Just Waikato Stadium things
Sport Review #240
It’s the best best place in New Zealand to watch rugby.
Just outside town, easily walking distance if it’s not hosing down, and takes in the equally-amazing Seddon Park just down the road. Everyone sits nice and close to the action, with the sunken pitch adding to the intense, coliseum like atmosphere.
The crowd is one of the most unpopular in New Zealand. And I love it. The Red / Black / Yellow colourway is intense, especially with every schoolkid waving the crap out of a flag at once. Weird shit happens, like a guy turning up un-asked on a cherry picker waving a chainsaw around, and becoming a folk hero.
We’re loud, booing visiting kickers unashamedly. I’ve yelled horrible things at great All Blacks like Grant Fox and Andrew Merthens, because they turned up playing for Auckland and Canterbury, and slept like a baby, if said baby was full of Waikato Draught drunk from plastic cups.
And the bells. Up and down the country, folks in slippers watching their 50” screens complain about the cowbells messing up their weekend rugby watching, but we generally don’t give a shit. Strictly traditionally it’s a Waikato thing more than a Chiefs thing, but you’ll hear them on Saturday night for the Super Rugby final, don’t worry.
Like the Masons, it probably seems a bit weird from the outside. But being part of a 1000% over the top passionate crowd is one of the great pleasures of being a fan, and the Waikato stadium crowd has that in spades.
Selected Sport Review Waikato Stadium highlights
Waikato v Otago, NPC Final 1992 - This was the Richard Loe / Greg Cooper eye gouge match, not that we knew it until we watched the replays afterwards. We were in the old wooden terraces and managed to break our seat by leaping up and down on it in the first couple of minutes, which was extremely awkward. Thumping pre-load, thumping Waikato victory and thumping party afterwards.
Wales v Manu Samoa, Rugby World Cup 2011 - Great game, watching in the temporary stands at the city end with me dad. Cracking Siva Tau from Samoa and cracking singing from everyone and a cracking game. Featured in early Sport Review blog banners:
Māori All Blacks 19 v B&I Lions 13 2005 - Magical night and a great win.
All Blacks v Tonga, September 2019 - Can’t tell you much about the match, which was a pre-world cup walkover, but the novelty of watching international rugby in the daylight was something special.
Thanks for reading - Richard
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