Before I begin this post, I just want to assert that I call Wellington home. I lived there for 18 years before the pilgrimage to Auckland.
I love Wellington, it's still my favourite in New Zealand. Eastbourne, Lyall Bay, the Botanical Gardens, the capital city is full of great places to hang out.
One thing that I am a ltitle embarrassed about, however, is their sports record at the moment.
Cricket, rugby, football, netball, it has been a consistently difficult area for us to excel in. Don't get me wrong, softball and league are two sports we aren't bad at, but the capital's current crisis is nothing to be proud about.
I'll take you through sport by sport to assess just how poorly the counrty's third largest city is faring in various sports:
Rugby: The Hurricanes began this year looking to make the three. But under their new coach Mark Hammett the Hurricanes look disorganised and often look like they're going backwards more than forwards. There is still an alarming lack of discipline which often costs them games, and none can be more obvious than Andrew Hore's sinbinning against the Blues last week. Yes, it's HAmmett's debut season with the Hurricanes, but when you have had no Super Rugby coaching experience what do you call upon? The Canes will be lucky to nab even second position in the New Zealand conference the way the Blues, Crusaders and to an extent the Highlanders are doing. HEre's hoping they prove me wrong. The Wellington Lions have been unlucky to win a final since 2000, and you ahve to wonder what their confidence is like now that Jamie Joseph has finally had enough.
Cricket: Wellington have the best test ground in New Zealand: The Basin Reserve. Despite this, they can't make the most of having it as their home turf and have struggled for years with their cricket. One only needs to see their record form the 2010/2011 season:
Plunket Shield: currently second-last
HRV Cup: second-last
One Day competition: last
The women's team have been carrying this lot for the last couple of years. After topping the Action T20 Cup standings, the defending champion Wellington Blaze side lost to the Canterbury Magicians by six wickets. WEll done girls, now if only you could play for the men's sides.
Netball: It's not a good sign when the headline after a win is "They did it!". Netball in the Wellington region has been arguably the worst performing sport in the capital. The Shakers never did anything for the National Bank Cup, and the Pulse are flatlining in the ANZ Championship. One has to wonder how long this circus will last in what is supposed to be the world's premier netball competition. They say you're only as good as your weakest link - this could well be the time they were wrong.
Football: The Wellington Phoenix arrived with much fanfare to the region courtesy of mogul Terry Serepisos. Understandably he was named Wellingtonian of the year not long afterwards. It's abotu time he gets nominated for a second gong for slipping his way through the legal papers to ensure the company and the team stay afloat. It's such a disappointing distraction for all players involved, and quite frankly it's no surprise Marco Rojas jumped ships when security and quality in Melbourne Victory came calling. The professional nature of the side is incredibly prominent, but it is frsutrating nonetheless. A top six spot could be in the mix for the Phoenix this year, but they'll need to put this financial situation behind them. Hopefully it is resolved sooner rather than later.
It's not all doom and gloom, however. The Wellington Saints won their sixth title with Pero Cameron.
Wellingtonians always get out in droves to support their teams. The Pulse fans have been so loyal Dave Dobbyn would have been inspired to write a second version solely to honour them. But it won't last forever, and the teams need to realise they're going to get up for it, so the fans can be bothered to get up for them.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sports and shakes
Is it a love of sport or a love of humanity that should encapsulate a tournament?
We have been on one side of the fence up until now. The Cantabrians are desperate for Christchurch to host seven matches, including two quarter-finals that they were allotted despite the intense rumbling and shaking of their grounds. As a region they were looking for some sort of lift, and any news about the security of hosting those matches would allow people to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
It's hard to argue with their situation. Their main venue, AMI Stadium, is a wreck, as are the hotels, motels and other forms of accomadation due to host a significant amount of the 85,000 due to arrive on our shores during the tournament. It really is munted.
In the end, the right decision was mde to shift the games, much to the region's imminent disappointment but to the relief of the rest of the country. The rugby community in Christchurch is devastated, but there is nothing they can do as fear and uncertainty continue to surround a region where some areas still struggle without power.
