NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

Chris Rattue: Eden Park tip sheet to stop the Lions fans destroying the All Blacks

Chris Rattue
By Chris Rattue
Sports Writer·NZ Herald·
5 Jul, 2017 05:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

These people are dangerous - they must be stopped. Photo / Mark Mitchell

These people are dangerous - they must be stopped. Photo / Mark Mitchell

All Blacks captain Kieran Read can dismiss crowd influence all he likes. We're not fooled Kieran.

Irrelevant white noise at Westpac Stadium? We don't think so, and to be fair to Read he could hardly dis the All Black fans, even though they were comprehensively outplayed by the visiting supporters.

But come on...what is home advantage all about?

A message to All Black fans at Eden Park on Saturday. Forget Reado and instead read Lions captain Sam Warburton, who described the red noise as the 16th man in Wellington. Maro Itoje even had his own special backing, and it certainly worked for the x-factor English lock, who put on a sensational performance.

Warburton comes across as a terrific and genuine bloke, not prone to making things up (remember how he conceded his 2011 World Cup tip-tackle sending off was justified, backing the referee's decision...unheard of). He is on the money again.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Crowd noise and having fun watching rugby isn't our strong suit, but we've got to try, try, try to be more chilled out. Observing the Lions fans, getting involved in the game looks really enjoyable.

Here's the bottom line: red must be turned into black as your accountant would say. Make no mistake - this is one of the biggest games in All Blacks and rugby history, a magnificent occasion where the home crowd has a huge part to play.

We salute the ground spectators, for paying those dizzying ticket prices. But we must also ask you for more.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Here's our tip sheet.

1) Most important this - accept, embrace, that the joyful and noisy Lions fans played a big part in Wellington. The Red Card and the Red Jackets swung the game. I suspect they have brought professional singers and chanters here - how else could they co-ordinate it so brilliantly? But enthusiastic amateurs can achieve a lot - look at those brave NZ Barbarians in Whangarei.

2) It's too late now, but we should have infiltrated the Lions supporters, identified the ring leaders, and tried to nullify their influence. Something for future tours, if there are any. Or is this unsporting, like the Sydney hotel bug?

3) Don't try to out-sing the Lions fans. Yes, some of us come from the same stock, but for unexplainable reasons all the people who could sing stayed back in the Old Country. And the Polynesian singing factor has long struggled to made its presence felt. So a simple and traditional Black, Black, Black - to one major chord - is a great starting point. Remain focused - under no circumstances get outside your comfort zone by trying to string different chords together. It's un-New Zealand-ish.

Discover more

All Blacks

Jetboating or training? Which is best to prepare for test

04 Jul 06:05 PM
All Blacks

Woodward: Steve Hansen got it wrong

04 Jul 06:57 PM
League

The secret Piri Weepu kept from NZ Rugby

04 Jul 09:57 PM
All Blacks

Holiday nightmares: Breaking routine doesn't work

04 Jul 11:37 PM

4) If Eden Park starts playing pop songs in the breaks, form a first response team to deal with the threat, and also try to drown it out. Imported soundtracks sound false.

5) Do not leave your seat for the famous Eden Park food and beverage queues at halftime. The All Blacks desperately need your presence in the second half, and you also need to get to work by Monday. For those who fear hunger and the security pat downs, little bags of trail mix can be lobbed over the fence to advance units. During the first half, tell Lions supporters that the chips are outstanding.

6) This is a trick from the dark side (rugby league). Screaming for offside penalties is a legitimate tactic, and the Lions have employed a "fast defensive line" all tour. Help persuade French referee Romain Poite to put the brakes on them. French for offside, according to my translation service, is "hors-jeu".

7) Just relax during the haka - save your energy for things you can control (thought I'd drop in some coach speak).

8) Don't be fooled by Lions' fans. They only appear to be great people - they are actually here on a mission, to bring this great nation down. They must be stopped. It's time to turn those campervans around.

9) Don't poke the bear (phrase of the week)...

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

10) Just as you walk through the gates, consider this line: "Twelve More Years". How will you sleep, knowing that the All Blacks were swept aside by the Giant Billionaire Lions Corporation, when you were fully capable of screaming 'Black, Black, Black' and 'hors-jeu, hors-jeu, hors-jeu'.

11) Finally - "Ask not what your All Blacks can do for you, but what you can do for your All Blacks." And, hardest of all, try to enjoy it. It's only a game (just kidding).

Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks

'We don’t have a choice': France coach defends second-string squad for ABs tour

17 Jun 06:25 PM
New Zealand

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
All Blacks

Savea to swap Moana Pasifika for Japanese club Kobe in 2026

17 Jun 04:36 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

'We don’t have a choice': France coach defends second-string squad for ABs tour

'We don’t have a choice': France coach defends second-string squad for ABs tour

17 Jun 06:25 PM

Fabien Galthie has picked a second-choice squad for July's NZ Tests.

'Never felt so alone':  Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
Savea to swap Moana Pasifika for Japanese club Kobe in 2026

Savea to swap Moana Pasifika for Japanese club Kobe in 2026

17 Jun 04:36 AM
Premium
'I said sack him – then wrote his book': Why Gregor Paul authored Ian Foster's autobiography

'I said sack him – then wrote his book': Why Gregor Paul authored Ian Foster's autobiography

17 Jun 02:00 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP