A T&A checklist for the Bradford Bulls trip to Toulouse

We’re very much hoping for a different outcome this time around, not just on the field either.

My colleague Harry Williams is going to this semi-final instead of me, partly because he really, really wanted to and partly because I have unresolved trauma from my trip there 12 months ago.

But I’m going to dig it up one more time, to give Harry a list of dos and don’ts for his weekend covering the Bulls abroad.

Here it goes then Harry, good luck…

DOS

Do reflect on how privileged an opportunity this is. The most special part of my semi-final trip last year was the three hours before, during and after the match, soaking up the heat and the atmosphere among the fans, who had travelled abroad in numbers. Getting the chance to cover the Bulls abroad remains possibly the highlight of my professional career so far.

Actually being pitchside in the South of France was a real bucket list moment. (Image: Nathan Atkinson.)

Do take in the social side of the trip. Being a sports reporter can be a lonely existence, squirreled away in some stand or random room for hours after a match writing up reports and quotes. I ended up not going out on the evening with the Bulls fans and staff who were around and have always regretted it, so go and join them for a few drinks.

Do arrive in good time. Harry’s flight is meant to get to the airport in Toulouse on Sunday morning, and if all goes well, he should have several hours in Toulouse before kick-off, where he can live blog his experience, but also go for a gorgeous lunch and coffee outside in the city. A mix-up over my flights last year, then airport delays, meant I arrived around 90 minutes before kick-off, so I had to dash straight to the ground, when I’d had a lovely day in Toulouse planned.

A combination of arriving to intense heat in Toulouse last year, and realising just how little time I had before the game. (Image: Nathan Atkinson.)

Do go armed with some basic French. I humblebrag constantly about the fact my university degree is in French and Spanish, but it is genuinely appreciated by locals if you can speak their language, or at least try to, given many have no or broken English themselves. Speaking French certainly helped me get myself and three Bulls fans to the ground last year in a taxi with a driver confused as to where we were going and what rugby league actually was.

Do be prepared to run through an airport. Luckily, Harry is younger and fitter than I am, so he should be fine, but I somehow found it within me to make a connecting flight at Bristol up to Edinburgh with less than 10 minutes to get through security and make the gate. That was already about a Plan G after all sorts had gone wrong on the way home, but it saved me a night in the West Country and allowed me to stay with a friend up in Scotland.

DON’TS

Don’t panic. This is not a trip to Odsal, Halifax or Batley. The further you travel, the more things can go wrong. I had a flight delayed going out, a flight cancelled coming back, a struggle to get a taxi back to my hotel, confusion over food and drink, all sorts. But I tried to take a mindset of, it’ll all work out, it’ll all be worth it, and whatever happens, you’ll get home. I was supposed to be back in West Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon and instead arrived on Monday night, but I made it…

The Monday after the Toulouse game was spent in the cafes and pubs of Edinburgh working due to some crazy travel issues. (Image: Nathan Atkinson.)

Don’t have crisps and a Mars Bar for tea at 11pm. Yep, this actually happened, as I was booked into a hotel right near the airport which turned out to be surrounded by absolutely nothing in the way of things to eat and drink. The hotel had already stopped doing its pizza delivery service, nowhere was open, so in desperation I raided the vending machine in the lobby with the couple of euros change I had. It wasn’t quite the decadent French feast I had in mind for dinner.

Don’t butt in ahead of the French journalists. It’s usually us and West Yorkshire Radio’s Mick Gledhill doing the post-match interviews, but last year I had a free run at Lee Greenwood on my own, or so I thought. But just as I was about to get into my flow, a knowledgeable, elderly French journalist who had been there and done it all nipped in to ask his questions. Respect your elders Harry, respect the country you’re in, and marvel at former Catalans coach Eamon O’ Carroll speaking fluent French.

Don’t just take one bag. I’ve already seen Harry’s travel arrangements, and it seems he’s done the sensible thing and actually paid for extra luggage. I decided to skimp on that, which led to, among other things, having to wear shorts and a t-shirt to catch the tram in freezing cold and raining Edinburgh at 6:30am on the Saturday morning. It also meant I had to pack the very bare essentials alongside my work equipment, but Harry should have less trouble on that front.

It was a lovely start to my trip to Toulouse, honestly... (Image: Nathan Atkinson.)

Don’t worry about the weekly papers. Young Harry’s Mondays are usually full of Barnoldswick Town, Ben Rhydding Hockey Club and Otley RUFC, but he’s been told to make the most of all things Bulls, while I deal with the Craven Herald, Ilkley Gazette and Wharfedale Observer rush. I promise not to get annoyed copy editing a team “loosing 27-20” or a side who “should defiantly have had a penalty”.

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