Eavesdropper Rugby World Cup Final

Practice makes a AB

Palmerston North and NZ has now come down to earth, the flag waving and cheering is all over, and we won the world cup, not by a landslide as most predicted but by a single point. Our local newspapers will now have to print some real news.

On Sunday night at Eden Park John K and Murray Mc were overheard while having a deep and meaningful conversation in the VIP lounge. Naturally it wasn’t about poverty or the unemployed or even the latest down grade or the stuff up over the Rena episode. No it was about, ‘What if’…we lose the final.

“Murray said John, ‘If we lose then the millions we’ve spent on staging the world cup has been totally wasted’.

“Come on John cheer-up’, said wee Murray, just keep up your smile I’m sure the AB’s will hold on for victory and you won’t need to present the cup to the French, but if you do, just remember to change the script and don’t shout ‘Go the mighty All Blacks’, you have practiced your speech haven’t you?

“Oh yes, I had had one last practice in front of the mirror at half-time and I must admit I sounded really smooth”, said John as he practiced yet again his smile.

“And you’ll remember what Steven Joyce said, and don’t try to speak French when you say how sorry you are for them losing the final” and please, please don’t smile at that moment”, said Murray very seriously.

“Right no French or Maori, I’ve got that firmly fixed in my ‘what not to do list’ from Steven, said John as he turned to Murray and asked if his tie was straight.

Murray adjusted John’s tie as the Eden Park crowd erupted in delight as the final whistle blew for full-time. The noise was overwhelming and any further eavesdropping was impossible.

And so the saga ended and after decades the cup was ours. John and Murray headed off to the field to bask in the glory and above the roar of the crowd Johns last words were, “I must remember not to speak French or Maori”, as he practiced his grin one last time. Amen…said my God as she headed off to help out with the Turkish earthquake.

PS: It has just been made public that the running of the cup cost, 400 million dollars yes folks 400 million dollars! [the NZRU lost 38 million, the government spent 26 million directly and the rest went to fund high level visitors, business programmes and the tax and rate payers spent 350 million on stadiums and facilities] Manawatu Standard Tuesday 25^th October 2011]

Murray McCully the Minister in charge of the RWC said he was pleased that the costs were as they were and hailed this massive financial loss as 'a triumph...

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I’m a bit of a rugby buff, I played the game from aged eight until about thirty something and I refereed the game for a half a dozen years after that. But since the game became professional I’ve lost my deep regard for the game as such.

Before it was sport now its work, before it was character building now its income earning. Like so many activities these days its value is based on money.

Of course a Rugby World Cup is a handy event to have during an election because it takes peoples minds off the main game which is the state of the nation. Maybe we should ask ourselves some questions so that we get some balance in regard to importance.

Which is more important?

·         The All Blacks defeating France in pool A or two hundred plus thousand children living in poverty?

·         Or maybe we should compare the All Blacks beating England in the semi finals as against having people not being able to afford milk or cheese or having the largest prison population outside of the USA.

·         We could even consider the differences between beating South Africa in the final with lets say reducing the gap between the haves and the others.

While shouting for joy as each game is won or lost we should never forget the reality of life as it actually exists…the cost of attending the rugby world cup final [for one person] is around four to six months worth of power bills…

In Palmerston North we’ve spent more on the RWC hype than we have to help clean up our river…and we got only two minor pool games.

The Catholic church is now suggesting that if Jesus was to return he would appear in the shape of an All Black...wrong...if Jesus was to return he would return as a member of the unemployed class, he would be possibly a solo dad and his mom be a solo mum. Jesus was no pal of the wealthy, politicans and their kind...