How I Spent My 24th Birthday (There's Rugby Involved)

As many of you were already aware, Sunday, October 2nd was my 24th birthday. You may remember what I did on my last one. This time, I was not in the process of moving my life overseas and already had a fairly solid group of friends with which to enjoy the day. It made it a little more exciting that this was probably the busiest weekend in Wellington since I've been here, owing to the two World Cup matches on at the stadium. Even better, one of those matches was New Zealand's final pool match against Canada. It just so happened that the game was on my birthday, and I had been keeping an eye on ticket possibilities since July. The tickets for sale were far too expensive, but my flatmate Marcus pulled off another miracle and happened to be entitled to one free ticket. Remember when I said this time in New Zealand was working out almost exactly as I wished? My expectations have been exceeded again.

I had previously told my boss that I'd like to finish work early enough to watch the game, and it just so happens that the café is right next to the stadium. So I walked to work through central Wellington with the Canadian flag wrapped around me like a cape, worked for four hours, and had a coworker stencil maple leaves onto my cheeks with a red marker. I sprinted to meet Marcus and was seated in time for the national anthems and the haka, the Māori war dance that the All Blacks do to intimidate their opponents. If you've never seen it, I suggest you check out this video.

Although Canada were soundly trounced by the All Blacks, as expected, I had a good time chatting with my neighbors in the stands, who were mostly Kiwis. I was struck by how personally they treat the All Blacks. I've mentioned before how New Zealand is a small country, and watching the game reminded me. People referred to all the players by their first names, and when they made mistakes the fans were quick to yell encouragement. Even against a comparatively weak team like Canada, the fans wanted to see their boys play well. It was particularly notable in their treatment of Colin Slade, the poor man with the responsibility of filling star #10 Dan Carter's shoes now that he's out for the tournament. Everyone in the stands treated Slade like he was their own child. (For the rugby fans reading this, I think the All Blacks should go with Piri Weepu at #10).

After Canada had been defeated and their most iconic player concussed, I stuck around for the presentation of participation medals and the lap of appreciation, in which both teams passed along the stands greeting supporters. Only three All Blacks came out - if the whole team had, people would still be there now getting autographs - but the entire Canadian team walked by. Many of them were effectively ignored, not being major stars, but I did manage to high-five one of them and congratulate Nathan Hirayama, who I think was surprised anyone knew his name. Meanwhile, the crowd was obsessed with Victor Vito, Brad Thorn, and Sam Whitelock, the All Blacks who came out to press the flesh. I must say, they carry themselves much more humbly than most professional athletes you see in the news. With the massive popularity of rugby here and the club system that supports the All Blacks, the connection between the national team and their fans is much stronger than that of at any of the North American teams I support. I think I actually saw Victor Vito talking to a friend he happened to see in the stands as he walked by.

Still buzzing over the fantastic experience of seeing the All Blacks up close, I spent the rest of the evening watching the day's other games and hanging out with friends. After the game, I passed by the ice rink that has been temporarily set up on Queen's Wharf. I noted with a small amount of pride that there were several people wrapped in the Canadian flag skating circles around groups of timid Kiwis learning how to skate for the first time. Later in the evening, a Kiwi saw the maple leaves on my face and said, "I think Canada played very well today." Always keen to keep the balance, I replied, "Thanks. I think the All Blacks played very well too." (They won 79-15)

Outside a bar on the way to work.

The haka.

I've now seen Ma'a Nonu up close twice in one year, if you're keeping track.

Victor Vito.

Adam Kleeberger, "concussion as, bro."

Brad Thorn and an admirer.

Sam Whitelock.