Rugby

     Considering that it’s THE sport if you’re a kiwi, and I’m living in NZ, I do feel I must write a bit about rugby. I won’t pretend to completely understand it, but in general—although I have been told there are numerous significant differences—it is rather similar to American football. I have watched a couple of professional teams that were on TV, and have been to a local championship game in which one of my friends’ brother was playing. The crowd’s enthusiasm and excitement was infectious and it was easy to be on the edge of your seat for the entire game. The game moves quite quickly and the only time the clock stops is for injuries and halftime. As a spectator it feels as if the action never stops.

     On the note of injuries, I’m impressed with how few there seem to be, considering the force of the game and the lack of equipment. I found myself cringing many times through each of the games I’ve watched, and I am quite certain that I won’t be joining any teams in the near future.

     The national team rugby is the New Zealand All Blacks. They seem to be quite good, and have a huge following. Something I think is a neat aspect of their games is that before each game, the team performs a Haka, which is a traditional Maori dance. It has a lot of historical and cultural significance as it was New Zealand’s warrior dance. When Captain Cook first discovered New Zealand, he sailed into the Bay of Islands (which I’ve been to!!! [pictures to come] ) and was greeted by Maori warriors on the beach performing a Haka with the intention of intimidating Cook and his men. In my understanding they were quite successful.

     I’m sure I will get to experience rugby a bit more (I’ve heard in the summer it’s fun to go play touch games on the beach), but in the meantime, here’s a couple pictures from what I have seen J