questions from Nia." He explained.
She nodded and the shrugged, "It's logical that she should be seeking information about a friend of yours that she hasn't met before."
"It is?" Booth said, eyebrows raised.
"Of course. I took the same opportunity to find out more about how you know them. They're obviously old friends."
"Oh..." Booth's felt a prickle of concern about what Temperance might have learnt. He made a hurried inventory of any dubious stories Nia would be aware of.
Temperance saw the flash of panic in his eyes and smiled, "It's okay. No sordid truths were revealed."
Booth smiled slightly, "That's a relief." He paused, "Not that there are any of course."
Temperance was about to reply when someone in a knot of men standing off to their left called Booth's name. He turned with a wave and walked towards them. The group turned out to the Booth's team. Hands were shaken and backs were slapped in greeting. Several of the men eyed Temperance with interest, but one look at Booth's face ensured that they just smiled politely.
Temperance quickly realised that Booth didn't know all of them and remembered that he'd said the team was very ad hoc.
Booth introduced her to his team-mates as 'Temperance', giving no more information about her than he had to Huw and Nia. Why didn't he say that she was a co-worker? Or a friend? That would be how she would introduce him, wouldn't it? But as she thought about it, she realised that neither description really encapsulated their relationship and for some reason, that disturbed her.
Huw, Carys and Nia had caught up with them and Huw greeted a few of the team by name, then he asked "Where're your supporters standing then?"
A tall, blond haired man, who Temperance now knew was called Andy, pointed to a group of people, mainly in dark blue, standing by the rope alongside the pitch about 15 metre away, "They're all over there."
"We'll get out of your way and join them." Huw said, then clapped Booth on the back, "Pob luc, buttie."
Booth snorted and then smiled, "Thanks."
Huw grinned and put his arm around his wife and started to walk away.
Booth turned to Temperance, "Well Bones, enjoy the game."
He reached across to tuck a wind-blown strand of hair behind her ear, "Huw'll explain the rules. It's good actually, it'll distract him from his usual running commentary."
They stared at one and other for a moment, leaning in slightly, but a call from Scott, the team captain, for a team talk broke the moment and Booth looked away.
Temperance was about to walk off, when she impulsively caught his arm. He turned to face her.
"Good luck Booth." She said quietly and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. After a moment's astonished pause, she bolted after Nia, leaving Booth watching her speechlessly.
Booth's team, the Services Exiles, or the just the 'Exiles' as a number of home-made signs referred to them, had a good number of supporters. Friends, parents, wives and children were all standing in little groups alongside pitch. Temperance smiled in greeting, but hovered at the edge of the group.
She looked back towards Booth. He had his back to her, and like the rest of the team was stretching in preparation. He bent down to touch his toes. She stared a bit harder - he really filled out his shorts nicely. She caught herself, since when do I stare at Booth's butt? Or kiss his cheek?
She spun round and decided she needed something to distract herself from Booth's world class rear. She walked over to Huw, who was spreading a blanket on the floor for Carys to play on.
Nia smiled across at her, and then gestured to the blanket, "Have a seat, please."
Temperance smiled her thanks and sat down on one edge. Nia sat in the middle and Huw sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders.
Nia patted the blanket, "Come on, you can have a bit more space than that." She patted Huw's hand on her shoulder, "He won't sit down when the game is on. He'll be too busy shouting instructions that no-one is interested in."
Huw feigned hurt, then grinned, "It's true enough."
"I was wondering if you could explain the rules?" Temperance asked.
"Of course, I didn't realise you were a virgin." Temperance sat back abruptly.
Nia tapped her husband's hand in reprimand, "He means, he didn't know you're new to rugby." She explained apologetically.
"Figure of speech," he explained. "I'll give you the short version. Most of it'll be easier to explain when they're playing. Have you got a programme?"
Temperance nodded and pulled it out of her bag. Huw turned to the middle pages where there was a brief summary of the game.
