Opinion: Dodging stumps as rugby rediscovers its roots

I experienced a bit of intimacy in the weekend and thought I'd share it with readers.

Don't worry, I'm referring to intimacy of the spectator kind (although that still sounds a bit shady).

As a new mum, any excuse to get out of the house is met with enthusiasm.

So when I was offered a ticket to attend the Hurricanes v Blues pre-season game to be played at Mangatainoka, I jumped at the chance to ditch the daily grind of nappies.

Whoever came up with the idea of hosting a Super 14 rugby game in the middle of nowhere should be congratulated.

Despite the drizzly weather, thousands (about 10,000, to be nearly exact) still gathered at the Mangatainoka rugby field, borrowed from the sheep just for the occasion.

It was a brilliant marketing strategy by Tui and the Super rugby franchises to bring rugby back to its rural roots.

Why did people dress up in gumboots, weatherproof jackets, woolly hats, and the usual stag do get-up to attend what really was a nothing game?

For some it may have been for the rugby, but I have a feeling it had more to do with the festival atmosphere, which included dodging tree stumps in the car park (paddock), shaky scaffold grandstands, muddy walkways, lots of beer and Tui girls, carnival food, and rugby legends like Colin Meads and Brian Lochore.

The laid-back atmosphere of the day even allowed four streakers to entertain the crowds without arrest, until a fifth guy pushed his luck too far.

It made me think about professionalism and how a smooth, polished event is sometimes not want spectators want, especially Kiwi spectators.

The event at Mangatainoka also made us reminisce about the good old days, when we were constantly told by the touch judge to stay behind the ropes and where youngsters could run up and down the sideline imitating their role models who were within arms reach.

What will all these state-of-the-art grandstands and facilities do to the spectator experience as we know it in New Zealand?

It is suggested that spectators want a comfortable experience when watching sporting events, but seeing thousands of rugby fans wrapped up against the elements, watching a pre-season match, suggests event management experts may have got it wrong.

I didn't even watch much of the rugby but that had more to do with my 3-month-old deciding he preferred the comfort of his warm cot to this makeshift version we'd created under an umbrella.

As we left, I noticed many were there for the night, with live bands provided as entertainment post-match.

In hindsight, staying to sober up may have been a clever strategy, because police were pulling over drunken drivers just down the road.

All in all, the event was a huge success and the Hurricanes and Blues even had a chance to blow out the cobwebs after their short off-season.

More games in rural areas is a viable option for professional teams based in cities.

There is just too much competition for the leisure dollar in cities, but for provincial and rural dwellers, what else is there to do on a dreary day? Get those must do jobs around the house done?

Yeah, right.