Episode 7
BRIEF: Determination and Friendships bring this adventure to a fitting finale.
A journey from Saigon (Vietnam) to Tokyo (Japan) featuring – The 2019 Rugby World Cup, England vs USA and Australia vs Wales
OVERVIEW:
Asia Rugby’s first Documentary Series follows the adventures of Jason Bray (Rugby Lovers Guide to Asia @JasonBrayUltraSports ) and Gift Egeblu (Gift Time Rugby Network @GifttimeRugby ) as they travel throughout South East Asia to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan – with bikes, buses, boats, balls, beers and a busted ankle.
This 7-part series is part buddy roadtrip, part postcard of Asia, part lover of sports but 100% all heart. You don’t have to love rugby to enjoy the journey with plenty of laughs, drama and friendship but there is no denying that the infectious devotion to showcasing this grassroots sport with have you encouraging their cause by the end!
SUBSCRIBE to Red Earth Films to hear all about upcoming series like this one.
Series outline:
S2T: Episode 1 – Crack This Life Wide Open: Jason and Gift meet in Singapore to prepare for the ride of a lifetime
S2T: Episode 2 – The Heaven and Hell to KL: Within hours of starting, the ride is turned upside down.
S2T: Episode 3 – Sawadee Khrap: The boys discover the beauty and compassion of Southern Thailand.
S2T: Episode 4 – Banged Up: Jason’s ride takes a turn, and Gift gets in trouble, partying in Bangkok.
S2T: Episode 5 – A Force For Good: Our heroes must lift their game as they enter chaotic Cambodia.
S2T: Episode 6 – Get Out!: Leaving Cambodia and Vietnam is harder than anticipated.
S2T: Episode 7 – Mates In Rugby: Determination and Friendships bring this adventure to a fitting finale.
©2019 Jason Bray Films in conjunction with Red Earth Film Productions
WHO ARE RED EARTH FILMS? – We are a team of “two blokes with big hearts” who saw an injustice and decided to do something about it. Our mission as Red Earth Films was to tell stories of compassion which explore human stories and give a voice to those without one or who are quietly changing the world for the better.
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And I get up to the desk and the guy’s like where’s your return ticket I was like I don’t have a return ticket and he was like well we can’t let you get into the country unless you have a return ticket and I’m like say what found a
Ticket right we paid for it I’m looking at the kiwi.com app and I’m looking at it looking for my ticket to go through so I looked up at the time I looked at the boarding pass and I said gift mate I’m going to have to go so I went up to
The counter and said to the lady look can we please take this bike with us I need this bike and she said no the bike was booked in gif’s name and if he didn’t get on that plane neither did the bike I’m like telling Jason you know go
Ahead head to Japan we’ll I’ll figure it out if you know whatever happens happens it’s like head to the plane I began to calculate in my mind what all this might mean it’s not as if gift and the bike could just climb onto the next flight
And arrive in Osaka that same day there were connecting flights involved and I’m looking at it looking for my ticket to go through and it is like the countdown for a bomb the schedule and the budget were watertight and gift and the bikes late arrival would change everything five
Boom you’re doing it four you’re hearing it slow down three and amongst all my financial concerns was the realization that one of my original dreams the idea of riding up to Tokyo Stadium on my bike before the Australia Wales game to celebrate the end of my ride was going
To be denied and the ticket came through I burn run over I’m like hey boom look at this suddenly from nowhere gift is standing next to me well we got it we got it and here we come Japan here we Come this is Japan and right from the start this is a world away from saon panon pen Bangkok qu Luma pretty much everywhere else we’ve been to since Singapore now my only previous trip to Japan was a stop out so I was super excited to visit this foreign country on
My bike the first of four days of riding the USA versus England game now the bike according to the mechanic who left me in Saigon said this was a pile of rubbish it was broken Beyond repair I said can I get another 4 days of riding out of it
He said maybe let’s see how far we can go R World Cup Day USA versus England the first one first Rugby World Cup game of the media passes so it’s about to get live out here live and I’m here for it today’s game was the first of two games
For me but for gift it was the first of all four USA games in the Rugby World Cup and then the Australian Wales game all right so uh new country uh new rules and Japan’s not different yeah it’s easier than certainly Cambodia or Vietnam but still got a kind of
Negotiate all the little uh traditions and ways they do things here on the road one of the things here is definitely a little bit of a pain in the bum is the fact I keep running into red lights every 30 40 50 m and that’s because I’m
Trying to avoid that um big Highway that big Motorway up there I also have to watch the time the game starts I think at about 5:45 and it’s even though it’s about midm morning I don’t want to miss it now bikes are not allowed to go on the major
Highways that means the roads I took were nonstop red lights for 50 km now what started as an inconvenience soon turned into a real threat to my timing to get to the game and I began to start running through the red lights when I thought it was safe enough and when I
Came to a te intersection I would jump on the sidewalk until I was through that intersection and come back on the road I think I have to say like whenever we pulled up to the stadium it was kind of awe inspired in it became real so
