Editorial: Reputation as hosts must be safeguarded

Justin Vaughan. Photo / Paul Estcourt

New Zealand Cricket boss Justin Vaughan did not hold back when criticising some All Black fans at last weekend's Bledisloe Cup test in Melbourne. Aggressive, obnoxious and boorish were among the words he used to describe behaviour that he said ruined the occasion for him. Mr Vaughan must have known he was stepping into a minefield. Duly, he has been assailed.

Criticism of him has come from several angles. Was this, some said, the view of a man who had spent too much time in corporate boxes? And why single out rugby? After all, similar words have been used to describe behaviour on the Eden Park terraces during one-day cricket internationals. Equally, others at the Melbourne test said they had seen no such boorishness.

Was Mr Vaughan simply unfortunate to be sitting in an isolated pocket of bad behaviour? An Etihad Stadium spokesman said that, given the near-capacity crowd, he could not have been happier with the crowd's conduct.

Certainly, it is always dangerous to make generalisations based on one incident. Take, for example, Mr Vaughan's glowing reference to crowd behaviour at the previous night's Aussie Rules game between Collingwood and Carlton at the same stadium.

Last year, at another game involving Collingwood, this time against Melbourne, three young fans bashed the father of a Melbourne player. That cannot be said to be typical of Aussie Rules crowds any more than Mr Vaughan's favourable verdict.

Yet, despite these reservations, there is little doubt that there is more than a grain of truth in his observations. New Zealand crowds can be boorish and aggressive. Much of this seems to be symptomatic of a small country trying to punch well above its weight in international competition.

Taunts that belittle the opposition and its supporters are one, albeit perverse, way of striving for this. The degree of aggression bears a relationship to the desperation for success.

This was reflected during last year's French rugby tour. Its reward for upsetting the All Blacks at the 2007 World Cup and, therefore, qualifying as a dangerous opponent was to have its players pelted with bottles at Carisbrook.

But peak expressions of such obnoxiousness are reserved for contests against Australia. As the little brother, New Zealand carries a large chip on its shoulder. Australia's sporting prowess adds further to the fire.

The toilet seat tossed at Shane Warne at the Basin Reserve represents just one side of a generally hostile reception to all Australian teams.

It has to be said, of course, that Australia has reacted much the same to the more threatening New Zealand sides, not least Bay 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But only the truly desperate would cite this to validate New Zealand boorishness.

Much of this behaviour is, of course, fuelled by alcohol. Even if this merely exacerbates an already present behavioural trend, it is idle for sports administrators to deny its impact.

They might also ponder the consequences of transforming sporting contests into all-purpose entertainment, including pumping the crowd up with raucous music at every available opportunity.

The bottom line for Mr Vaughan is that poor crowd behaviour would affect New Zealand's reputation when fans from around the world gather for the rugby World Cup and the 2015 cricket World Cup. That concern alone makes his observations worthwhile. Generally, New Zealanders have an excellent reputation as hosts.

This must be safeguarded. No one wants to scotch the good-humoured, nonconfrontational banter that should be part of any sporting occasion. A sense of proportion would ensure that does not deteriorate into obnoxiousness.