"Okay. Basics first. There are two teams, fifteen players each. The pitch has got H-shaped posts at either end along the goal line," He paused to point them about, "There's a half way line and then a line ten metres in and then the 22, before you get to the goal line." He pointed each out in turn and Temperance noted that they were sitting just beyond the 22, but before the ten metre line. "The touchline goes all the way round. You're out of play if your foot is on or over the line and you're holding the ball. The ball's oval by the way." He added as an afterthought. "The players are divided into forwards and backs. The forwards give the backs the platform to run at the opposition and score." He looked at Temperance's slightly glazed look, "That last bit didn't mean much did it?" She shook her head.
"It will do." He took a breath, "There are a couple of ways to score: a try is worth five points, they're awarded for touching the ball down in your opponent's goal area. You get an extra two points if you convert the try, to do that you have to kick the ball through the goal posts. You get three points for a penalty, again a kick through the posts; and for a dropkick, which is different because you take the kick in open play, ball in hand. It's normally forty minutes each half, but we're playing shortened games today."
Huw paused to see if Temperance was keeping up, she nodded for him to continue. "I'm not going to explain scrums and lineouts and rucks and mauls now, but the basis of play is passing among your team and kicking the ball for position, and tackling the opposition to get the ball off them. You can't pass forwards, you have to pass behind you and then run on to make ground, or you can kick it up field. Tackling is the only legal way to bring down an opponent, no tripping allowed and you can't make contact above the shoulders. He grimaced, "Too many broken necks that way. No obstruction either, if the player doesn't have to ball."
Temperance nodded, filing the information away. "What else?"
Huw shrugged, "The rest will make more sense with a live example in front of us," He looked at his watch, "They'll be starting in a couple of minutes."
"You could explain some of the positions." Nia said.
"Oh aye." He looked at Temperance, "I'm a hooker."
Temperance gaped at him, "I thought you were a defence consultant!"
Huw looked confused, "I am." Suddenly his face cleared, "A 'hooker' is position on the rugby squad, it's my job to hook the ball back in the scrum and throw the ball in at lineouts. Booth usually plays outside centre, although he can play at inside or even number eight at a push..." He trailed off and stared at a man in an orange shirt who had appeared on the grass in front of them. "The ref's appeared. They should be on their way over."
Temperance looked over her shoulder, and sure enough Booth and his team mates were walking towards them, joking and chatting amongst themselves.
Booth paused on his way past, "Any chance you can guard my stuff?" He indicated to his bag.
Temperance smiled and nodded.
Booth smiled back, and handed her the bag. Then he reached up and pulled off his fleece, his shirt bunching up with it and giving Temperance a flash of toned abs and chest. She felt her face flush.
Booth chucked his fleece on the bag and then tucked his fitted, dark blue rugby shirt into his shorts, tying them tightly.
He grinned at Temperance and his other friends and then followed his team onto the pitch.
Temperance's eyes followed Booth as he walked away.
Her attention was suddenly caught by the opposition. They strode onto the field from the other side, wearing an all-black kit. They all looked like athletes, unlike a number of Booth's team, and while there were a few smiles, they looked like they meant business. She began to have her own doubts about how Booth was going to get on.
She looked at the opposing team more closely, her inner anthropologist noting that the team was a mix of Caucasians, Maoris and Pacific islanders. Her interest was piqued as the players formed a rough half circle with two rows. Booth's team lined up facing them, some distance away.
She turned to Nia curiously, "What are they doing?"
"The Haka. It's a challenge to the opposition." She pointed towards the pitch, "Watch."
Suddenly, one of the players began to stalk through the lines of his team mates shouting his challenge. Temperance watched in fascination as the players shifted position so that they were standing with their feet wide apart, with knees bent and forearms in front of their chests, parallel to the ground one above the other. They joined in the chant, shouting 'ke mate' in unison and slapping their hands against their thighs. The chant continued and the movements altered, with chests being slapped. Then the left arm went out in front and the right was closer in and they started to edge forwards. The chant continued and their arms, bent at the elbow, went up vertically in front of them, before they smacked each arm in turn several times. A final lunge forward and a loud final challenge of 'Whiti te ra' and it was over.
The crowd cheered enthusiastically. Temperance was impressed, "That was amazing."
