Uninspired

Ok ok ok, I admit it .... I'm a bit late this week, mea culpa. 

The problem is I was left fairly uninspired by the three games I watched this weekend - Chiefs v Crusaders, Rebels v Highlanders and Brumbies v Force.

(Things might have been different if I'd seen the Blues v Warratahs - 31:17, or the Cheetahs v Hurricanes - 47:50, but I didn't .... So they aren't)

I should have guessed things weren't going to go my way. 

I was invited to go along to the Chiefs game by a couple of mates who'd bought their tickets weeks ago. "Just go to the Warehouse and get a ticket," she said.

Well, 4 store visits later (5 if you count the trip to the first shop where the ticket machine wasn't even connected ....) I still had no ticket. The bloody machine was continually out of order. "Oh that's strange," says helpful Warehouse staff member, "It was working a moment ago!" Grrrrrrrrr.

Finally after a phone call to Ticket Direct (very friendly staff by the way), I had my ticket - problem - it's allocated seating. 

So, faced with the prospect of having to get there about an hour early to get a park, then sit alone to watch matchstick men run around a strip of grass in the middle of a racetrack ... Oh yes, for the Baypark uninitiated I'll explain in a moment .... Where I couldn't see a thing, coupled with the remotest chance I might be anywhere near Hory BOP, I flagged and went out to watch it with mum and dad at a mate's place. 

Now, Baypark, I promised to elaborate.

In New Zealand, most of the grounds where rugby is played at Super 15 level are also cricket ovals, so you get kinda used to not being particularly close to the action (incidentally that's one of the things I love about Melbourne's AAMI Park).


But Baypark is in a league of it's own. When the Chiefs aren't playing their one game a season, or the Steamers aren't at home for the NPC, Baypark gets to do what it was built for - speedway.

Yip, it's actually a stock car race track. 

The strip of turf used as a rugby field is more commonly seen covered in the bashed up frames of demolition derby contestants and crashed out stock cars.

For big games, they cover part of the clay track with astro turf - anyone else see Sivivateu slip on it trying to tack a quick throw? But there's no disguising the safety fence, and while Football fans in Europe might have become accustomed to watching their team through wire mesh - it's not a evil usually endured by rugby fans.

Basically, it's a s#*£¥ place to watch rugby - even if it's a great game. This one wasn't.

Much anticipated head-to-heads, Ellis v Lenard and SBW v Tana, were delayed as Ellis and Tana started off the bench, but Flynn v Elliot played out - although I'm not sure there was a clear winner, and even the Chiefs faithful cheered the return of veteran Crusader and All Black captain Richie Mcaw (according to intensive media coverage last week he would have accepted his invite to the royal wedding if he'd still been on the injured list - his 'will not attend' made national headlines and was talkbacked to death - and yes I believe that qualifies as a word).

There were some big hits, Richard Kahui. Big rumbles, Cory Flynn and Liam Mesam and Owen Franks's head continued to do double duty as a wrecking ball, this time Tanireau Latimer on the receiving end. Big celebrations, Masanga and too many big names to mention. But I was left underwhelmed. I suppose it's not that surprising really - the Crusaders were back in their (slightly improved) grey strip.

The same could probably be said for the Rebels, I picked 'em, for the first time ever and .... in their first real game without Mortlock, it looked a bit like the rest of team forgot to come back after the bye.

Perhaps Kurtley Beale will be able to do something about the lackluster back line next season. 

The Force eeked out their first win on Australian soil, and that's about all there is to say about their game against the Brumbies.

Next week is my last week without IQ, and I'll try not to be late again.