Field Theory by Hadyn Green

It definitely is the jersey that you wear. In the opening stages of the game, as South Africa dotted down right in front of the touch judge, I found myself cheering, then swearing at referee Wayne Barnes as he went to the TMO. I was noticing the Welsh infringements more than the South African ones. And I found myself hating the loud-mouthed drunken Welshman in the corporate box beside me; and not just he was being an arsehole. Well mainly, because he was an arsehole. He seemed to only know the offside rule, vaguely, and a basic selection of swear words. But he was a small ugly blight on what was a very nice day as a South African.

For those who don't remember, the tale of why I own a South African jersey, it’s really rather sweet. Though, as I am almost never in a position to support the “old foe”, the jersey has stayed inside my wardrobe almost exclusively. Until yesterday.

After acquiring a number of safety pins to turn the XXL tent into a (roughly) M-sized jersey, I wandered through town with a newly acquired South African vibe. Though if anyone spoke to me there could be no deceit as my South African impersonation is famously awful.

It’s a wonderful experiment pretending to be a different person. I had smiles and nods from random people on the street, one guy walked past and wished me good luck. Another couple walked past me as I scoffed a quick burger before catching the media bus: “You going to the game tonight?” “Cool, good luck then!”

It just felt so nice to see that my fellow New Zealanders were being so kind to someone who looked like he was from overseas.

The Welsh fans gave smiles and nods, occasionally exchanging jokes or good wishes. The Bok fans doing the same, or a quiet “Go Bokke”. At the pub, I got some wary glances from Welsh supporters. It felt odd sitting with my green and gold in the middle of a sea of red. Perhaps this is why I felt like I had to support the Boks. Wearing the jersey means you’ve made an investment, you’ve put your chips on the colour and now you have to cheer for it.

The oddest exchange of the night came from a large group of South Africans. A large group of large South Africans. A dozen of them and only one was under 6-foot tall.

They were clearly on a tour together and were gathering after leaving a bar. I was sitting nearby minding my own business when I noticed that a couple of them were staring at me. I said hello and they beckoned me over.  Through a mixture of drunken English and very drunken Afrikaans I discovered that they both had the surname Truter, the same that is on the back of my jersey. I couldn’t tell if they were related to each other but neither of them had heard of Trix Truter (whose son Anton sent me the jersey).

They were amazed to see a jersey with their name on it and I was amazed to meet them. We had a chat about the game and they took some snaps of them with me and I took an awful blurry photo of them as my bus pulled up. All in all a great night.

The game was amazing too. Drama, controversy, see-sawing lead changes, excited players from both benches. Victor Matfield did not sit down once after being subbed off, instead he stood at the edge of the advertising hoarding and yelled at the players and refs. It was far too tense a game to relax on the bench. One in a bunch of almost-upsets from the opening weekend.

After the game and the press conference (I will admit to trying to stalk Stephen Jones) I walked along the waterfront to meet friends for a drink. Sunday at 11pm on Wellington’s waterfront felt wonderful. The bars were open and well lit, all the fans, Welsh and South African were in high spirits and there were no crushes or trails of drunken destruction. I saw a novelty Welsh hat floating in the harbour and as I tried to take a photo a group of police walked up and joked, “do we need to initiate a maritime rescue operation?” It just all felt so relaxed and happy.

Nice work everyone.

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Thanks to Samsung for the use of their Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the duration of the Rugby World Cup. The lovely little device is the perfect machine for a journalist on the go, like myself.

It is impossible to ignore that today is the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New  York. It seems somehow scripted that today is also the first day of America's Rugby World Cup campaign. 

As such I have asked Caleb Borchers to give his thoughts on US Rugby and the Eagles at this tournament.

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This Thursday, I will live as a foreigner in his own country.  As the prime time kick-off of another NFL season approaches, all the sports fans in the United States of America will be breathlessly awaiting the commencement of another year of football.  After the horror of a lockout relief will flood the land.  And to some degree, I will be excited too.  My fantasy team is selected and once more my beloved Detroit Lions have hope.

