Herald on Sunday Editorial: Biggest challenge is off the field

Win or lose, let's give the world a taste of Kiwi. Photo / Doug Sherring

For New Zealanders, more than the Webb Ellis Cup is at stake in the tournament that begins at Eden Park on Friday evening.

All Black fans may already be having sleepless nights at the on-field challenges ahead, as the national team begins its campaign to win the world champion title that has, with such cruel regularity, eluded it since the inaugural contest.

But for the host nation, this is about much more than the rugby. There are only 64 hours of game time between now and October 23 and all going well the All Blacks will have barely nine hours to dazzle spectators and opponents with their skills.

For the larger team, the one with more than four million members, it's already begun.

The eyes of the world will be on this country and it is up to every one of us to achieve peak performance. Hundreds of foreign media arrive this week, with newspaper columns and broadcast time to fill for the entire six weeks.

We need to give them a good story to tell.

The same goes for the tens of thousands of visitors from distant parts. We have earned a name for being a hospitable and friendly nation and it is in everybody's interests for us to cement that reputation now.

This is particularly true if the unthinkable should happen and our team should fail to win the tournament - or even make the final.

It is the measure of a person's - and a nation's - character if they can, to use Kipling's words, "meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same".

Win or lose, let's give them a taste of Kiwi. Game on.