Tarnishing the World Cup
2007-09-18 22:30:00.0
AUTHOR: Denise Krum
There was a news item on the weekend that went something like this: the small countries playing rugby in the World Cup are a complete mis-match with the big boys of Rugby and that games like New Zealand vs. Portugal, and South Africa vs. Tonga are tarnishing the cup’s reputation.
That’s bollocks.
Normally I would restrain myself from high emotions when it comes to rugby, but this time you’re messing with my sense of the underdog. I consider it my kiwi inheritance to identify and stand up for the underdog. Especially since that same TV channel aired a programme about the ‘road to the world cup’ where they highlighted how hard countries like Romania, Georgia, and Namibia had to work to just get to the tournament. What about the news item that Samoa couldn’t afford a hotel?
The underdog…the little guy…the small fry…can surprise even the hardest of cynics.
For a few elections now, we haven’t even been worthy of the “underdog” label by the media. In fact, media outlets have been reluctant to label us at all; instead preferring a silent treatment kind-of approach. I do find it frustrating that this non-attention is directed at a party that has been in every government since it began, has no blemish or outlandish political scandal, and has managed to pull off a few, yet rarely acknowledged achievements (you know, little ones like lowering the business tax rate, axing the tax rebate limit on charitable donations, extending daylight savings, etc. etc.)
What’s undeniable though, is that while small countries in the Rugby World Cup are being criticized for their role in the games, they are being watched. We have been in the “games” for five years now, so who is watching us?
Everyone.
They may be silent, but they are watching. They are watching because our play counts. Our play puts runs on the board. So why don’t we do something very non-kiwi like…(but very small country rugby like)…and cheer on our team.
How? Don’t be silent like the media so often seems to be. Talk up UFNZ. Discuss it with friends. Have conversations with colleagues. We no longer have to defend why we are in the game. Now we can simply highlight how many games we’ve won and the big matches we have coming up.