In Wellington yesterday, 22 players, a couple of coaches and various support staff got together to numb the pain of another finals' defeat.
They would have been bracing themselves, too, for the inevitable barrage of "chokers" gibes they are about to receive after losing their fourth final in a row
and sixth of the past seven years.
Piri Weepu prefaced it himself after Saturday night's 20-28 defeat at the hands of Canterbury. "It doesn't get any easier," he said. "I have been here seven times [including a Super 14 final] and I'm 0 for 7."
For the record: Wellington did not choke this year. They might have done last year, but on this occasion Canterbury were too good, despite the visitors' frantic second-half comeback.
Wellington do not deserve your pity, but neither do they deserve opprobrium.
On Saturday night, they looked bereft at the final whistle, but it is not because they carry a heavy burden from past defeats. Daniel Ramsey, Alapati Leuia, Apoua Stewart had no past sins to atone for.
They will be back and they might lose again. But don't call them chokers just yet.
Meanwhile, on another island on the opposite side of Cook Strait, a different picture was emerging.
The pig on the spit was gone by lunchtime, the night before had merged seamlessly into the day after and at DB's headquarters overlooking Addington Raceway, samples of the sponsor's product were having no trouble finding willing takers.
Canterbury had every reason to enjoy "Mad Sunday".
They deserved it, too, even if the good folk of that once-proud city don't.
Just 13,000 fans turned up to watch the coronation of the best provincial team in the country.
If it is the result of too much rugby in these recessionary times, then it is a harsh reality. Canterbury are easy to dislike, just like Manchester United and the Australian cricketers. Success breeds suspicion, but Canterbury deserved this title, their fifth of the playoff era and seventh overall.
They were equal-first in the try-scoring charts this season with 40 and played with a verve that you perhaps would not have always associated with Canterbury teams of the past.
After losing to North Harbour in the season opener, when they played all the rugby and Harbour kicked them into submission, it would have been easy for Rob Penney and Tabai Matson to go back to the drawing board and come up with a more pragmatic (for pragmatic, read boring) gameplan, but they retained the faith.
In the end rugby was almost the winner. Just don't tell Wellington that ... or the people of Christchurch.
Canterbury's Tu Umaga-Marshall consoles Wellington's Piri Weepu after Saturday's Air NZ Cup final. Photo / Getty Images
Opinion by Dylan CleaverLearn more
In Wellington yesterday, 22 players, a couple of coaches and various support staff got together to numb the pain of another finals' defeat.
They would have been bracing themselves, too, for the inevitable barrage of "chokers" gibes they are about to receive after losing their fourth final in a row
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