Would the loss of the Bledisloe Cup bring the feral edge back to the All Blacks and their fanbase too? Photo / Getty Images.
Would the loss of the Bledisloe Cup bring the feral edge back to the All Blacks and their fanbase too? Photo / Getty Images.
OPINION:
Is the rage returning? A hallmark of All Black fandom in Aotearoa has always been the explosive nature of the blamestormers in the stand, on the radio and recently on social media.
All Blacks fans hated defeat, lashed out at the drop of a ball and poured scorn andanimosity on any one or thing that could be construed as the reason for defeat. The sorest of losers.
Then something extraordinary happened. The All Blacks were soundly beaten in a World Cup semifinal by the neckless collision hungry hooligans from up north and we wore it.
As a collective the NZ public conceded defeat, congratulated the opposition and moved on.
Wow. Sure a bit of anger surfaced when Ian Foster was given the coaching reins, but by and large, as a nation of fans, we've gone all limp.
All Blacks fans enjoy the atmosphere during the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images.
When the All Blacks were mercilessly ejected from the Rugby World Cup back in 2003, I took three months of furious talkback on Radio Sport. Three months of apoplectic fury. Three months of finger pointing, accusations, mindless anger. In 2007 after the French catastrophe, it got even worse. If that was at all possible.
Then the All Blacks started rolling everyone in sight with monotonous regularity, and everybody calmed down. So much so that in the shadow of the ignominious and frighteningly soft World Cup defeat last year, there was only a shoulder shrug.
Had we matured as a nation of armchair fist shakers? Had we learnt grace in defeat? Were we maturing? Or worse, getting bored of our national game and the success it had given us? Essentially, we had no scapegoat either, we just got beaten by a better team on the day. And it was accepted?
Now though, after back to back flaccid turnouts we are starting to reignite the monster from within. The signs are there. You can feel it. The peasants are angry and if the All Blacks turn out in a similar state of disinterest and sloppy execution, collapse at the holiest of holy grounds, the fortress of Eden, against the wily invaders from out west, will the horror of the blighted All Black fan return?
I'm not sure I want a return to the nasty days, but could the phantom of defeat, hovering over Eden Park, and a stagger toward the loss of the Bledisloe Cup bring the feral edge back to the All Blacks and their fanbase too? Do we want that borderline insane fervour again or should we be content with a polite decline from both sides?
