Rugby still rules roost in spite of cynicism
January 30th, 2008, 8:56 am Hobbies News
People in recent times, including me, have regularly painted doom and gloom on the sport of rugby as its grown into a year-long sport and has become driven by money.
Put the rest and rotation to one side, forget the constant watering down of club rugby and forget the fact the rugby season grows in length by the year.
The fact of the matter is it is the sport the general New Zealand public want to talk about and are just as eager to watch.
Some may have suggested the 2000 who turned out in Invercargill on Saturday for the Highlanders pre-season matchup was disappointing, but if we make some comparisons it indicates rugby still rules the roost in this province at least.
Less than 24 hours before the Highlanders and Chiefs graced the home of Southland rugby, I ventured to the ILT Velodrome for Cycling Southlands New Year Carnival.
It was the cream of the crop of New Zealands young track cyclists on display and it was a great experience to witness top-level athletes do their bit in the south.
However, only about 200 people were on hand to take in the action.
In December last year Southland Cricket brought New Zealands top domestic players to Invercargill with two games being played between Otago and a New Zealand selection 11 at Queens Park.
I counted 180 people in attendance for the 50-over-a-side game played on the Sunday, yet a rugby game played well out of season managed to attract 2000.
Earlier this month Queenstown also hauled in 8300 over two days for the national provincial sevens tournament.
Whether some people are sick of the oval ball game or not, the numbers suggest its still rugby that captures the imagination of the southern sporting public.
wOn another note, it seems the PC brigade has struck again. The Wellington leg of the IRB sevens series was the one event that remained untouched by the do-gooders. It was a weekend where people could let their hair down and knock back a couple of beers without having the fun police casting their evil eye on the crowd.
Banning the skimpy Borat costume isnt the end of the world but it may be the beginnings of the heavy-handed tactics that in the past ruined the true entertainment of attending a one-day international cricket game.
Its a rare chance for people to forget about the stresses of everyday life and party for a couple of days.
Thats not a crime is it? Politicians often ponder why young people desert New Zealand for Australia after they finish at university or their apprenticeships.
The answer may be sitting right in front of them.
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