KEY POINTS:
A disclaimer: my Taranaki upbringing might give me all the impartiality of a 1970s South African referee but the following remains true.
North Harbour does not deserve the Ranfurly Shield.
In fact, on Monday they should do the decent thing and hand it back to New Zealand Rugby Union headquarters before they do the Log o' Wood permanent damage.
That crowd, if you could call it that, at North Harbour Stadium last night must be one of the saddest sights at a New Zealand rugby ground.
To try for 21 years, to suffer the ignominy of all those failed challenges, to finally win at Jade Stadium of all places and then to turn up for your first 'real' defence and see an ocean of empty seats must be a deflating experience.
It was so bad that it was speculated that football's Knights, one of the world's most 'losingest' sporting franchises and based at the same ground, had at times drawn more people.
Yes, it was cold, but here's an idea, Harbourites - put on a jacket, wear a scarf, knit yourself some mittens.
Granted, Taranaki might not be one of the glamour fixtures on the calendar but, hey, at least they know what it means to hold the Shield.
Perhaps it is because there are still cars on the road that are older than the union but that's a flimsy excuse. It's the fastest growing region in the country and has a population base that should ensure a 25,000-seat stadium does not look so bereft.
The days of the Shield guaranteeing a full house are long gone - Auckland and Canterbury's dominance through the 1980s and '90s put paid to that - but this was surely rock bottom as far as Shield 'Fever' is concerned.
Aucklanders, when it comes to sport, are apathetic.
Perhaps, north of the bridge, it's time to drop the 'a' in apathetic.
