| Rugby! Patriotism! Hugs? |
| Written by Brendon Green |
| Wednesday, 02 December 2009 08:05 |
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Normally, back in New Zealand, when the All Blacks played at a decent hour (i.e. not 4am)... I would watch it with a handful of mates at one our flats. We would maybe order pizza, then sit on the couch and complain about how badly the AB’s were playing (yes, my life is that awesome). It was fun, but it was never as exciting as I thought it should be. I didn’t even really care about the what was supposed to be the pinnacle of New Zealand sport, and usually ended up cheering for the opposition (especially Wales, I have a weird affinity for Wales. I think it has something to do with Tom Jones, because what else is there?). But this week, I watched the All Blacks play France, and it was the most passionate rugby experience I have had since being forced to play in Primary School and being rucked by my own team-mates. The great thing about this game was the build-up. Normally France is resigned to losing against the AB’s (with some noticeable exceptions), but the AB’s haven’t been playing sparkling rugby lately and the feeling in France was that they had a genuine chance to win, even that it was their game to lose. The other reason for my rugby-loving conversion (hehe) is how I watched the game. After a week of build-up leading me to believe this was going to be a tough game, I was forced to watch the match alone. All my kiwi friends were either at work, or in Marseille watching the game live. Now when I say I was alone, I mean I was the only New Zealander in a packed out bar full of French supporters. It was literally standing room only, and a battle to get to the bar to buy the cheap bottles of Czech beer. (You could say I had to form a rolling maul to cross the advantage line and maintain a fluidity of play, but that would be lame, and also not accurate.) I mumbled out a few verses of 'God Defend New Zealand' under my breath, and then listened to a cacophony that was the French national anthem. And then the Haka happened. Honestly, I have never heard a room filled with that many drinking sports fans go that silent. The respect they showed the Haka was amazing. I suddenly felt very patriotic. The game itself was an absolute cracker. The All Blacks played the best they have all year, and there was plenty of action to yell about. And yell I did. When the rest of the bar was screaming NO NO NO! I was screaming GO GO GO! I even threw in a few ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ’s in there. When the match had ended and I was fitfully proud of my boys (yes, the All Blacks are now my boys), everyone in the place gave the game a round of applause. My friend who had been talking up the French team all week said they had just been given a lesson in rugby. The guys we had been standing next to congratulated me and said they looked forward to playing us in the next World Cup (which they all expect us to win by the way). And we were all friends! We didn’t hug or anything, but there was a definite friendly vibe in the place. In conclusion, I recommend going to a place filled with your opposition supporters and trying to yell louder than they do to get a real sense of pride. Obviously this is in regards to sports, I don’t recommend doing it for political, religious or racial causes, that’s what letters to the Editor are for. |
