By Charlotte Coldrey
January 15 2004

We all got up at 4:30 to go on the plane to get to France. I put my Quins gear on, but decided not to wear my geezer trousers because people would stare – they already do at The Stoop! We got in the car and I started to get really excited. When we arrived at Gatwick, we had breakfast, and me and my friend Ashley had a quick go in the games arcade.

When we were on the plane we were right above the clouds and it looked as though we were hovering in the air above ground covered in snow. We landed at Toulouse, got our hire car and drove to Montauban, by which time we were all really hungry – and tired of course. We walked around the town, and as we walked past a big glass door I looked in and saw Tani playing cards. We were right outside the hotel that the players were staying in – and where we tried to stay but it was fully booked :-(. It was not a difficult deciding where we were going to eat! In we went, and were tucked away in a little corner – which was disappointing, but we realised the players needed their privacy. A few players walked in and then we saw Jason Leonard! My Mum got so excited that she put up her hand and waved saying "Jason, Hiya", she was as bad as me. We were all in hysterics because his face just looked as though he was thinking "Oh my God". Then Pat Sanderson walked by and I smiled at him (a very big smile) and got one back.

We went to the hotel and had a kip, which is where the Montauban players were having their physio; Auntie Zoe was very impressed with their thighs on the couch. Then it was into town where we met the other Quins fans. We asked the people at the bar to put on a CD which me and my Dad had made, and we all sang along to "Mighty Quinn" by Mannfred Mann. We all walked to the stadium (very confused as to where to go) and Dad fell over for the first time, we managed to find it by following the floodlights. We got to the ground and the grownups had a drink or two in the bar. I was getting ever so excited at this point. We found our seats, and my friend Ashley started to film the game on a video camera. When he went to the loo I took some great footage of Pat! Prof was behind us making lots of noise and dishing out vodka!

We scored a lot of tries and conversions, but every time we sang "We love you Burkey" or "Mighty Quinn" the French loudspeaker seemed to get louder and louder. After all the shouting, singing and laughing the match was unfortunately over. We went back to the bar – is this a recurring theme? Says Dad – and Jason came in, and very kindly agreed to have his picture taken with us.

We waited for Pat, but he didn't come out, but someone else did and we were arguing as to who was Pat's biggest fan (I like to think that I am!).

After all the waiting we went to a club – surely not! – where everyone else was going. When we got there, there was a bus there, I never imagined it would be the Quin's team coach, but it was. We walked in with Ugo, and guess who was in front of us – Pat Sanderson! So I said "Hi", and my Mum told him that I was his biggest fan, and that we thought he played brilliantly for England last month, and that I'd been shouting for him and had he heard me! Then he asked me my name. Ashley shook his hand and said "Well played". Then Mum joined in and said that I'd be really pleased if he gave me a kiss – can't you kill Mums sometimes? – and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. That was my highlight, although the whole day was excellent! (I still haven't washed my face where he kissed me!).

And that's where the evening ought to have ended...

Lots of thanks to all the DGs for making me, Mum, Dad, Zoe and Ashley so welcome.