Experts pick rugby fans will cheer for Aussie

By BRIDGET CARTER

We love beating the Australians at rugby, but do we want to see the British Lions defeat them?

Lions coach Graham Henry thinks we do.

But experts say Henry might be overestimating our desire to watch the Brits thrash our transtasman compatriots.

Dubbed the "great redeemer" by the British for his success with the Welsh rugby team, Henry thinks the nation will be cheering for the Lions during the three-test series against Australia, which begins on June 30.

"Kiwis want to see the Australians stuffed, big time," he said.

But ex-All Black Andy Haden said: "Wishful thinking Graham." He hoped that the Wallabies came out on top.

"I am expecting the Aussies to win the first [test], the Lions the second and the Aussies the third."

Former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick also hoped the Australians did well, but former All Blacks Bruce Robertson and Wayne Shelford said they were impartial.

Former captain Shelford said he would sit on the fence in this case, but if it was the World Cup he would pick the Aussies over the Brits.

British High Commission spokesman Bryan Nicolson said our allegiances often depended on politics. During the last cricket tri-series many New Zealanders backed the English team because of "the constant put-downs" from Australia.



Auckland University historian James Belich said loyalty to Britain related to trade. Today only 7 per cent of our trade was with Britain, but 30 years ago it was 70 per cent. "Graham Henry might have been right 20 years ago but I am not sure now."

Chief historian at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Dr Jock Phillips believed intense down under rivalry made us more anti-Australia than pro-British.

"If you go back to 100 years, whenever Australia played England, New Zealand always supported Australia because it was the colonies versus the mother country. You see it in the papers. Then in the sixties, there was support for England against the Aussies because of a revival of the empire.

"The Australians were considered uncouth and we considered ourselves more British than they were," Dr Phillips said.

Rugby fan Malcolm Kendall, of Kelston, said he wanted Australia to take the series, while Glen Dobson, of Takapuna, said he would side with the Lions because Graham Henry was a Kiwi.

Katherine Curran, of Mt Albert, also wanted the Lions to triumph. "I don't want the Aussies to win anything," she said.

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