Vet. R. Académica Coimbra (Portugal)

Rugby Vets from Associação Académica de Coimbra (AAC)
Despite being too young in the 70s, when AAC was celebrating its 15 years, we brought to Coimbra the founders of our Rugby Section. It was quite a party.
To mark the date, we invited the boys of the Desportivo de Direito (what will Toninho say?) – the team that had firstly played with AAC in 1955 (the founding year) - to play with their peers from Académica at 15:30h, on April the 4th at Estádio Universitário of Coimbra. At the end of the match, Ciniro, that mythical personality from Académica and one of the most significant symbols of AAC Rugby, would say, truly enchanted, “even when fooling around, rugby is good…”
This would have been the first episode of the not so young that, from then on, at least every December the 8th (day of Our Lady of Conception – Portugal patron as well as of Rugby Clube de Coimbra) set up a commemorative match, traditionally with CDUP (Sporting Centre of Porto University) but that, given the tedium, it turned out to occur with the BATITES (an emanation from José Varandas) until “our soul hurts”.
The 70s generation was, at the time, made of tremendous folks. Contrary to what was coming up around them: nostalgia of political discussions from the previous decade (the academic crisis of 1962 and 1969) mixed with the prevailing stupidity and promiscuity; the folks in Coimbra founded the Rugby Club in 1971 and went ahead searching for nothing in the urge of finding something.
The Veterans’ Core of AAC is the pioneer of the creation and institutionalization of age ranges and protagonist of the first National and International Tournaments.
Their victorious spirit would even become dreaded. It would have been that very same winning streak that would take the contrarians to alter rules and matches and tournaments dispositions on the basis that such gesture would revert the installed logic: participation in the AAC; assured victory.
Belenenses has even cancelled the Lisbon Tournament that organized every year and in which AAC always won.
As there’s no good that lasts forever or evil that doesn’t terminate, in the 90s, the elders were too old and the less old were fearful of… Champions! Champions! … Not being able to renew the crowds. Little more was done besides going to Alentejo to get pissed at the end of each season, in Moita, under the auspices of Mário Rui (the other one, from Moita).
Now it seems the hard on, though even tardy, returns and with it we’re all getting ready for, in Madeira, shout once more, well loudly: Um Balaya, ya… ya… ya!
Manuel Francisco da Costa
 

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