Steve Deane: Idiots' antics put the boot into rugby league's image

A pitch invader is removed by security. Photo / Richard Robinson

Forget about pictures of a drunken player with a golden labrador perched on his lap, the latest ugly scenes produced by league could be viewed at Eden Park on Saturday.

The sight of thousands of people sheltering their children from flying missiles as they streamed for the exits with fully a quarter of the night's test to go was as bad as it gets for the code.

When it comes to giving itself a black eye, league is Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather rolled into one. It sets about itself with remarkable vigour, leaving its followers dazed and bloodied and wondering whether it's even worth coming out to answer the next bell.

With more than 44,000 people packed into Eden Park and a strong Kiwis side facing a Kangaroos second string, major gains for the sport were begging to be made. All that was required was a half-decent Kiwis showing and a bit of common courtesy from those watching.

Instead, we got a booed Australian national anthem, a ham-fisted flop from the Kiwis and a near-riot in the stands.

As bad as the Kiwis were, the behaviour from some in the crowd was worse. Much, much worse.

In more than 20 years of attending sporting events all over the world I've seen worse crowd behaviour - Millwall fans invading the pitch at Chelsea and being charged by police on horseback, for instance - but Saturday was up there.

The Wave - let's not call it Mexican as it sure ain't that country's fault (it actually started in US college sport) - has long been a blight on sport and should be eradicated.

Frankly, if you pay good money to attend a sports contest and then want to entertain yourself by imitating a children's TV presenter pretending to be a flower blossoming, then you're a bloody idiot. If you're the type of dick who prefers to throw full bottles of beer high into the air with no regard for the fact they might land on an 8-year-old's face, you're a borderline criminal.

And if you're the bloke who threw the shot glass that missed Cameron Smith's head by millimetres, you should be tracked down and arrested.

And it wasn't just the wave. I spotted at least five ejections in the first half alone.

The real shame is that those people who fled never got to see Benji Marshall beat Cooper Cronk with a mesmeric in-and-away and send Shaun Kenny-Dowall over to score. The tragedy is they will never come back.

I wouldn't take my kids to an event like Saturday night's. It's the first time I've ever felt like that at any league game, at any level, in any country.

League had hoped to cross a few boundaries with its Eden Park double-header, but the only barriers being broken down would have been erected for what was hopelessly inadequate crowd control.

A bit like watching Wham videos now and wondering how you couldn't tell George Michael was gay, it's a wonder no one saw this coming. With the clarity of hindsight, the combination of a four-hour event, a late kick-off and free-flowing, full-strength booze was always going to be a potent mix.

A big Kiwis win might have saved the day, but that's hardly something that can be relied upon.

With kick-off times for next year's Rugby World Cup even later to satisfy TV bosses, there's every chance Saturday's scenes could be repeated when the eyes of the world are upon us.

It seems a shame to say it, but perhaps it's time this country followed the likes of Australia and France and sold only low- or non-alcohol beverages at major sports matches. Given the World Cup's major sponsor is a beer brand, it's hard to see that happening.

Anyway, that's rugby's problem. League has enough issues of its own. The best thing that can be said about Saturday night is that at least no one at the ground appeared to be having sex with an animal, be it simulated or otherwise.