KEY POINTS:
A legion of first-time Chinese rugby fans showed New Zealand rugby heads the kind of spark that is possibly missing from the local game at North Harbour Stadium last night.
With the match programme explaining the rules in Chinese, last night's game between the People's Liberation Army and the Royal New Zealand Navy Barbarians was a new experience for many local Chinese New Zealanders. But even without seeming to know too much about what was going on, the 1000 or so fans created a deafening din seldom heard at local matches.
Whether it was horn-blowing, flag-waving, yelling, or the excellent "Go, China team, go!" chant, the Chinese showed the kind of boisterous spirit sadly lacking in the average local rugby follower.
And although their team went down 22-15, some said they would probably come back to see another game.
"Yes, Chinese people very, very noisy, even at badminton games," said Alan Wang, a 24-year-old Auckland University student, who before last night had never been to a rugby match despite living here for the past nine years.
The president of the People's Liberation Army rugby team, Sun Xue Fu, said his side's inaugural three-match tour of New Zealand would benefit the game in China, where player numbers are about 10,000.
The team, who are based in Guangzhou and play in Hong Kong's top rugby competition, make up about half of the Chinese national side.
Asked through an interpreter who he thought would win the rugby World Cup, Mr Fu said: "It will be the All Blacks. They are very courageous and have many great skills."
Mr Fu laughed at the prospect of a Chinese side appearing at a rugby World Cup and said he would be happy to see China being able to compete alongside the likes of Asian rugby powerhouses Japan and Korea.
