Editorial: Drunk louts ruin it for everyone

Photo/Thinkstock.

There was only one thing sadder than seeing and hearing about the large numbers of people who treated the Wellington leg of the World Sevens Rugby series as an excuse to drink the nights (and the days for that matter) away.

And that was seeing and hearing the organisers and authorities at the other end of the country making appeals and pleas for spectators and audiences up their way not to fall into the same alcoholic stupor this weekend.

Auckland is hosting the inaugural NRL Nines - the rugby league version of rugby's shortened and player-pruned sevens game.

This year's sevens looked, to be honest, woeful.

Certainly not the games or the result, but the face of the crowd . . . which was (compared to previous years) sparse to say the least.

And upon the conclusion of the playing days the fancy dressers all took to the central city and continued drinking and creating an unwanted hectic night for police crews who have better things to do than act as nursemaids and temporary jailers.
Some sort of lid clearly has to go on, but just how you keep it affixed, and indeed sell the concept of "take it easy" to those who see such events as no-holds-barred parties is another thing altogether.
There was a time when one-day cricket matches often became fiascos before bans on taking liquor in were introduced, but they have calmed down big time.
The sevens lost its way through annually revving up people to dress and party, which they do despite the best efforts of organisers who have tried to impose liquor sale restrictions.
Many of those in the crowd would have had little interest in the games, which is where I suspect the NRL Nines will be a sportier, less spirited (in the alcoholic sense) affair. At least I hope so because it's not a good look for sporting codes which have already taken a hammering through the very public drinking endeavours of some players.
Maybe they should look at selling light beer only, who knows.
Hawke's Bay does not have the sevens or the nines today - it has five sparkling stars from the arena of music at the Mission.
The crowd will be up in the five figures and as in previous years it will party. Reds and whites and some cool ales will be sipped upon . . . but apart from the occasional stumble mayhem has never ensued.

They will know the songs and will dance on the hillsides and go home and look forward to doing it all again next year. My advice to concertgoers? Take it easy, take it calmly . . . and don't be like the bloke I saw at the first Rod Stewart concert who chardonnayed himself to sleep before Rod arrived on stage.