Bevan Rapson: Lighten up and just enjoy RWC party

All Blacks fans. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Those fearing bad behaviour in the event of an AB loss should have more faith

Please, save us the lectures.

On the eve of what will be a festival of great sport and a rip-roaring party, the nation is humming with anticipation. Yet some New Zealanders still fret about how sour some All Blacks fans can turn in defeat and how dreadful it would look should things go the same way this time.

Some - Greg Shand in this newspaper last week was among the latest - have taken it upon themselves to instruct us that we should all be on our best behaviour. They're worried about the possibility of us being poor losers in front of the watching world. Generously, they deliver a finger-wagging to help avert such a disaster.

Like the reporters who used to greet overseas celebrities at the bottom of the aeroplane steps with "What do you think of New Zealand?" they seem obsessed with how we appear elsewhere.

Here's a suggestion: lighten up and show a little more faith in your fellow citizens.Yes, lots of New Zealanders are rugby mad. Around every corner you'll find another fan happy to join in passionate discussion of the national game.

In what other country could you so easily find a checkout operator worried about the Wallabies' line speed, a barista with an educated take on midfield combinations or a commuter beside you on the bus who understands the breakdown?

Okay, that's an exaggeration. Nobody understands the breakdown. But most of us know enough to debate what "through the gate" means.

And, yes, we care deeply about the fortunes of the All Blacks. While New Zealanders usually steer clear of nationalistic fervour, on the inside we're as patriotic as anyone.

That affection most easily finds expression when the All Blacks are playing so it's hardly surprising that defeats hurt, or that some idiots vent their disappointment in an unpleasant way, wailing and gnashing or, as in 1999, being mean to John Hart's horse.

But every country has idiots and none should be judged by them. Are the Canadians in cringe-mode about their recent hockey riots? Rather than hope everyone is on their "best" behaviour, let's just encourage people to be themselves and have fun.

This year we've seen plenty of New Zealanders show their true colours in response to a real disaster. On that evidence, we're okay. We'll be fine as hosts, too.

Some of us might not be in the finest fettle for an hour or two after an All Blacks defeat. Across the nation, heads would rest heavily in hands. That's what we're like.

But, don't worry, we'd get over it, look after our visitors and make the most of the rest of the tournament. And the finger-wagging wouldn't have a thing to do with it.