The Rugby World Cup and Us

Many consider New Zealand to be the spiritual home of Rugby, so it was fitting that our introduction to the game came during our trip to NZ, which coincided with the Rugby World Cup (RWC) there.  Even though none of us knew anything about rugby at the beginning of our trip, we found it very easy to start getting the hang of the sport and begin rooting for the All Blacks.  "Go ALL Blacks" and "Go The All Blacks" flags and homemade signs were proudly stuck out of car windows and hung off of everything from city buildings to bails of hay.  Short of a sign in white spray paint on a black cow, we saw love for the All Blacks shown in every way imaginable.  Apparently, after their defeat in the semi-finals in 2007, many kiwis put on a depressed face and started saying things like, "We suck at the only thing we're good at!"  But the national attitude running up to this year's RWC transcended excitement and jubilation, as nearly everyone - young and old, men and women - geared up for a month of great rugby and a chance to watch their boys redeem themselves right in their own country.

It was hard not to notice the rugby fever all around NZ, as camper vans full of people from France, Ireland, Romania, Argentina, and everywhere in between dominated highways and waved flags and homemade signs supporting their respective teams. Camper parks and top tourist sights were also inundated with rugby fans, and we never grew tired of seeing groups of middle-aged men, all jock-types, at cozy cafes and restaurants, wine tastings, and even at B&Bs.  There was something really sweet about seeing this gruff set all traveling together, sleeping in cramped camper vans, or better yet atmospheric B&Bs normally reserved for traveling couples.


The sport itself, Rugby Union (there is also another variation, called Rugby League, which is more popular in Australia), was actually a highly entertaining sport to watch and try to learn.  All four of us really enjoyed catching several games in different settings and attempting to grasp rules that, apparently, are so open to interpretation that many fans may not know exactly why a certain call was made at any given time. Each of us got sucked into different games and story lines, and trying to decipher certain rules and game action became its own team sport among the four of us.

Our new-found interest in rugby didn't end when we left New Zealand.  The coolest RWC game we watched was the semi-final match between Australia (the Wallabies) and The All Blacks in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  We showed up early, but still had to work to rustle up two chairs as we crammed into a nifty Irish pub, packed to capacity with expats.  The atmosphere was as exciting as sports outside the stadium can get, and a kiwi victory in a good match made the experience even better.

We knew the RWC could possibly interfere with bits of our trip, but we went for it anyway - and we're so glad we did!  Not only did the RWC not negatively affect our time in NZ much at all, it actually heightened out experience.  What better way to learn about the passion of the kiwis than amongst them in bars and hotel lobbies as they root for their beloved All Blacks?  We entered New Zealand unsure of how the RWC would effect our travel plans.  We thought maybe finding accommodations would be more expensive than normal, or difficult in spots.  It turns out that all of the effects were positive: The country's love and passion for their beloved All Blacks added a certain life and energy to the hundreds of rural kilometers we drove on both islands.  All four of us, Marie and Annette most surprisingly, left NZ with an affinity for rugby and an appreciation for the several unexpected hours of it we watched over the course of our time in NZ.  Dale and Jeff, less notably, rejoiced at the opportunity to get to watch sports and take turns pretending they knew what they  ere talking about when analyzing different aspects of the game.  Although the US didn't fair well (we watched them lose 86 to 5 to South Africa, which was declared a good performance by the Eagles), we found there were a lot of great story-lines to follow and the game itself to be far more entertaining and complex than we would have imagined.

The All Blacks ended up winning the RWC, in a fitting victory over the French in Auckland.  The ABs are nearly flawless at Eden Park, Auckland's rugby haven (where they haven't lost a game since 1994) and they capitalized on some glaring mistakes by the French to capture the title and put a smile on the faces of 4.5 million kiwis! 

Viva la Rugby!  Viva la THE ALL BLACKS!