TommyLuck

Therein lies one of the issues of a New Zealand Rugby fan ... it's always someone else's fault and it's out of their control when something goes wrong.

Never that the other team we better on the day. Never that NZ had an average performance. External factors are the problem.

Food poisoning RWC Final 1995 ...

Woodlea

Why would you laugh when your adopted country loses? It's a small country syndrome to big up what you excel at, and to be fair NZ are by far the best rugby team over the long term.

Stormer999

+1
Don't bite the hand that feeds you...

After many fruitless years I can now support my country that WINS...

BEVS

Ach ! We are all different. I'm English so I will always support England. Neighbour up the road is Italian and don't dare tell him to support other than Italy. Same for a South African mate of my husband.

TommyLuck

Yep, I'm an England fan always will be. I can't see how I can change allegiance irrespective of where I reside.

I've seen England live at Twickenham and elsewhere on too many occasions, enjoying the highs and lows of following any sport team to just change teams.

My heart would not be in it and what's the point in that?

To be honest I don't give a monkeys what the other teams are doing and I don't take joy from others losing unless it's at the hands of my own team/s.

I can only think that people who do become fans of their adopted nation in any sport were at best fair weather fans in the home nation.

Nothing wrong with being a fair weather fan (I'm a fair weather Whisky drinker, not a connoisseur but enjoy it on the odd occasion).

Of course there could also be a touch of slinging around the old "glory hunter" accusations ...


Why do people like to see England (in particular) lose at any sport?

Particularly with the Celtic nations, there is almost a sense of as long as England lose my own country winning is a bonus.

The small country syndrome is unnecessarily distasteful at times. Sport is all about class and yet many fans of the best teams (NZ Rugby, Aus Cricket until recently, Alex Ferguson's Man Utd, Chelsea [Mourinho's 1st spell], to name but a few) act with a complete lack of class. It usually entails kicking a man (or woman) when they are down, which is to my mind abhorrent behaviour.

What's more watching football at Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford or International Rugby at Eden Park or the Cake Tin is a strange experience. Thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy THOUSAND people trying to be as quiet as possible ... just ... waiting ... for ... something ... to .... h .... a .... p .... p .... e .... n ....

Wimbledon in the early rounds is a better atmosphere that all of the above, in my experience.

What happened to getting behind your team?

Give me Brentford's Griffin Park, Southampton's The Dell, Stoke's Brittania Stadium or Gloucester's Kingsholm any day of the week - where the fans actually give a crap and create atmosphere to become the proverbial "extra man".

Being a sports fan to me isn't just about sitting down in front of the TV or at your seat at the stadium and "cheering" on your team.

It's about the whole day out, the camaraderie with people who you don't even know, the banter, the conflicting opinions, the emotions rising and falling with each second that passes with each moment of sublime skill or silly errors and seeing professional sportspeople at the very limit of their abilities. Ultimately pro-actively getting behind your team in all weathers, in good and bad form.

It's about seeing the faces of the kids who aspire one day to run out on the hallowed turf themselves. The butterflies I got as a kid going to Lords, Twickenham, Wembley and White Hart Lane are as vivid a memory as I can muster. Pure excitement, pure enjoyment, 100% adrenalin.


I've enjoyed too much of all of the above as an England Rugby fan to adopt a new team and I'm am certain that BEVS Italian and South African will agree with me about their respective teams.

I envy the Scots who will tell you their team might be rubbish, but they're the best fans in the world. This is somewhat subjective, but what they've created from that belief is enjoyment in the game, whatever happens.

I would rather have a great time supporting a team that isn't expected to win all the time than watching my team living in fear that my team might not win this one ... There is zero enjoyment in that.

I feel that in New Zealand the national Rugby team are so heavily involved in the media that you can't avoid it and with just one team and a few super Rugby teams to follow there are too many people on the fringes diluting the passions of the hardcore fan - the lifeblood of any sporting atmosphere.

