Saturday, May 9, 2009
Mark got called in to work yesterday evening since two of the junior doctors called out sick, and didn't get to bed until late, so he was dragging this morning as we all set off for Ro's first official rugby game at 8am. The kids played in bare feet and shorts, while the parents were all bundled up in jackets and beanies in the crisp morning air. Rugby is a winter sport, and is played rain or shine. Ro had initially refused to wear shoes to the game, but Sherry brought his bedroom slippers to keep his feet warm until the game started, which he gratefully wore once his bare feet hit the cold, damp grass.
Halftime. Note the beer sponsor on the goalpost
For those of you not familiar with rugby, it's loosely related to American football, but it's a much more fluid game like hockey or soccer. You can only pass the ball through the air backwards, so at higher levels of rugby, there's usually a series of quick laterals as the offense tries to gain a mismatch on the wings and get around the defense. You can kick the ball forward, though, so talented kickers can essentially pass it forwards with their feet.
See link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_football
There were a couple of kids this morning who knew what they were doing and consistently ran in the right direction and only handed the ball to their own teammates, but they were definitely the exception to the rule. Ro was a little frustrated that he didn't get the ball very often; he hasn't quite made the connection between his proximity to the ballcarrier and getting the ball passed to him. When tackled (i.e. flag ripped off), the kids just turn around and hand the ball to their nearest teammate, so if you're not right there you're not going to get the ball. They all took turns starting off the offense, though, so Ro did have a nice long carry in which he evaded several defenders before the fastest opposing player ripped his flag off. There were even a few girl-power moments, unfortunately it was for the other team; they had a couple of fleet-footed Maori girls who made the defense look like it was standing still.
Ro starting off his first carry
The Mt Maunganui Stripes on offense. Apparently Ro thinks his mouthguard is a handguard
Horsing around on the playground after the game
Sherry got an early Mother's Day present today, something she hasn't had the entire time we've been in NZ...an evening of quiet solitude...ahhhhhh. Mark took Ro to the Waikato Chiefs rugby match about 90 minutes away in Hamilton. First, a little about professional rugby in NZ. There are two main forms of rugby: rugby union and rugby league. There are some other variations as well, like Sevens (a fast-moving type of rugby union with seven players to a side), which is being considered for an Olympic sport. Rugby union is basically the NZ national sport; the All Blacks are the national rugby union team comprised of all the best Kiwi players from the Super 14 teams. Super 14 is comprised of five teams from NZ, four from Australia, and five from South Africa. Three of the NZ teams are based in the North Island, one in Auckland (Blues), one in Hamilton (Chiefs), and one in Wellington (Hurricanes). Each team draws its players from the semi-professional teams in assigned provinces, and the Bay of Plenty is included in the Chief's provinces, so they're basically our "local" professional team. There is also rugby league, with somewhat different rules, but all the teams in the National Rugby League are in Australia save one - the Vodafone Warriors based in Auckland. To give you an idea of how big rugby is here, of the 15 channels we get on Sky TV (basic cable), two are almost exclusively rugby, one for rugby (i.e. rugby union) and one for "league" (i.e. rugby league), with occasional cricket and golf thrown in on slow rugby days.
Mark & Ro at the Waikato Chiefs game
There are only two weeks left in the Super 14 season; the top 4 teams at the end compete for the championship, and our upstart, ne'er-do-well Chiefs have risen to a surprising second-place standing right behind the long-dominant Hurricanes. And guess who the visiting team was tonight? That's right, those very same All Black-laden Hurricanes. The match was the big story on the news, and there was a sold-out crowd of 25,000 in attendance. The skies opened up about ten minutes before kickoff and a deluge of rain came down, but it fortunately didn't last long. There was a large alcohol-free kid's section that we sat in, and Ro enjoyed the whole atmosphere, even if he isn't yet interested in the subtleties of the game. When asked what his favorite part of the game was, he replied "the fireworks!" Compared to professional sports in America, the game was a bargain...it probably cost more in gas to get there and back than the NZ$20 adult ticket and $7 kids ticket (which included a free goodie bag), about US$15 total. The Chiefs won a thriller, 16-8 with some miraculous defensive play at the very end, and the crowd was pretty wild. The Chiefs vaulted past the Hurricanes in the standings with the win and look to be in good shape to contend for their first-ever Super 14 championship.
See link: http://www.super14.com/chiefs/
Scrum!
Waikato Stadium rocking at the end of the match
Sherry, meanwhile, enjoyed a huge vat of popcorn and a couple of movies from the comfort of the couch, wrapped up in her cozy new Mother's Day robe. Even her friend Karla couldn't drag her out tonight. Sherry did, however, switch channels occasionally to check for Mark & Ro on Rugby TV.
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