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IT wouldn't happen at Thomond Park

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  • 30-07-2004 3:22pm
    #1
    Hairy Homer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,018 ✭✭✭


    Quoted below is a section of a mail from an Australian gentleman of my acquaintance. He was at the recent NZ-Aus game in Christchurch and didn't have the happiest of times. NZ won, the rain poured down and the crowd behaviour left a lot to be desired.

    I have no reason to doubt his veracity. I find his description of the crowd's behaviour disappointing to say the least. I must also add that having been to internationals at every Five Nations venue over the past 30 years, I have never encountered the likes of it. In my EVERY experience of international rugby the crowds have been unsegregated, boisterous, passionate, good humoured, sporting and above all friendly.

    Has anyone ever come across behaviour like this? Any Kiwis like to comment?
    NZ supporters are rat bags. We were 'concentrated' in an area behind the eastern try line. That is the end the Wallabies were defending in the first half. The Kiwi supporters were throwing half empty (plastic) beer bottles at us. One bottle had urine in it. Very distinctive smell to it.

    This behaviour is not appreciated by anyone. Well, anyone who is there to see the game, not start a fight. I had two kiwis beside me and they complained at half time to ground officials, who did nothing. It got quite bad in the second half. To the point where one lady in our group was hit by a bottle and had her glasses broken. The people who were sprayed by urine complained at the end of the game and were ignored.

    The lady who had her glasses broken tried to file an official report with the police at the ground. She was in our hotel and spoke to us when she got back with her husband. She waited two hours and was still waiting. The Police wanted to close their "Temporary Station" and go home. The police 'suggested' that she go to her local station on the Sunday and report the incident.

    She is from Australia, leaving on a plane the next day, Sunday, is in her 50's, has a nasty bruise above her eye and a pair of broken glasses. One member of the NZ constabulary made a veiled suggestion that 'we' may have provoked the incident(s).

    As a group, we have written to the ARU complaining about crowd behaviour.

    I was at Christchurch a few years ago and we had the same treatment. I do not mind heckling and general good banter, but throwing a bottle, with urine or beer in it is assault!


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