GO THE LIONS! *

* Just kidding.

On Saturday I'm going to see the British and Irish Lions play the NZ Provincial Barbarians team at Whangarei. I'm looking forward to it as I've only missed once seeing the Lions when they've played in New Zealand during my lifetime.
I bought tickets via a friend up here who said he could get some on-line. I trusted him so ordered two - one for me and one for the old Girl. They seemed cheap but I just assumed that was because Whangarei, being a regional ground would be cheaper than the big city venues.
The tickets turned up this week and Rod gleefully presented them to me. Gate: A. General Admission. No seating. WTF! I said to him why no seats? They were good value the cheap bastard said. I should have known - this is the man who takes his wife to  a cheap cafe for their wedding anniversary. Now I don't mind standing on the terraces, it takes me back to the early days but - the Old Girl is going for a hip replacement operation in a couple of weeks and no way will she be able to stand for a couple of hours on a sloping embankment.

I contacted the stadium and the council who run it telling of my predicament and asking if there was provision for mobility impaired people. I said that I was prepared to pay extra if a seat could be found for her. The bastards haven't had the courtesy to respond. I gave the ticket away.

It's forecast to rain on Saturday but no matter. It'll give me a chance to wear my Backhouse stockman's coat and my rain-proof Aussibush hat. The Old Girl usually laughs when I get kitted out in these but she won't be there this time.

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Now I'm not a big rugby fan but I do like watching the internationals or when international teams play local teams. I think that rugby has got a bit out of hand in recent years but do like seeing the All Blacks play, especially the World Cup games. Unfortunately they have become just so expensive to go and see compared to yesteryear.

Second to the Rugby World Cup, the British Lions (now the British and Irish Lions) are the best games to watch.



The last time they were here was in 2005.
Even then the price of a ticket was becoming outrageous but I had the good fortune to work for a wine company. I had negotiated some sponsorship with NZ Rugby Union and in addition had secured wine supply to the Wellington and Christchurch stadia. I was able to watch the matches free:
Christchurch where NZ won 21:3.
Wellington where NZ won 48:18.
Auckland where NZ won 38:19.
It was a great series with a huge number of British supporters visiting which pleased the hospitality and tourism industries no end
Everyone was happy - except perhaps the Lions and their supporters.


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The Lions previously visited in 1993 - a full 12 years before. I don't recall a lot about this tour other than the fact that once again it was great for tourism. I was running a specialty wine and spirit supply company to major tourist hotels and restaurants and remember that their business was booming. I saw the Auckland game which NZ won 30:13 and was lucky enough to watch it as a guest in the DB Breweries corporate box at Eden Park.

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The previous Lions tour was in 1983. I saw one game in Auckland where NZ won 38:6.

Rugby was under a bit of a cloud back then, it being soon after the 1981 Springbok Tour which tore New Zealand apart. It wasn't fashionable to be at a party trying to pick up an attractive and intelligent woman and saying that you were off to see the AB's play. Oh well. C'est La Vie.

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In 1977 The Lions were here. It was a short jump between that tour and the 1983 tour. Maybe the NZRU in 1983 were looking to recreate interest in the game after losing so much support over that bastard Springboks tour. I'll have to read up on that.
I was living in Wellington then and didn't see the game which NZ only just won 16:12. I was still working at Wrightson's Wine and spirits then (along with Robert) and as the game was in the afternoon I couldn't go as I had to work (not that driving the delivery truck was much work). I think it rained heavily that day which might explain the low scores.

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The Lions were in New Zealand in 1971, my first year at Victoria university in Wellington. I was playing rugby for Athletic then (under 19s). I was pretty good at rugby but in the open weight grades got hammered by the great hulking brutes that were entering rugby around this time (not Richard, he'd been playing for a while and these guys were even bigger).

I don't know how I got to go to watch them - either the local games were cancelled or I was injured (probably the latter).
NZ lost! 3:13. A sad day for New Zealand rugby. The country was in mourning.

I had to buy my ticket to the game and sat in the famous Millard Stand, way up high looking down on the players. Scary but exciting too. The stand used to move in the wind and in big games, like the Lions was crowded and most likely very unstable.

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In 1966 I was in the 3rd form, my first year at secondary school at St Patrick's College Wellington. The old school in Buckle Street. This was a great college with history and a solid reputation of scholasticism. Richard will probably disagree on that but then he probably wasn't in one of the top classes. It unfortunately was populated by Catholic Priests who pushed their arcane and incomprehensible religion down our throats Richard will probably agree with that but I'm sure that Robert will disagree.

Anyway the Lions were in New Zealand in 1966.

I got in free!

I can't remember who organised it but some neighbourhood friends and I had jobs selling rugby memorabilia - rosettes and flags - outside Athletic Park. This stuff of course was crap and I doubt that any have survived (paper flags on sticks and paper rosettes with a big sharp pin) but it was expensive. Whoever was marketing the stuff knew what they were doing as the target market was the pissed blokes making their way into the park. In those days there wasn't a franchise for selling alcohol at sporting events. Rugby games were played at about 3pm in the afternoon. The prevailing licensing laws closed pubs at 6PM. This meant that the rugby supporters would tank up at a local pub before the game as they weren't guaranteed to get out of the venue and back to a pub after the game before pubs closed. 6 O'clock closing!

Many supporters then were arriving at Athletic Park pissed and loose. They freely shelled out about half their cost of entry for a stupid flag that they most likely dropped in the concrete urinals. As a result of the high profit margins we sellers, in addition to our wages (about ten bob), got free tickets.

NZ won 16:12. Close.


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The Lions visited New Zealand in 1959.

I was 6 years old. I saw the Lions play in Christchurch. NZ won 22:8 which was good as in those days, pre fancy-schmancy special seating areas everyone crowded on to terraces. The attendance was massive like UK football games. There was bugger all crowd control in those days so if there'd been a riot or big fight it could have been disastrous.

Christchurch rugby crowd 1959

My mother was born in Eiffelton, near Ashburton in Mid Canterbury so all of her relatives were based in Canterbury. On one of the many trips we had down there from Wellington this one coincided with the Lions tour. My dad took me along with him to the game with two of my uncles. I remember that everyone was dressed in woollen clothes, long grey overcoats and hats (was it colder back then? Someone should tell Donald Trump).
As said we all stood on concrete terraces - no seating. Dad and the uncles had quarter bottles of whisky with them (do they still make those? I haven't seen them for years). I don't know where the people (almost all men) went for a piss - certainly not the rank urinals - maybe they just had a leak where they were standing.
At age 6 this was the biggest event I'd ever been to (The Blanket Show that Dad promised having never eventuated) and it was very exciting.

Ralph Caulton who was later to be my boss at Wrightson's Wines and Spirits scored two tries.

I still remember it. Standing on the terraces. Moving with the crowd. Excited voices announcing something unseen.

I'll be doing this on Saturday in Whangarei. Wearing a long overcoat and wearing a hat.

By the way, the ticket I've given away is to a nine year old boy, the son of a friend of Lynn's who is staying up here with his mother this weekend. He is a real rugby fan and a very very good player (future Richie McCaw type). He is over the moon about seeing the Lions play. I hope that he will have great memories like I have.