Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the bloke sitting next to you. Welcome to the girl behind you in the concession queue. A big hello to the young man checking your bag. Hello security, I’m so pleased to see you. Understrength beer, lukewarm pies, why hello there. You, leaping to your feet in front of me, shout louder my friend. 

 

The collective fizz, the surge of the crowd, rising as one in combined try scoring ecstasy, great to see you again. The smell, the noise, the atmosphere. The players, the refs, the man on the public address system, it’s been too long. 

 

At 7:05 this evening, under the roof at Forsyth Barr, the Speights tin if you will, the post Covid world roars back into life. The last bastion of lockdown is dismissed as the throngs come back to sport.

Tomorrow, the people return to the national stadium, Eden Park, warts and all to worship at the alter of live sport. 

The excitement is palpable. The anticipation is reaching boil over point. Kids are amped, adults can hardly contain their excitement. 

To me, it’s the icing on the cake of Covid success. These first matches back in super rugby, with cherry of the crowd.  

Sport is of enormous import to the populace. It defines us as a nation, as does the combined efforts of us all to sacrifice what we have, to bring the corona virus to its knees. 

This weekend we celebrate our triumph by banding together in the most enriching and enduring expression of solidarity we have. 

The crowd at a game of footy. 

Male, female, other. Young, old, middle aged. Black, brown, white, crimson. Labour, national, green. Blue collar, white collar, no collar. Catholic, Hindi, Jewish, agnostic. Tall, short, fat, skinny........all of us, celebrating the success of 5 million in the manner we know best, being part of the heaving masses the up until recently were part of NZ sports rich tapestry. 

So good. 

That’ll do.