KEY POINTS:
The Rugby Union says "lessons were learned" when a Mexican Wave got out of hand at Waikato Stadium on Saturday evening, but banning the crowd from getting in on the act would be an impossibility.
Last Saturday's rugby test in Hamilton was on the verge of being called
off after plastic bottles began to rain down on the Canadian try-scoring zone during the second half of the match.
A ground announcer gave fans a "sharp notice" that the players would be sent from the field if bottles continued to be thrown during the wave.
Waikato Rugby marketing manager Pat Mellsop said the response was immediate, and the game carried on without incident.
A mountain was being made out of a molehill, he said.
"I don't personally like them [Mexican Waves] at all, and then you get a few idiots taking advantage of the moment."
The issue of debris on the ground at Waikato Stadium was accentuated by the proximity of the stands to the playing surface, said NZRU deputy chief executive Steve Tew.
Administrators would discuss the issue before next month's Tri-Nations games set down for Jade Stadium and Eden Park, Mr Tew said.
"There may be talk about getting on to the ground announcement sooner."
Mr Tew said the problem at the weekend was unlikely to affect Hamilton's chances of hosting future test matches.
"It was an extremely well-run match and the Waikato union run a very good ship. Having said that, throwing rubbish on to the ground is not helpful and we could have acted sooner [with the ground announcement]."
Banning the wave was not an option because there was no way of controlling what fans wanted to do, Mr Tew said.
"Clearly it's become popular, albeit a very brief distraction. It happens at all sorts of sporting fixtures around the world. We're not about to ban it. Even if we could, I'd be interested in getting you to tell me how we're going to do it."
Some fans were reported to have been injured by flying bottles, but several spectators spoken to yesterday said they thought the wave had been blown out of proportion.
"There were a lot of bottles but from my point of view it wasn't a problem," said Tim Connolly. "A guy next to me got hit and another guy in front of me, but they didn't seem worried. I can understand why people with little kids get nervous; it's not nice having an empty bottle hit you."
Bonnie Bakker said the wave started because the crowd became bored with the game. Only "good old country bumpkins and students" enjoyed the wave.