Finally made it here in coob for the USA England game only got about 7 hours got my accreditation pass we official now I love the fact that we have this beautiful Stadium over here we’re right in the backdrop people doing laundry beautiful Stadium people doing laundry
All the winners of the last what six Rugby World Cups seven Rugby World Cups who wants to put F on the fact that it’s not going to be one of those jerseys anybody Stadium laundry State laundry laundry Stadium laundry this is what we’re talking about you already feel how big
It is going to be why is nuts right here right like maybe France will be up there no no this is nuts what can be accomplished in such 110 M I don’t even know if that line made sense but it sounded so dope in my mind Eng
England England not that’s what I like all right because this field makes you feel powerful that’s not the most rugby thing ever I don’t know what is just as I’m on a tight schedule to get somewhere flat tire first one since K when I was trying to get to Julie’s
Party now another one as I’m trying to get to this England USA game do you remember what happened that day in Malaysia in episode 2 it wasn’t the puncture that caused me to be late it was the fact I didn’t have the right spare tube and guess what look at my
Spare tire it has a rip in its side that’s right history was beginning to repeat itself and I began to wonder whether I was going to miss this deadline as Well race here race here race here race here said got to be here for that 545 start got to be it for that 545 start I got here and it starts at 7:45 and the hospitality I’ve received from the staff here as I walked through the door to get
My media pass was was Unreal before Jason had made it in uh and and made his bike ride I was like yo let me go do some stuff out in the crowd yourself let me know let me know how much of that English B bride you guys got is it video
It’s video who you guys going for clearly yes some us support this is what I’m talking about talk e we’re only going to lose by5 how you guys doing today I love you the here yes um I really had fun just engaging and interacting with him because you get the feel the personality
Of it and are you guys going to throw Japanese tee into the water too it makes it all feel much more communal and uh it made it even much more real than uh uh it could have been all right so we’re finally here at the Rugby World Cup how you feeling
Being out here it’s it’s great it’s great to finally get here and get things happening who who do you like for this game England uh obviously going to be favorites but your boys USA I’m here for the us all day all day and then again tomorrow red one blue versus the red and
White right the Boris Johnson versus the Donald Trump we’re not going to go there yes we are we’re not going to go there we’re going to go there we need we [Applause] need [Applause] and then the game kicked in and uh reality kicked in and the USA got molly Wapped the palms of course were in good voice but I found the whole atmosphere a little bit flat I guess the game didn’t have much anticipation to it because it was a blowout as everyone expected to England one 50 to 7 but um you know we
Got our we got our pity score at the end all right try try it’s last one last man scores wins the game that’s it for today USA England in the bag that was the first one still more to go yeah let’s go so today’s a really tight day get to the
To the train station through probably 100 set of traffic lights again then I need to um to get up about halfway up the coast and set up on my next stage of my bike Journey which means I I need to complete 50 km today before the sun goes down
Step one ride the bike to the nearest train station step two take a bullet train to shika ride the bike from Shakura up to Fuji MOA it was this Twilight ride that provided me with one of the very best riding experiences I had on the trip thus far this traditional Japanese room
I’m staying in tonight no bed just mattress so boy boy what a day so it started very late in the day I got out of shoar 4:30 it was already getting dark I had 50 km to get to the hostel and not long after that a guy turns up a
Guy on a road bike and he says where are you going and I said I’m going to to Fuji or they abouts go come with me I’m go Fuji get there and and man it was hammer time we were going through all these little villages we going through all these little narrow
Streets I just had a ball and I said to him let’s just keep going this is fun this is great it reminded me of some of the earliest ideas I had for this ride that I wasn’t going to go by myself but there was a group of us and we were we were
Going to go off and and we’re going to race through the countryside and it’s a taste of what’s coming tomorrow because tomorrow is Mount Fui we’re is able to fly over to Tokyo y so I just got inaka just got into Tokyo so just got done watching Japan defeat Ireland uh that was dope nice to be in Tokyo feel much more awake now I don’t feel as tired as I was uh coming
Out of saon I think lugging a whole bunch of bags kind of woke me up and remember reminded me that uh work was still being Done I love it right on so I don’t think I’ve seen shabuya at night this place is nice like this I thought Singapore would look like this is nice when did you get second time around you never know what it’s going to be the guest house at fujima was a
Traditional Japanese home and the lady there was just so nice to me she she made me feel so welcome and look what she gave me this little cute Mount Fuji toy I’m just now leaving the town of Fuji M today I just really want to enjoy some classic japanese scenery there she