Still, there will be a certain smallness to the kick-off for me.  See unlike the vast majority of those around me, the kick-off that I am awaiting happens some eight hours later.  Years ago rugby took my heart from "gridiron" or "American footy" or whatever the rest of the world calls it.  I still love the NFL and watch weekly.  It’s just that I find rugby faster, more athletic, and more exciting.  As such, my biggest thrill of the weekend will be watching the haka when I watch New Zealand and Tonga start the quest for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Rugby in the United States is slowly but surely growing.  USA Rugby is always shooting out press releases about the growth of the youth game.  As yet I have still not yet met a child who plays rugby.  Still, I don't doubt the veracity of reports of growth.  College rugby is on the rise.  A national 7s tournament now graces NBC each summer.  Several friends have sent me messages noting how much they enjoyed watching that tournament.  NBC also has snapped up the rights to the next two World Cups.  All of the USA games will be shown either on NBC or Universal Sports.  In 2007 the best one could do for coverage was a PPV subscription on a satellite network, so the Final appearing on network TV is a huge jump.  Undoubtedly the Olympics play a key role.  NBC puts the vast majority of their sports money into Olympic events and Universal Sports (a subsidiary of NBC) is devoted only to Olympic sports.

This World Cup does have the chance to help capture the imagination of the American audience.  I would venture to say that the All Blacks are the most recognizable rugby brand in the world.  Often when I mention my love of rugby the first response is, "Isn't that the sport where they scream and slap themselves before the game?"  I'm not sure if it is the haka, the ominous black jersey, or the unparalleled success, but Americans are just drawn to the All Blacks.  New Zealand, since the Lord of the Rings trilogy or earlier, has been a favourite dream destination of many American tourists.  I meet few people that don't know someone who has visited Aotearoa or even gone themselves.  But it isn't just the place, it is the team.  New Zealand plays an attractive game of rugby.  Increasingly American Football fans tire of the old "two yards and a cloud of dust" tactic of years gone past.  The NFL and NCAA are now all about spread offenses, prolific passing, and passer ratings.  When those attitudes switch to rugby, pick and drives are hardly appealing.  American fans want to see the crash and bash of a Ma'a Nonu or the slicing counter-attack of an Israel Dagg.  Both the style and the brand of the All Blacks draw many American fans, as they do fans all over the globe.  Many casual fans will linger awhile if they see an attacking All Blacks side on national TV the Sunday of the final.

New Zealand's appeal seems to have worked its way into visitor numbers as well.  RWC bosses have been pleasantly surprised at some 10,000 fans coming from the Americas.  I've yet to hear how many of those are USA fans, but my guess would be about half or better of the 10,000.  My wife and I are actually coming for two weeks of the tournament.  We will see the USA play Australia, but are most excited about Samoa and Fiji at Eden Park.  Many American rugby fans like myself see this tournament as a unique opportunity.  We are far more excited about traveling to New Zealand than we would be going to England or France.  The appeal of seeing rugby in its spiritual home was just too much to pass on.

The USA Eagles have a role to play in rugby's growth as well.  Their September 11th match with Ireland will also be on free network TV.  A team in red, white, and blue playing on that day may attract a few eyeballs, even with the NFL kicking off.  Unfortunately the Eagles don't look great this year.  Eddie O'Sullivan seemed to be the right coach for this team.  Word on the street was that he was a great teacher.  He could take the raw athletes and train them in the finer rugby arts.  The results just aren't there.  Mike Hercus, after repeated failures to truly master the USA national side or a European club, is now gone and has been replaced by Nese Malifa.  Malifa may be the lesser of possible evils, but his play has been shockingly bad this summer.  He frequently shanks punts, drop kicks, and place kicks.  The most shocking moment was when he dropped a pass in the end zone, literally handing the Canadians a try.  The Eagles also have a befuddling habit of playing Malifa further behind the ruck than most international fly-halves stand for drop goals.  American ball is thus static, players flat footed, and momentum nearly impossible to build.  It’s too bad because the outside backs are legitimate weapons.  Everyone knows what Takudzwa Ngwenya can do.  Paul Emerick and Chris Wyles are legitimate international players.  Wyles was sorely missed this summer while playing sevens for Saracens.  (Don't think that the IRB has yet fixed the problem of limiting players at RWC time due to club commitments.  An American lock, Samu Manoa, is contractually inhibited from playing at this year's tournament thanks to Northampton Saints.)  Andrew Suniula looks to have some similar abilities to Nonu or Manu Tuilangi, just less honed by inferior play in

an American club.

