24 years it has taken. It was a nail-biter of a game in which France was magnificent.The whole of New Zealand has heaved a collective sigh of relief. Had we lost, the gloom would have been too much to bear.It's hard to explain why the nation's well being should depend so much on a game. To understand that it is necessary to know the sorry history of New Zealand disappointment in the 5 Rugby World Cups since 1987, the last time we won.
Enough. It is done.
This game was the reason I found myself in the only Aussie pub in Amsterdam at 9AM on a Sunday. Even at that hour the establishment was filled to standing-room-only with other New Zealanders and a couple of French (yelling "Allez Les Bleus!!!" at ALL the wrong moments... what were they thinking? Not that they didn't have good reason to cheer...) Yes indeed... it is done, at long last.
ReplyDeleteJan and I could best be described as mildly interested in top class rugby, but on this occasion I had all my AB gear on, my FaceBook image was the silver fern and we both yelled at the ref. Of course, living in Auckland allows the fever to permeate our souls.
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