Tom H

They could do what their cricket supporters do and accept that sometimes, things just aren't meant to be. When England survived the 10th wicket v New Zealand, they accepted that they just weren't quite good enough to get a deserved victory. Most of the supporters on One News interviewed afterwards had a breath of sense that yep, we were unlucky and gave one of the best teams in cricket a game. Even their football fans praised the efforts of them against Mexico in the world cup qualifier - refreshing to see.

Completely different scenario with your All Black fan

Do you remember the excuses they came out with when they lost 38-21 at Twickenham? Oh we had a bug, the English deliberately food poisoned them to get a win etc. Of course the players denied it and said they deserved the loss but not according to your All Black supporter.

They've probably got the excuses already that the northern hemisphere chefs, porters, pilots, basically anyone that assists them at the next world cup will be to blame in the event they don't win the Webb Ellis trophy. I'm sure the kiwi journos as well will feed them with plenty of bait for them to bite. I doubt Mr Happy will write a book and spend 6 chapters going on about a refereeing decision like Graham Henry did.

It is weird because the rugby fans here don't seem to make excuses on their super rugby team. You'd never have thought Crusader followers have All Black blood in them when they lost the super rugby final to the Waratahs. They actually had a moan at the scrum half who came on, as he just kept booting the ball upfield instead of controlling possession. The majority though said the Waratahs were the best team in the competition and deserved their win.

TommyLuck

The media did try and blame Craig Joubert for an apparently questionable penalty (against McCaw, quelle surprise) which Bernard Foley ultimately knocked over the for win, but then if you're not a Cantabrian (by birth or immigration) you're probably not too bothered about the Crusaders not winning the thing, probably quite relieved in fact

Therefore the public didn't really buy in to on a national scale.

Stormer999

After many fruitless years I can now support my country that WINS

Was reference to my Nation beating SA the Worlds No.2! (Cymru am byth)
It has been many years that we could claim a Southern Hemisphere scalp.

Incidentaly how do Man Utd soccer team have over 600 million supporters...

TommyLuck

What I liked about that win was that it was an ugly win. As an impartial viewer on Wales for many years, not unlike Tottenham Hotspur, there is an expectation to try to win in style.

A gallant loss is almost accepted as long as they game was played in the right way.

For years Wales tried to win playing pretty Rugby, with a nod to the JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Phil Bennett's and Gareth Edward's of the world.

I say tosh to all of this.

It's not the style of game that will get the fair weather fans salivating, but Wales ground out a result against the country that wrote the rule book on grinding Rugby with hurtling heavy lumps crashing about the place.

A gritty win and with Ireland's excellent results, England beating Australia and showing that they're not miles and miles behind NZ and SA, Scotland being reformed and Wales showing how to win ugly against SH opponents, the build up to the Rugby World Cup is trucking nicely.

Knock out Rugby isn't the flash dash razzle dazzle we see in Super Rugby and to a point in the Rugby Championship - which is enjoyable to watch of course. Wins like Wales over SA is exactly the type of performance that get's you through to the next knockout stage in a World Cup.

Stormer999

After 20+ years playing hooker I can enjoy the SA style of power rugby, bring back rucking big time and leave the game to be enjoyed by ex players and sod the media and flag wavers. Wales over in Ireland has to be the most enjoyable experience of any fans lifetime red or green who cared when the kick off sounded. I defy anyone of any nationality to keep a dry eye when the National Stadium roof is closed and the Anthems are sung.
Why do the three other nations like to see England loose ? I think it's as Woodlea has said, the small countries liking watching the boss get a kick up the ar*e and the history of the pit worker versus the public school boy!

Oh yes pick refs that did their time in the tight five!

p.s If Wales are not playing then it's the game that matters and I do miss my trips down to Kingsholm where the local supporters understood hywl...

Woodlea

As a tight head myself I would agree - and I would stop all the new stupid rules of engagement and return to when scrummaging was a contest, soon it'll be like league!

Stormer999

God how I miss the big hit on the old type "engagement"......a man's way to make lifelong friendships.....after the final whistle..