North Harbour hosted Auckland at Onewa Domain on Saturday. Photo / Getty
North Harbour hosted Auckland at Onewa Domain on Saturday. Photo / Getty
Almost thirty years ago, when North Harbour last hosted Auckland at Onewa Domain, former All Black Blair Larsen described it as “one of the most intense atmospheres” he had experienced.
Early Saturday afternoon, when the neighbours revisited the spiritual home of Harbour rugby, I parked across the road and wanderedin without a queue 20 minutes before kickoff.
It’s hardly a fair comparison. The Battle of Onewa Domain saw the teams face off in the 1994 NPC final, while this weekend’s Battle of the Bridge was an early-season fixture featuring a winless host.
But it is fair reflection of the heights from which this competition has fallen. As Shaun Stevenson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and their respective teammates emerged from the sheds on Saturday, clattering sprigs on concrete weren’t the only aspect of the afternoon evoking club rugby.
Neither the presence of several All Blacks nor the infamous history of the previous clash was enough to lure many more than 1000 fans to Takapuna.
The cold and rain was no help but — speaking of unfair comparisons — conditions were similar on Tuesday night when I joined 43,000 of my closest friends at a stadium on the side of the bridge.
Food options at Onewa Domain at least trumped Eden Park. Tacos and karaage chicken fell well short in the pre-match popularity contest, though, edged by a sausage sizzle fundraising for a junior tour across the Tasman.
Unsurprisingly, the marquee selling red and green tins did a roaring trade, and it was no great shock to see the opposite confronting a solitary staffer at the merchandise stand.
Heading for the pitch, the best seats in the house became clear, glasses of white wine in the clubrooms window suggesting a level of elevation extending beyond the view.
Down in the mud, spots were scarce on the odd row of wooden benching, and the same was true at the inflatable slides set between one in-goal and the picturesque backing of Smiths Bush, the nature reserve that dominates the domain.
No time for a bounce or bush walk, I strolled towards the southern touchline as the ground announcer teased that “bloody battle of 1994″.
Indeed, so many players were cited in a spiteful contest that NZ Rugby held the judicial hearing at a hotel near Auckland Airport, instead of sending out the standard request to join them in Wellington.
The banks were heaving as Graham Henry’s men denied little brother in their first — and only — taste of the NPC showpiece. As Harbour flanker Larsen recalled: “Onewa Domain was way too small and by the time the game kicked off, it was such a charged atmosphere in such a small space.”
Auckland celebrate winning the 1994 NPC final at Onewa Domain. Photo / photosport.nz
The atmosphere on Saturday was as flat as that poor ball victimised by Antoine Dupont. A few supporters braved the damp banks, while at the top, half a dozen enterprising young men hovered just outside the ground, $15 tickets more prohibitive than the chain-link fence.
I opted for a standing position near the 22, leaning on the advertising hoardings and finding ample space despite the returning Stevenson sometimes standing metres away, when it could easily have been 18,000 kilometres.
Flags dispersed on entry added a little colour to the scores of drab umbrellas and coats. Most hands remained snugly inside pockets as Oscar Koller opened the hosts’ account from the tee.
The only consistent noise was predictably offered by a predictable selection of rock songs, spoiling an otherwise serene day at the park. As Zarn Sullivan grabbed the first try for the visitors, a plaintive cry of HAAARBOUR drew more chuckles than echoes.
The volume slightly increased when the home side finally found their way across in the 56th minute. By that point, Auckland had established a 29-6 lead, and the rain that fell throughout the opening half had been replaced by a bracing wind.
Even given the gloomy afternoon, it’s not impossible to imagine provincial rugby one day prospering at Onewa. Building a boutique venue on the domain is an option if the mayor wasn’t merely spouting nonsense when earlier this month he said of North Harbour Stadium: “We’re probably going to pull it down next year because no one goes there.”
Nothing would be lost if that soulless, seemingly unfinished curio is razed. As for the NPC, what’s already lost is surely irretrievable.
Provincial rugby will never again enjoy days like the Battle of Onewa. Perhaps high-performance ambitions will lessen, and low-key fixtures like Saturday become embraced.
To an uninformed eye, it didn’t appear too onerous a broadcast operation — a bit of scaffolding here, a couple makeshift tents there, and the game was beamed out live. Whether those sensibly inside were watching is another matter.
Viewers would have seen some good rugby from the visitors, a classy backline defying the weather and removing heat from an encounter whose temperature never threatened 1994 levels.
The score — in case anyone is wondering, since an absence of reader interest means they’re no longer reported on this site — was 43-21.
Auckland, as in that infamous final, were too good. That’s about where the similarities end.