The talisman of the Eagles is undoubtedly Todd Clever.  Clever is the American player par excellence.  He is athletic and abrasive.  He was born in the States (a rarity in the national team) and took up rugby at what most of the world would call a late age.  He has gone across the world to find game time and experience.  American fans were certainly proud when they saw him take on the British and Irish Lions as a member of the Golden Lions.  Clever is the sort of player with the sort of career that young players can look up to.  He also has the flaws that most Americans have.  At times it seems like he just has to think a little too much, instead of relying on childhood founded instincts.  His accuracy can be lacking.  When he gets really worked up he plays with too much heart, with his adrenaline out-running his good sense.  Most of the best and worst attributes of American rugby lie in this one individual.  If anyone is going to front the media or show up in a commercial, it is Todd.

Clever and Malifa are great examples, in opposite ways, of the problem that USA rugby just cannot crack.  The domestic game is just not good enough.  As such players like Malifa have little hope of really making an impact at test level.  The professional environment has left many Eagles miles behind their opponents.  In order to really grow, American players have to move abroad for opportunity.  Some like Ngwenya, Wyles, and Mike McDonald have done that with stunning success.  Clever has been more of a wandering soul, but that may be his choice as much as his lot in life.  Still, European clubs are not yet lining up for American players the way they line up for Argentines, Samoans, or even Georgian props.

I believe the Eagles are the key to growth in the USA.  American soccer enthusiasts will tell you, youth programs are great, but the men's national team is key.  Soccer was a strong youth sport as early as the 1970s in the States.  It was not until the 1994 World Cup and growth of the men's national team that people really started to pay attention.  Many of the American players that brought that success did so playing for European clubs.  National team success slowly grew into a feasible professional league (MLS).  That is the blueprint for rugby.  Olympics and sevens have been shots in the arm, but rugby does not want track and field audiences that show up every four years and then disappear.  The real question is when the US market becomes too important to pass on.  Every once and awhile SANZAR toys with us and suggests that they will throw America a bone like a Super franchise or Bledisloe Cup game.  I am of the opinion that a USA Bledisloe would far out perform the interest in Hong Kong, but the NZRU does not agree.  Frankly, the earliest rugby pioneers here in the States face financial risk and the big boys of rugby are risk adverse right now.

And so we return to the World Cup.  The Eagles need to play well.  First mission is to beat Russia.  Second mission will be to play respectably against Ireland.  While Italy would be an easier, but similarly unlikely, victory, the attention they will get playing on September 11th on national TV makes Ireland the more important test.  Scare the Irish like the Georgians did in '07 and people will take note.  Every four years hope springs eternal that one of these years Americans will finally pay attention to the game that they have no good reason not to love.  Until that day, I'll be by myself taking in all the action while my neighbours walk through another routine season of the NFL.

It's not really hard to troll an All Black fan. You can go down the well-travelled route of English rugby journalists, pointing out our flaws, perhaps questioning the players' country of origin; but this only strengthens our resolve. No the best way to hurt us to follow the example of my contact with adidas in Japan. Dave is a huge Australian rugby fan and constantly taunted me with: "Mate, the All Blacks are unbeatable, you're looking great for the cup".

Bastard.

I can handle losing the World Cup. In fact I have often joked that it's now a quadrennial tradition. What gets me every time is that on paper we look like we should win. Fucking paper. At the last world cup, our on-paper quality was so good that we didn't get knocked off the offical world #1 spot until South Africa won (and then they held that spot for one game before we got it back).

This is the painful part of following a successful team: when you don't win it all, you feel like you've lost everything. You look back over everything that you did; you start to second guess every decision; you search for patterns. How did this all happen? Then we project this hindsight forward.

We look at this new group named to open the Cup against Tonga and we wonder: why him? Why not the person I would've selected? That way, madness lies.

But if you really want to scare yourself, just take a look at the last cup.

In 2007 I wrote my first posts for Public Address, alongside my sports blogging mates The Dropkicks, under the banner of Some Foreign Field (Sept-Oct 07). I've been re-reading them in horror. The comments especially fill me with dread, because I am seeing the same things being said now. Most notable is this post, written after pool play, as we prepared for the now infamous game against France (and I quite proudly note it was reported in French newspaper Le Post, so far my only international plaudits).

Comments in that post include lines like: "I’m still picking us to beat the French by a substantial margin" and "yes, we’ll do over France. Get confident people!" Alongside comments like: "Why on Earth would you say such a thing? Have you not learned from years gone by? HUBRIS PEOPLE! WE’RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS"

Note also in that thread, discussions about fullbacks being moved to the centres. We haven't changed much. So many of the conversations on those Some Foreign Field blogs could have been written today. Even Tracey Nelson complaining that the price of flights had gone up.

