The sound system was beyond a distraction. Almost every gap in play - and there were a lot - was accompanied by a segment of pop sounds. It was bizarre and ridiculous.
Great sporting atmospheres are not built by wannabe DJs. The spine gets to tingle when the crowd responds to the game.
Rugby probably thinks it's being really cool and modern. No people you are not.
I may be wrong, but this stupid music bizzo does seem to be a particular Waikato Stadium problem.
As a test match though, New Zealand Rugby should set the standard, hold the line, give it the status it deserves.
The music competed with the TV commentators and was a constant and incredibly annoying distraction.
Occasion ruined, and there wasn't much flow to the first half anyway.
Referee Damon Murphy found fault at virtually very opportunity. And you can't blame him, because he was probably calling it as he is supposed to.
At one point the Aussie whistler, perhaps trying to keep the game going, appeared to reach into a ruck to get some errant hands out of the way.
Oh well, count me out rugby. I had much better things to do on a Saturday night. You stole an hour of my life under the false pretences of it being international sport, but enough is enough.
Hopefully the upcoming major tests will lift the standards. See ya then.
All Black Samisoni Taukei'aho celebrates his second try on debut with teammates. Photo / Getty Images.
League of their own
Rugby league has got a very peculiar problem. The Melbourne Storm are way too good, and it should break the hearts of Warriors fans in particular.
Craig Bellamy's machine is annihilating opponents, with Newcastle the latest team turned into cannon fodder.
If Penrith's star halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai are fit, the Panthers can challenge the Storm. Without them, it's a one horse race.
The Storm's points differential from 17 matches is a staggering plus 434 following their eight tries to one demolition job on the Knights.
They are tearing everyone apart despite being without their number one fullback, the dazzling lightweight Ryan Papenhuyzen.
In typical Storm style, his replacement Nicho Hynes has been just as sensational.
The Storm haven't missed a beat since the retirement of Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith.
In a way, they are even more dangerous although as the legendary Wayne Bennett said, there is some serious mismanagement going on at many other clubs.
For my money, Bellamy is the greatest club coach in the history of the southern hemisphere football codes.
It must be a hard watch for Warriors fans - the Storm are loaded with New Zealanders including the NRL's new and unlikely star Jahrome Hughes, from Wellington.
And it only further emphasises that the hopeless Warriors represent the region's biggest sports opportunity lost.
