RWC blog: Dual-code delight in NZ
Day Four from Planet Rugby journalist Adam Kyriacou's day-by-day diary of his adventures in New Zealand at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
For something extra, Planet Rugby has jetted Adam Kyriacou across to New Zealand for him to scribe a day-by-day diary of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @PlanetRugbyAK
Day Four
It was a day that will live long in my own personal memory and that of a few other people, who deserve special praise. Richie McCaw couldn't hide his emotions and pride in his team after the All Blacks claimed a fine win on his 100th cap. The fact that close friend Jock Hobbs gave a heart-felt speech made it all the more memorable for McCaw, who got a silver cap to commemorate his feat. “It's a team sport and you can't do it without your team-mates,” said the top pro.
On a personal note, the game at Eden Park was my first trip to the venue to report in what is shaping up to be a superb tournament. The city is alive and promises to be exactly the same in the coming hours when expatriates from Fiji and Samoa paint the place white, blue and red for the big afternoon clash. I'm currently waiting to hear if there is a ticket going spare to attend this one as it promises to provide buckets of entertainment for the neutral.
Top Tweet (John Smit) – Congrats to Richie McCaw tonight for his 100th cap, great work!
Today could have all gone pear shaped however as technical difficulties made life very uncomfortable before kick-off. Before I get to that though, the free bus up to the stadium had such a good vibe, not least when the driver stood up before our departure to ask for directions to Eden Park! He was not joking too, with the man having been brought in from Wellington to cope with the extra workload in the northern city. A local ultimately saved us.
Back to my original quandary when, as expected, journalists from all over the globe had arrived early to battle for seats in the Media Zone – surreally I found myself sat in a 30-man French huddle as I settled in my chair to unpack the essentials. Then came the moment of panic as the laptop would not turn on for love nor money. Talk about unfortunate timing for an old faithful that has stood firm in icy cold English winters and very hot Cape Town summers. Luckily there was a batch of helpful staff who knew all the tricks in the book.
Comedy clip of the day – A South African journalist telling supporters in front of him to stay sitting down while the game was being played. Their expressions were priceless!
Heading back into the city from the stadium on the shuttle led to catching up with my hosts in a packed city centre. Queues were backing out of almost every pub but we eventually found a sports spot that was completely overrun by French supporters – one in full Napoleon Bonaparte attire. It was most definitely Auckland and New Zealand as a whole who were celebrating though thanks to their rugby league outfit The Warriors shocking Melbourne Storm in Australia to book their place in the Grand Final against Manly Sea Eagles next Sunday. It was then good reason to sink a Speights for New Zealand rugby as a whole.