Nia smiled widely at her, "Always gets the crowd going."
The referee indicated that the Exiles had won the toss and they opted to play towards the end of the pitch their supporters were sitting next to.
As a player stepped up to take the kick, Huw spoke, "That's their fly-half, he's a key player. Will take most of the kicks, for points or position, makes a lot of the decisions - to run or to kick."
The fly-half made a solid connection with the ball and hefted it deep into the opposition half. Temperance watched as the two side ran towards one and other and the ball hurtled down out of the sky. One of Booth's team mates jumped for it, but was beaten by a huge New Zealand player, who caught the ball in both arms and was throwing a pass to his right almost as soon as he landed. The player ran forward and then off-loaded as a he saw his way forward was cut off. The next player slammed into a wall of Exile defenders, who tried to drag him to ground.
To Temperance's astonishment he stayed on his feet. His team mates came rushing in from behind and locked their arms around one and other. Their forward progress continued.
"That's a maul." Huw commented. "There was a tackle, but the ball hasn't gone to ground. They'll keep it up because they're moving the right way and they're pulling in defenders." He pointed to the blue-shirted players rushing to reinforce their team-mates.
Suddenly the maul fractured and the New Zealanders rushed on another ten metres. Then the ball came out and was spread out to the left, flying from hand to hand.
"They've got an overlap!" Huw said excitedly.
Temperance looked where Huw was pointing and saw two black-clad players running with no Exile players in front of them. The ball came to the first one and he ran onwards.
Temperance suddenly saw Booth, charging across the field angling his run to meet the New Zealand player. The ball was passed outside again as they crossed the 22, the New Zealand winger was running along the touchline.
The crowd was cheering.
Booth sprinted, closing in.
The try-line was in sight, but Booth dived, his arms locking around the waist of the winger and his momentum took them across the touchline. The linesman lifted his flag.
The crowd cheered again. Temperance was surprised to find that she was on her feet, gripping the rope fence.
She turned to find Huw standing next to her grinning widely. "That was a bloody good tackle!"
She nodded dumbly, watching as Booth stood up and then hauled the man he'd brought down to his feet. He jogged across the field as two rows of players lined up parallel to the goal line. A short player stood in touch, holding the ball.
Temperance pointed, "Is that the hooker?"
Huw nodded, "Yup. Good guess, by the way." He paused, "It's a lineout. He has to throw it in straight, but it'll be way above their heads. The only way to catch is to jump, with some help from your team mates."
The ball was thrown in and caught by one Booth's team, who had been lifted by two of his team mates. The player passed it left and the receiving player kicked towards touch. The ball didn't make it and rolled along the ground just beyond the 22 before being gathered up by a New Zealand player, who began to run forward. He passed the ball and then it was passed again, but it wasn't a clean take and the ball bounced forward off his arm.
The referee blew his whistle and two groups of eight players formed up in rows of three, two and three, opposite each other. They were a strange mix of the shortest, squattest men on the team in the front row and then the tallest in the second row.
"This is a scrum." Huw commented, watching intently.
Each group of eight locked arms around one and other. The referee stood in the middle of the two sides as they started to bend over, the heads of the two front rows almost touching. The referee stood back and shouted, "Engage."
The two front rows slammed together with an audible grunt. All eight players on each side pushed with every sinew in their bodies.
"Now the scrum half puts the ball in." Huw pointed to the slight figure, who threw the ball into the straining mass of bodies, before running to the back of the scrum. Suddenly the ball appeared and he picked it up and passed it wide. The ball changed hands again and then Booth had the ball and was running down the field.
As he side-stepped one tackle, Temperance was vaguely conscious that she was jumping up and down yelling his name. Unfortunately, he couldn't dodge the second New Zealand player, who slammed into his side knocking him off his feet. Booth disappeared under a pile of bodies, as more players on both sides piled in.
(TBC)
Had to get the Haka in - it's awesome, apologies if the description is not totally accurate; if you've never seen it try to find a video clip.
It's quite possible I've got few errors in the application of the laws of the game- let me know if so. In my defence, even referees get it wrong sometimes...