Imagine flying to France to watch your son’s first Rugby World Cup match, only to be denied entry at the gates.
Minutes before kick-off at Stade de France last week at the Rugby World Cup, calamity struck the Donaldson family.
“We could hear the national anthem being sung,” Stu Donaldson said. “We left it a bit late because we were on the beers with the parents [of other players]. We raced in. Everyone went through and the bloke said we couldn’t get in. He didn’t speak much English. I said, ‘My son is playing’ and he said, ‘Go and get your son, he can talk to us’.
But here was Donaldson snr, about to miss the most important game of his son’s life because of a ticketing drama.“We sat down in front of the TV outside the stadium with a beer and watched the first 15 minutes in an empty bar,” Donaldson said.Members of the Donaldson family, from left to right, Scott, Stu, Ben, Cooper and Sue.
“I saw some photos of Sue after the game and it looked like she was bawling her eyes out,” said Will Harrison, the Waratahs star who grew up with Donaldson. “I’ve never seen Stuey with a bigger smile on his face. I know Stuey is really proud of him. Everyone is proud of him because he has achieved so much. He’s still got a lot to go, which is the exciting thing.”
“It’s been a tough year for various reasons,” Stu Donaldson said. “At home, there’s been a few things going on behind the scenes. He’s copped stick from many angles. As much as he probably doesn’t read it, I hope he doesn’t. The white noise was there in the background and he put his head down and never complained and kept working harder. I’ve never seen a kid work so hard at training.Ben Donaldson during a Wallabies training session in France.
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