Rugby back in the heat

The entertainment before the match included fire eaters, stilt dancers a pirate ship and cheerleaders. Picture / Dean Purcell

First it was Christmas in the Park, then it was New Year at Mission Bay and now it's the Super 14 at Eden Park. And daylight saving hasn't even finished.

The terraces are crammed with families, chomping on chips and hotdogs, sipping wine. "This is what we've been missing," says Jane Harrison, who walked from St Lukes with her daughter and niece for the game.

"There's been a real gap in our lives. We just got back from holidays and it's not long before it starts. It's perfect entertainment, it's New Zealand, it's Kiwi."

Out on the field Che Fu and Nesian Mystik belt out their music and the curvy Blues cheerleaders do their stuff, rolling round the turf, high-kicking, always smiling.

The hundreds of children marvel at the stilt dancers and fire eaters and enjoy the pirate ship, the fireworks, the smell of gunpowder and the mounting excitement.

But make no mistake, for this crowd of 35,200 it's all about the rugby. Many of them are here to see the Blues beat the Hurricanes. They don't; the Hurricanes win 37-19.

A couple of 13-year-old boys have set up in their customary places in the expensive stand. From here they can lean over the rail at the mouth of the tunnel and watch as the players keep ducking out for a look at the crowd. They greet the Blues like old friends and heroes with high 5s and shouts.

"My dad's managing one of the Blues Academy teams," says Oliver Bovaird. "We come here all the time."

He raises his hand for a high five, then takes a photo of one of his heroes with his cellphone.

Over the other side of the field Samuel McLean, 9, has been waiting for ages with his father and his partner, Raewyn. They've come over from New Lynn in their sun hats, all ready for a picnic and, despite the clouds, "love it, love the atmosphere".

And no, they don't think the extended Super 14 makes the season too long, even if the players are "knackered" by the time they get to the tests at the end of the year.

It's the same in the stand and on the terraces. The extended season, the extra teams in the Super 14, are what the people want.

"It should be rugby 12 months of the year," says Derek Passmore, who drove down from Maungaturoto, 64km south of Whangarei, for the game.

His wife Christine chips in: "I agree, I'd rather watch rugby. It's not really too hard on the players. They rotate them so they get a bit of rest time."

As someone says, a summer night at the rugby offers something for everyone. "And it's sexy," says Tia Richards. "Yes we're here for the boys. The tighter the shirts the better!"


Summer night

* The Game: Blues v Hurricane, the first Super 14 game.
* The Venue: Eden Park.
* The Night: Rugby, music, fire-eaters and rain.
* The Score: 37-19 to the Hurricanes.