Scotland v New Zealand: One Week to Go, and Perth Has Already Started Shouting at the Telly as a Warm-Up
Nations Championship kicks off at Murrayfield on 7 November. Perth rugby fans begin a strict training regime of standing up suddenly.
Murrayfield, which will be full of Perth people shouting in a week's time. Photo: Photo taken by Vclaw, “Murrayfield Stadium 2005-05-13”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
With exactly one week to go before Scotland open their Nations Championship campaign against New Zealand at Murrayfield, rugby fans in Perth have begun their traditional preparations.
“You can’t just go out cold,” said a veteran supporter from Bridge of Earn. “I’ve been doing interval shouting. Three minutes of ‘ref!’, one minute rest. By Saturday week I’ll be able to go the full eighty.”
Scotland follow the All Blacks with games against Australia and Japan, meaning three Saturdays in a row on which Perth households will be informed that the dishes can wait.
Local clubs report a surge in young players wanting to learn the haka, which coaches have gently pointed out is not theirs. The children have agreed to do a Perth version instead, which mainly involves pointing at the sky and saying “that’s rain coming”.
Asked for a prediction, the Bridge of Earn man paused. “Hope,” he said. “It’s always hope. Hope and a pie.”
The real story: Nations Championship fixtures (BBC Sport)
Letters to the Editor
The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
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Hope and a pie is the most Scottish game plan ever written. I’m in.
— Callum R., Bridge of Earn, 30 October 2026 -
My man’s been doing the interval shouting. The dog’s left home.
— Eilidh M., Crieff, 30 October 2026 -
Seven points. We’ll lose by seven points. It’s always seven points. Prove me wrong, lads.
— Stuart P., Blairgowrie, 30 October 2026
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