And now Tonga is making the bookies nervous. Tonga! I know they did well at the last cup and have an amazing level of support here, but seriously? The first games are not for nervousness, they are for us to wonder which player will lose it all for us in the knock out phase.

Christ, please let us win so we can get over this.

I've seen a lot of people online asking what games would be good to go to for rugby newbies or kids or just which games will be worth the money. So I thought I'd give my opinion on which games will be good to get along to and which might be snorers.

I'll say this now, I am only going to recommend one All Blacks pool game, all the rest will (most likely) be easy wins with a flattering score line and possibly sold out. So go see something "exotic".

One thing that I noticed was that some Stadiums got to keep their names (Trafalgar Park for example), while others had to change to dumb names (Wellington Regional Stadium). I know this is old news, but surely instead of "Stadium-named-after-the-place-where-it-is", they could've been named a bit more creatively. Like of lot of planning with this Cup, it seems thought has gone into a lot of decisions, but just not enough thought.

Eden Park

Aucklanders will be getting the bulk of the knock-out games and all of those should be the best kind of international test; especially if one of the Pacific Island teams can get through.

Australia – Ireland: A good match-up with some well-known players and loads of potential for exciting runs. Visually it'll look like a lemon and lime ice block.

New Zealand – France: The only All Black pool match worth watching and (potentially*) the only time we could see the All Blacks wearing white at the Cup, because the idiots at Nike think the beautiful blue French uniforms should look like this. I mean really!

Fiji – Samoa: When two island nations play each other all hell can break loose. Great fun for the neutrals, especially with two opposing haka to start the game (I use "haka" as a generic term here).

Rugby Park

Scotland and Romania are taking up residence in the deep dark south

Scotland – Romania: This game will split Invercargill down the middle, which of their adopted teams do they like more? Probably Scotland.

Argentina – Romania: Argentina is the best team to play a game here.

Rotorua International Stadium

Seems that Rotorua will be hosting the Namibian team, which means (unless they manage to be like Kenya at the Sevens) that Rotorua is going to see some blow-out games.

Ireland – Russia: So why this game? I mean clearly Ireland is going to win this one right? Seems you forget how strong the former Soviets can be, Comrade.

North Harbour Stadium

Does North Harbour Stadium still only have seats on one side?

France – Japan: A little bird by the name of JOHN FUCKING KIRWAN told me last year that Japan is really aiming to win this one. Yes, yes, laugh. But don't be surprised if this is closer than you expect.

South Africa – Samoa: Samoa beat Australia this year. Tonga almost beat South Africa at the last Cup. North Auckland has lots of South Africans, and south Auckland has lots of Samoans, this should be a good, hard-hitting affair with lots of noise in the crowd.

Otago Stadium

England really is camping in Dunedin with three games here, which from memory is because of a move from Christchurch.

Argentina - England: Hmmm, why would a match between England and Argentina be good? Why, why, why? It's not like they have a long-standing historical rivalry or anything. Still it's a chance for us to all see England's black jerseys.

Stadium Taranaki

New Plymouth hosts the US and a game that could go down in history once the American broadcasters get a hold of it.

Russia – USA: Are you fucking kidding? No way was this a random draw. It's gonna be awesome. Or kind of boring. But if you are going to any game here then this is the one to watch!

Wellington Regional Stadium

Wellington actually has more pool games than any other city and I'm going to be at all them (even Argentina - Scotland).

South Africa - Wales: This is not going to be the game everyone assumes it is. But the effect of a team in green playing a team in red will make it feel like Christmas.

France – Tonga: This match is the one I have been telling everyone to go to. I'm not sure how close it will be but Tonga seems to pick up its game at every World Cup. Plus it has the bonus of a pacific island team playing the team from the northern hemisphere that (traditionally) most plays like a pacific island team. On top of that: Blue vs Red, means it will be insanely easy to watch for newbies and kids. Expect big tackles and explosive running.

New Zealand – Canada: I mention this only because I know a few Canadians and because this game kicks off at 3:30pm. An All Blacks game played in the afternoon? What is this, Bizarro World?

Northland Events Centre

Tonga makes its home in the far north.

