A note to pitch invaders - nobody came to watch you.
It was a thrilling contest, with a decent crowd and a handful of sad sacks doing their best to ruin the occasion. Another night at the footy, another plague of pitch invaders content creating for the micro-attention span of the puerile economy. You can laugh if you want to at a bunch of desperate-for-attention boofheads, but surely we are past the point of seeing the funny side of this.
At least the bloke who managed to join the Chiefs defensive line went the full monty, I suppose, but that’s the only positive thing that can be said for his effort. What may seem like a bit of harmless low-level drunken buffoonery — both captains, Patrick Tuipulotu and Luke Jacobson, didn’t seem fazed by events, and Blues coach, Vern Cotter told Stuff, “I didn’t even see those guys”, which is not exactly a glowing review of what the bloke in the buff was a showcasing to the ticket holders — but there are downstream ramifications, and it will be the fans who don’t feel the need to leave their seats who are ultimately impacted the most.
If the current level of security is not enough to stop this happening (and that is not a criticism of security staff), then I guess we’ll need a few more guards. And that will be at the expense of the stadium hirer, and that will be passed on to you. So, enjoy that, once you’ve finished having a snigger. That’s pretty much the economics of it, but there are other things to consider, too.
For starters, it’s not as if the world feels like a sane place. While both Tuipolotu and Jacobsen are correct in dismissing the actions of a few clowns, I do wonder whether they have also privately considered the possibility that the next person who succeeds in being that close to the action has very different, and possibly more malicious, intentions.
It’s been 23 years since Pieter van Zyl, the epitome of a boozed-up boorish coward, somehow managed to heave his frame over the King’s Park advertising hoardings, and committed a blind side assault on Irish referee David McHugh during a Springboks-All Blacks test match. On that occasion he was dealt with by Richie McCaw et al, and eventually by a court of law. Nothing about that incident was funny then, and it remains one of the least edifying images in the history of test rugby.
The problem is, it could happen again. And should never be allowed to.
Sports commentator Scotty Stevenson also looked at Warriors pre-season and the Black Caps. (Source: Breakfast)
One of rugby’s great traditions is the interaction between players and fans, but there is a time and place for that, and that time is not during the game, and it’s not on the field of play.
For those fans who seem so desperate to stretch their legs, can I recommend taking up distance trail running? If you work hard enough you can one day hope to emulate the deeds of Ruth Croft and Daniel Jones, who both cleaned up the Tarawera UTMB 102-kilometre event on the weekend. Both also obliterated the course records, with Croft finishing in 8 hours, 24 minutes, and 34 seconds, six minutes ahead of fellow kiwi, Caitlin Fielder. Jones took 30 minutes off his winning time from last year, crossing the line in 7 hours, 17 minutes and 42 seconds.
The hits keep coming for Croft and Jones, who both enjoyed success during the 2024 season – Croft took out the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 and finished second at the gruelling main event, the UTMB Mont Blanc. Jones managed top-four finishes at two of the most storied races, including the Western States 100 Mile event, for which he has qualified again this year. Croft is a former winner of the same event.
If they were really keen on doing something truly remarkable, they could practice their footwork on a football pitch and one day hope to emulate the deeds of Chris Wood, who scored his 18th goal of the season in Nottingham Forest’s disappointing 1-2 loss to Fulham. Then they would know what it feels like to be sitting third in the golden boot race behind luminaries Mo Salah and Erling Haaland.
Or they could try out one day for Auckland FC who now find themselves five points clear at the top of A-League men’s table thanks to Guillermo May and Max Mata finding the back of the net in a 2-0 win over Western United, made even more remarkable by the fact the Black Knights enjoyed just 36% possession.
They could become fast bowlers like Will O’Rourke, who spearheaded the New Zealand attack in a tri-series final romp over hosts Pakistan. The win was the side’s third in a row in Pakistan, setting them up to carry good momentum into the Champions Trophy tournament this week.
They may also want to develop their league skills, suffer through a gruelling pre-season and emerge from the shadows like Taine Tuaupiki did on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton, expressing speed and grace to finish two scores for the Warriors in a trial demolition of the Melbourne Storm.
No, they won’t do anything like that, those sad sacks who haven’t earned any right to be on the same stage as the players. Instead, they are left to search for their scintilla of social media infamy by getting in the way.
So stay out of the way, and let the rest of us watch what we actually came to see.
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