The All Whites were scheduled to travel to play Japan in Tokyo on March 29. Japanese footballing officials stood firm in the hope of the match continuing on for reasons that parallel Christchurch's hosting of World Cup matches: To provide a shimmer of light within the darkness of the tragedy, to give fans a 90 minute distraction from the lifetime of horrific memories now engrained in each and every one of them.
To give them a break.
The differences between the two scenarios are clearly illustrated: On one side there is a world class tournament expected to bring tens of thousands of supporters, and broadcasted to over four billion people which is crucial for not only our rugby fraternity but our image. On the other side is a football friendly between a top class football side in Japan and a team ranked just outside the top 50. Needless to say, the All Whites would not be travelling with an entourage of 80,000.
But what must be similar in both scenarios is the level of anxiety felt by concerned friends, families and fans. The supporters of the All Whites were incredibly concerned about the safety of the team, while the tens of thousands of supporters kept an eye on Christchurch up until the final announcement was made last week.
Whether it is 80,000 or 80, players, their families, coaching staff and supporters need to feel at ease when they arrive. Surely, then, the answer must be, in incredibly unfortunate circumstances, to shift venues.
John Key responded to a call by English writer Peter Bills' claims the safety of the tourists travelling to Christchurch can be repaired in six months time by telling him to stay as a writer and not a seismologist. It was fair reaction as you can get to dispel the inevitable fear rushing through countless Britons reading Bills' articles.
But you cannot help but feel the Government made the absolute correct move, not only for sensibility, but consistency. If the Canterbury matches were to go ahead while the All Whites-Japan clash was cancelled, what does that do to help ease the fears of supporters et al? Canterbury, it's a shame, but you know as much as we do that you're a strong wee bugger and you'll bounce back quicker than ever.
We have been on one side of the fence up until now. The Cantabrians are desperate for Christchurch to host seven matches, including two quarter-finals that they were allotted despite the intense rumbling and shaking of their grounds. As a region they were looking for some sort of lift, and any news about the security of hosting those matches would allow people to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
It's hard to argue with their situation. Their main venue, AMI Stadium, is a wreck, as are the hotels, motels and other forms of accomadation due to host a significant amount of the 85,000 due to arrive on our shores during the tournament. It really is munted.
In the end, the right decision was mde to shift the games, much to the region's imminent disappointment but to the relief of the rest of the country. The rugby community in Christchurch is devastated, but there is nothing they can do as fear and uncertainty continue to surround a region where some areas still struggle without power.
The All Whites were scheduled to travel to play Japan in Tokyo on March 29. Japanese footballing officials stood firm in the hope of the match continuing on for reasons that parallel Christchurch's hosting of World Cup matches: To provide a shimmer of light within the darkness of the tragedy, to give fans a 90 minute distraction from the lifetime of horrific memories now engrained in each and every one of them.
To give them a break.
The differences between the two scenarios are clearly illustrated: On one side there is a world class tournament expected to bring tens of thousands of supporters, and broadcasted to over four billion people which is crucial for not only our rugby fraternity but our image. On the other side is a football friendly between a top class football side in Japan and a team ranked just outside the top 50. Needless to say, the All Whites would not be travelling with an entourage of 80,000.
But what must be similar in both scenarios is the level of anxiety felt by concerned friends, families and fans. The supporters of the All Whites were incredibly concerned about the safety of the team, while the tens of thousands of supporters kept an eye on Christchurch up until the final announcement was made last week.
Whether it is 80,000 or 80, players, their families, coaching staff and supporters need to feel at ease when they arrive. Surely, then, the answer must be, in incredibly unfortunate circumstances, to shift venues.
John Key responded to a call by English writer Peter Bills' claims the safety of the tourists travelling to Christchurch can be repaired in six months time by telling him to stay as a writer and not a seismologist. It was fair reaction as you can get to dispel the inevitable fear rushing through countless Britons reading Bills' articles.
But you cannot help but feel the Government made the absolute correct move, not only for sensibility, but consistency. If the Canterbury matches were to go ahead while the All Whites-Japan clash was cancelled, what does that do to help ease the fears of supporters et al? Canterbury, it's a shame, but you know as much as we do that you're a strong wee bugger and you'll bounce back quicker than ever.
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