It's hard to believe it's almost three years since Richie McCawesome and his boys held the fate of John Key's Government in their hands.
Just 34 days before the 2011 general election, there was fear that the French would rob us yet again, and that the wrong World Cup result would mean an anti-government backlash and an election loss for the Nats.
The 8-7 victory brought the Nats closer to a return to power that day. It also made the country feel good about itself.
But a country that feels proud of itself gives, to quote my late mother, "those who like the sound of their own voices" nothing to talk about. It's a political reporter's job to find dirt that may derail the frontrunner. A conspiracy theory is always preferable to a World Cup loss. Note to Nats, make sure the next America's Cup campaign is nowhere near an election!
Such an election-busting conspiracy theory has conveniently reared its head prior to every election since 1996. Again this year the conspiracists, plural (no one thinks that book was the work of one man, do they?), get to savour their moment knowing this close to an election no one will sue. Those who feel wronged won't even risk screaming very loudly. So the author feels no risk in forgetting to ask for the other side of the story from those accused, before publishing a book.