As a result, trudging back and forth, I'm usually in close vicinity to the players' benches and their coaching staff, engrossed in the action. As a rule, I'm happy to leave them to it for 80 minutes.
Certainly I'll say hello and offer a friendly passing jibe during proceedings - Kaierau's Keith Savell can tell you about my "Holy ... what did you say to them at halftime?" query as we watched his team come back with four tries after trailing Taihape 31-0 last weekend.
Border's Ross Williams is also happy to be approached for a quick yarn during a game, but I'll hang back if his attention is glued to the field.
It's the same with any other sports I cover.
Generals have to conduct their battles and don't need distractions. There's time at the end of the game to get their perspective, after they've had a moment or two to collect their thoughts.
I'm not even giving them that much space - many a coach has had only a minute to grasp how a heavy defeat is going to upset their season before I'm at their elbow.
In the heat of a tense match, with the contacts coming in heavy and the fates still in the balance, it would be understandable if a frustrated coach let fly in the moment with a remark later regretted.
Therefore, I have some sympathy for the players and officials at the top level, required by their sanctioning bodies to make time during prime-time games for the request of financially-backing broadcasters to dole out a few choice anecdotes.
While it may pique viewers' interest, you can tell after halftime or when a player is coming off the field that the last thing they need is to find a microphone in the face.
Mainland Tactix coach Sue Hawkins is facing disciplinary action after she had a crack at the umpiring on live TV during the third quarter of their tough match with the Swifts in Sydney.
By that stage, the Tactix were on the other side of a 73-52 penalty count and would lose 68-49.
Southern Steel's Janine Southby backed her fellow coach - pointing out she often sent her assistant Reinga Te Huia to handle the pesky camera moments.
"I guess there is always going to be an element of risk with what people say or don't say," Southby said. "You get people in a pretty emotional state, when they are in that moment, which puts pressure on you as a coach.
"We've had a few times where we've nearly been caught swearing - for some reason whenever I get handed a microphone we've just done something really stupid."
Hurricanes fans may remember the look Ma'a Nonu gave Sky TV's Scotty Stevenson as he left the field with his team trailing the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium last week.
Those two usually "get on well" in interviews, but it was clear as Stevenson launched into an analysis of 40 minutes' knife-edge action, Nonu wasn't having a bar of it. The "nah, not really" and "we'll see" were telling. Talk about awkward.
Sky have picked up this intrusive innovation from the NRL, where players are expected to give their two cents' worth on the 5m walk from the sideline to the entry/exit tunnel.
It was clear in the grand final last year that Souths' Sam Burgess had other things on his mind when Andrew Johns approached him about his swollen face.
"It's broken," Burgess grunted as he tried to jog on when being asked about his swelling eye socket.
Give the guys a little bit of space and they will give you a little bit of perspective.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the passing of a former colleague, and one of the good guys.
Matt Loh Ho Sang died at his Levin home last Sunday, age 47.
I worked with Matt while I was with the Greymouth Star in the mid 2000s.
An excellent writer who had been around the traps and seen a lot of things, he was also selfless with his help and encouragement for a young guy starting out.
My condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