Is baby right around the the corner from my hostel basically sleeping under its shadow all night but um there she is what a beauty come on Mount Fuji so I didn’t exactly go to the top of Mount Fuji instead I kind of went around the base commonly called the Mount Fuji Highlands
I probably got about 10 or 12 km of very steady incline which is what I signed up for really particularly today particularly for today it was the longest and steepest incline for the entire trip around 25 km and at the very top Japan never lets you go anywhere without having a drinking
Option from a vending machine all right ladies and gentlemen having winded my way through all those mountains um I’ve come to a beautiful Valley called the Kemba Valley and it’s um it’s just stunning it’s just one beautiful uh experience after another here and uh I saw my first sign to Tokyo 100 km
Away the only nervous thing for me is that I’ve got to go actually out of that Valley which I’m probably going through those mountains again ah who could be bothered going over mountains let’s just go through them hey and now looks like we’re going down going through these really cool
Long tunnels which technically I wasn’t allowed to be in and there was one tunnel in particular I remember I had to get off the road and onto the gutter I FR and it was all downhill for the rest of the day this has been the best riding
Day of my life I thought I was just going to go around uh Mount Fuji see this wonderful Mountain then get on some highways home but it just keeps getting better and better just going through all these hills and mountains and valleys it’s just such a Blessing this is the very last day of this ride I have 54 km to go from here wherever I am all the way up to Tokyo to Tokyo Stadium to see Australia play Wales where I will meet gift and we will end this ride I’ve my bags packed I’ve
Tried to get my bike in the best condition I think it can be in I don’t want any last minute problems let’s just do this and let’s get this done and let’s celebrate Like It’s 1999 I gave myself about 10 hours to cover 56 km which to be honest I
Probably could have walked except one thing I had leared on this trip never underestimate how bad things could get particularly with this bike which was now a bucket of bolts all right new day it’s a Sunday out here and uh you know what that means Australia whales time but it should be a
Good day meet up with Jason as well too so that’s going to be fun it’s our last game together all right ladies and gentlemen after 2 and 12,000 km from down to the last 20ks that way hopefully within in an hour and a half 2 hours at this point
Around the halfway mark I decided to stop looking at Google Earth stop counting down the kilometers until the end of the ride I decided it was time to just reflect a bit 2 weeks earlier when I Rod out of Bangkok with the busted ankle I decided in the light of all the
Bad luck that I had experienced all I could do now was to knuckle down and knock over those meters minute by minute day by day hour by hour and I knew if I did that long enough and by the grace of God my body and my bite
Held together then the day would come when I would look up over my handlebars there it is everybody 800 m in front of me and see the Tokyo International Stadium I tried to organize a welcoming party for me at the end but I was denied I couldn’t contact gift either instead I
Wrode up to the footpath picked up my bike in all my GE and dragged them up those stairs I found a nice volunteer lady and asked her to take these pictures I did it man I did It so where exactly was GIF this time uh uh I definitely got lost around that Stadium a little bit finally met up with Jason and you know Jason was just in exhilaration we are here Australia Wales man about town see who’s here see what’s going on see what’s enjoyable
Who you want to win this game L well to be Welsh I guess isn’t it this one was the best all the Welsh people Aussies but Japanese who’s winning today but they came with energy wrong it’s right here M they’ve even got the official match B in hindsight it’s hard
To imagine what this trip would have been like without gift during this trip whenever my energy levels were down now he just seemed to take us up to that next level I mean the thing is people love gift because gift loves people most importantly it was our friendship together that made all the
Difference to this ride and tonight was going to be our last chance to celebrate that so uh Jason and I end up going inside and we head out to watch the game d so are we get any free beer up here no does the media get free beer I
Have to say the game experience for Wales Australia was different than what I had from USA England I literally could feel the energy from the [Applause] [Applause] crowd watching Jason as Australia ended up getting beat by Wales like that was a pure emotion this is this is all in for you no oh what is wrong with that you tell me what’s wrong with that well the Wes were just the Wes and the men in red
Deserve their tight win but for gift and I this wasn’t just about a game of rugby this night was a celebration of a very very special time in our lives that was going to end up being the last night that Jason and I uh we’re going to end up being together so um
You know it was you’re talking about 6 weeks you know six countries getting to know each other uh going through everything the whole trip was was everything that I could ask it to be um and I’m I’m glad I did it with that guy I guess at the end of the day when
All is said and done you can say that we are mates in rugby ladies and gentlemen this is the bride trrain and the gift time we’re signing off what has been a memorable last six week of History Singapore Tokyo here is Tokyo here we are we did [Applause] It [Applause] J J Jes