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Video / NZ Herald / @wimbledon / @newssportau / Photosport / Getty
OPINION:
Kris Shannon outlines five reasons why we shouldn’t be so sore about losing.
1. Foul play
There are a few ways fans can shed ill feeling following a tough loss in the big game.
Maybe take a walk. Talk to the family and/or pet. Log on to Instagram andtell a friend you appreciate them. Or log on to Instagram and tell a referee: “You should have been in that titan sub marine you arse wipe”.
That unusually creative insult accompanied the usual array of grammatical crimes and casual threats of actual crimes sent to Ben O’Keeffe, who had the misfortune of holding the whistle while the Crusaders did what they always do.
O’Keeffe shared some of the fan mail he had received since the Super Rugby final on Saturday night, confirming the “sad reality” that this abuse was nothing new.
“Unfortunately, as a union referee at the highest level, I have had to accept and grow accustomed to the post-match vitriol that fans normalise post-game,” O’Keeffe wrote. “It’s a sad reality that it doesn’t affect me anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay.”
That is sad. O’Keeffe should be free to post his refereeing glam shots without someone wishing he was vaporised by a deep-sea implosion — and fans should chill out a little.
Ben O'Keeffe earned the ire of Chiefs fans in the Super Rugby final. Photo / Photosport
2. A Chief concern
Fans aren’t though only ones, though at least the Chiefs — possibly because they’re identifiable by the numbers on their backs — had the good sense to stay away from O’Keeffe’s Instagram.
There’s no shame in losing to the Crusaders; it happens to the best. Yet after Saturday’s admittedly agonising defeat, the Chiefs acted like that red-and-black machine had ripped right through Hamilton Gardens.
Blanking the media ain’t the best for accountability (though not a huge deal, who cares about the media). And Coach Clayton McMillan backhandedly bagging the ref by saying he wouldn’t bag the ref wasn’t that flash.
It all gave the impression of a side who had no idea this was coming, when they really should have known it was coming.
They should have known the Crusaders were gonna do the Crusaders thing: mount some unbreakable defensive stands, unleash a few unstoppable mauls, ruthlessly take their chances.
They should have known, given the teams’ respective form in the knockout rounds, that favouritism fell with the visitors, and that as every big call went (mostly correctly) against them, it wasn’t to be their night.
They should have copped defeat, switched focus to next season and said a quiet prayer of thanks that Scott Robertson got the All Blacks job.
3. All fun and games?
Fortunately for aggrieved fans, they can switch focus to the upcoming international campaign, when the All Blacks and the referees of All Blacks games are sure to keep those trigger fingers hovering bravely over the keyboard.
Is there a healthier way to watch sport, a business with high stakes and increasingly absurd financial incentives but still belonging squarely inside the entertainment industry? Who’s to say.
Sport is life and death, totally, but it’s also running around with a ball while wearing the same outfit as your friends.
With that in mind, some fans could maybe take it down a notch. Sport should remain, at its core, fun, even if your favourite team can occasionally seem dedicated to draining all fun from your existence.
There’s no shortage of actual important shit to get worked up about — seen those temperatures in the North Atlantic lately? — and it’s unwise to expend too much emotional energy on something preordained like who wins Super Rugby.
There could be more losing to come. Photo / Photosport
4. Don’t lose it, but…
For everyone who doesn’t enjoy the mixed blessing of being a Crusaders supporter, I have bad news: there are many more disappointments to come.
Our three primary national teams contest World Cups this year and all three are likely to lose. Why are you booing me, I’m right.
The Silver Ferns? Probably gonna lose to Australia. It’s what happens at Netball World Cups: New Zealand win one, Australia win the next three. And the Ferns won last time. So it’s over.
The All Blacks? Probably gonna lose in the quarters. Scratchy form, difficult draw, the best coach in the country watching and waiting. Hardly a winning formula.
The Black Caps? Probably gonna lose in the semis. It’s tempting, with Kane Williamson likely missing, to suggest they won’t make the semis, but they always make the semis. That’s as far as it goes.
Three World Cup losses in successive months will be rough, but then things will surely improve? Unfortunately not. Then it’s back to real life, a succession of defeats that culminates in death, the ultimate L.
5. Clear the Qatar bar
Eagle-eyed World Cup watchers will note a certain event was skipped in the previous section, one right around the corner in which New Zealand will not only take part but co-host.
Well. In the interests of kindness, we saved this part for last, under the assumption most people have stopped reading by now.
At least the Football Ferns, unlike their Kiwi cohort, won’t battle inflated expectations at their tournament. That’s one benefit to going 10 hours without scoring.
But for anyone looking to kick a losing allergy, next month’s Fifa Women’s World Cup could be grim viewing. Forget about losing out on the trophy; it’s not unimaginable that New Zealand lose every game.
Qatar last year set a low bar with their hosting effort in the men’s edition: three games, three defeats, one goal scored. Clear that and perhaps we can declare victory.
Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.
