A Lord of the Rings fan has proven that they’re worthy to bear the one ring by resolutely watching the trilogy on a plane, surrounded by people watching the women’s world cup. It’s a heart-warming moment, to see the popularity and support for women’s sport, but we’ve got to give a shout out to that one person who really deserves a place in the Lord of the Rings fellowship.
The match in question was a quarter final between the French national team, and the Australian team – affectionately known as the Matildas. It was a nail-biting match that came down to an extremely tense penalty shoot-out, which Australia won 7-6. It appears to be a Qantas flight in the viral video, which explains the overwhelming support for the Aussie side.
To make the clip even better, the exact moment from the Lord of the Rings that is playing during the penalty shoot-out is from one of Return of the King’s many endings – where Frodo wakes up in Rivendell and is reunited with Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin. You couldn’t make it up.
Even more coincidentally, 2023 is the 20th anniversary of the release of The Return of the King. Lord of the Rings cast members Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd have toured the comic con circuit since 2021 – to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring (released in 2001), The Two Towers (released in 2002), and now The Return of the King.
That moment for women’s sport ❤️⚽️👑🦘 pic.twitter.com/vCgv9m4vxM
— Jacqueline Felgate (@Jacquifelgate) August 12, 2023
Each of the three movies were released in December of their respective years, and for many people it’s become a Christmas tradition to rewatch the trilogy. The four hobbits will be at Los Angeles Comic Con in December 2023 to celebrate the release of the epic finale to the trilogy. The Return of the King won 11 Oscars including Best Picture.
If you love the Shire as much as we do, check out our guide to the Rings of Power season 2 release date and to the best Lord of the Rings characters, ranked. We also have guides to the One Ring explained, Gollum explained, and My Precious explained.