NZ Thoughts 3.0 — An All Blacks Fangirl…ish

Up until the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, I had absolutely no idea how rugby worked. (I still am uncertain if I fully understand it by now, but oh well. Not like I understand any other sport to the full extent anyway.) But upon watching my first ever rugby game in which England was playing against a team I don’t remember, and having my good friend Johannes on WhatsApp to guide me through the whole match, I concluded that rugby is extremely fun to watch! And actually quite easy to follow. Delightful. Not the sport itself, I must add, which consists of lots of running and tackling and pushing and throwing — basically a lot of action and brutality. I was hooked! To the point that I developed a desire to play rugby myself, to which most of my friends said, and I quote: “No! Not allowed! You will die!” (I’m still contemplating.)

So I continued watching and my bias leaned towards New Zealand’s national rugby union team, also known as the All Blacks. Why? Other than that they were really good at this sport and a joy to watch, I had no other reasons. I didn’t need any. From then on, I watched every match, gradually learned to understand the game and cheered for them. When they were up against Australia in the finale, I couldn’t have been rooting any more for them. At that time, I was unaware that the All Blacks were the reigning champions. Thus, I considered their victory against Australia to be a massive slap in the face for the Aussies (because they are already bigger and more “popular” than the Kiwis). Had I known about that fact beforehand though…nah, still would’ve rooted for the All Blacks.

But in a recent game they have had a bit of a setback when they lost 42–14 to the USA at the London Sevens, a rugby tournament. THE USA. Really? Oh come on, All Blacks. Against the U.S.? They call football soccer, and rugby (with dumb rules and protection gear) football. However, this is not a post to complain about the U.S. and its…quirks, but to hail NZ’s rugby team. Also, they did come in third overall in the series, so I shouldn’t be complaining. Anyway, I’ll keep watching and cheering.

Mai

P.S. Here are the “highlights” of the USA — New Zealand match. Even I could’ve passed that defense! (Probably not, but let’s pretend for my point’s sake.)