Once upon a time,this might have been the case, where the only joy to be found in grey old New Zealand was the thrill of a big test match, or in the frenzied swill before the six o'clock closing at the pub. Ninety percent of the population did once give a genuine shit about the All Blacks selections, and there were days of national mourning if we lost to the bloody Springboks.
But even those of us who grew up being bullied by the dickheads in our high school's First XV, sparking a life-long loathing of the game and the macho bullshit culture around it, can recognise that while there is still a significant proportion of the population who deeply care about rugby, it's not the full sum of New Zealand culture anymore.
Maybe, once upon a time, it really was a major part of the nation's identity, but the country has come a long way since then, and has more art and culture than it has ever had before to fill that void.
There was still some gnashing of teeth after the one loss to Ireland last year, especially when it fucked the All Blacks' world record, and there were a few of the usual quiet demands for immediate change in coaches and team members, but most rugby fans were happy to concede the fact that no team wins everything all of the time. And besides, at least it wasn't the bloody English.
There are those whose job is it to observe and analyze the finest minute details of every game, and this includes coaching teams and media groups, but we want these people to take these things seriously, so we don't have to.
The bore who gets too loud at the game - swearing at the opposition and booing every damn thing - or the jerk who just can't let the referring go - and has to go on and on about the unfairness of it all - might be the loudest voices of talkback radio, but they're still a minority.
Most people can still enjoy a game, and can still be a little bit gutted when they're losing, but it's all fun and games, and life goes on. The frankly traumatic world cup losses in 1995 and 2007 soaked up most of the nation's disappointments for a long while, and while they made the inevitable victory – and astonishing run of wins the All Blacks are currently on – all the sweeter, they also showed us that it is just a game, and not worth crying over.
Most sports media is actually still focused on pure results – scores and figures and averages and placings, reducing the complexity of the world to easy-to-digest nuggets of endeavor and effort. It's actually a rigorous, exhausting and unappreciated role, especially when you're trying to avoid dull cliches, and unfortunately, it's the loud ranting that is easiest to hear.
Apparently, towards the end of the last international season, all of Ireland was up in arms over dirty tactics, and all of NZ was angry and annoyed by the one blot on their record this year, if you just followed a few hyperactive columns, blogs and broadcasts.
But the loudest voices don't just give a false impression of the importance of a rugby match, they blot out the more thoughtful analysis, and everybody really needs to be playing a game of two halves.
-Katherine Grant
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