September 20, 2007 4:12 PM
That lump in your throat, my New Zealand friends, will be tough to swallow. But you must.
Rugby's showpiece event would not boast half its present audience had the All Blacks managed to get it right.
The calamitous campaigns of 1991, '95, '99 and 2003 left Kiwis hollow, shattered, in a place darker than the jerseys they hold in Godly regard.
Yet because of this, the World Cup has been allowed to flourish.
There is uncertainty, which gives hope to the masses, bringing them to the viewing table.
A tournament lacking mystery is a tournament of misery, and punters once bitten are twice shy.
If New Zealand were to win every World Cup they were supposed to - that is all of them - forget the tournament's current standing as the third most watched sporting event in the world.
More likely, it would descend into the farce which is the rugby league version, where Australia predictably cleans up and most fans wish someone else - anyone - would win it.
The Kiwis sold their 2011 World Cup hosting bid by outlining their enormous contribution to the game around the globe.
Unfortunately for those across the ditch, it is in their most humiliating sufferings that they have contributed most.
Jamie Pandaram FairfaxDigital
No comments:
Post a Comment