Tonga – Canada & Tonga – Japan: All three teams play in red, all three teams are probably going to be in the bottom of their pool (unless someone upsets France) and all three are fairly closely clustered in the world rankings; so this little micro tournament is going to be great.

Waikato Stadium

Hamilton adopts the Welsh and deletes all vowels for the "rygbi"

Wales – Samoa: This should, should, be a great match. Wales aren't exactly a powerhouse right now and Samoa are hopefully peaking at the right time (see again, their victory over Australia). And once again: Red vs Blue. It should be a good one to watch for the newbies in the crowd and will also feature a haka.

McLean Park

Napier is home to the Cannucks for the Cup. Sunshine, Art Deco, Politeness.

France – Canada: France's sneaky use of the French language for their calls will be ineffectual in this match. And another Red vs Blue match.

Canada – Japan: This is going to be good. Like the previously mentioned Canada vs Tonga and Japan vs Tonga, this match-up should be hotly contest and tense right up to the final whistle. Japan really wants three wins and Canada is one of them. From a uniform stand point Japan wears red and white and Canada wears red and black, so one team is going to have to wear its alternate. Both of their alternates are black. So it will most likely be Japan in their (lovely) red and white versus Canada in black (with some red).

Trafalgar Park

I think the Italians lucked out in this draw; not only do they get to stay in sunny Nelson (craft brewing capital of New Zealand) but they also get two fairly good chances at victory. They could become the darlings of the upper South Island. The Russians can just enjoy the weather.

Italy – USA: I don't know why, but I think this will be the best match to go to. The Italy vs Russia match should also be good (as the two "home" teams), but I think the US might target the Italy game as a possible upset victory.

Arena Manawatu

The home of the Turbos will become the home of the Georgian team, let the Cha Cha flow!

Georgia – Romania: This game will reignite that ancient rivalry between Romania and Georgia. I don't know if I am actually making that up. In World Cup qualifying Georgia beat Romania in 2009, then exactly one year later Romania beat Georgia. Exactly one year after that, Georgia beat Romania. Interestingly those were all away wins; the last time one of these teams beat the other at home was in 2007. Ok seriously, now I want to see this game.

Here was my first thought: Abstain for the All Blacks, fuck that. Then I realised that was mildly funny so I tweeted it. Of course this is another ridiculous attempt to do something, anything, during the World Cup. Ad agencies seem to be flailing around looking for ideas and just running with some of the worst things I've seen since the German FIFA World Cup mascot. And the media love it.

Everything is a "PR disaster", but it's worse than that, it's just sad and uncreative. I'm guessing this new campaign for Telecom from Saatchi will be some "clever" pun on abstinence and not actually be a plan to keep those good-looking bastards from Ireland coming here and taking our women-folk. But it still feels tired right out of the blocks.

Telecom and Saatchi are already hinting that this campaign will be a joke of some kind. But clever jokes are hard to pull off (again sorry for the phrasing); you need good comedic timing otherwise the whole thing falls flat.

It seems like it should be fairly simple to get people excited about a large international event in New Zealand without needing an "edgy" ad campaign (which is kind of funny when you know what edging is). Are we that jaded that you can't just say something like: New Zealand is up against the rest of the world. Let's win this one.

Clearly no marketing companies will be frantically emailing me (link's at the bottom guys) but you get the idea, right? I don't think you need to be clever to get New Zealanders to support the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup when it's being held in New Zealand!

We don't need gimmicks to be proud of our country. Clearly this hype is just hurting the build-up and (if you'll excuse the phrase) turning people off. Every new campaign comes with built-in cynicism.

Though there have been some good ad campaigns, like the Steinlager one. I feel it accurately captures the feeling of New Zealand rugby fans and how long we've had to wait. Nothing quirky, no theme song, just an honest portrayal of a fan who is genuinely excited. Sure the white can is a gimmick, but it's a nice link to the past - and more importantly a time when we won.

The TVNZ ads are the same. Just show how happy rugby fans are that the cup is on again and that it's here. Tap into the energy that we all have, that fuels our (slightly masochistic) belief that we will win again, despite the All Blacks traditional quadrennial "loss at a very important stage tournament".

A really edgy campaign would be one that targets people who don't like rugby in a way that makes them feel good about the tournament being here. Perhaps one that promotes having fun in the various places that have games, or one that promotes sensible drinking and stopping your mates from being dicks. In fact that would be very popular.