Saturday, February 19, 2011 - By
Marino and his dad
Hello, c is Marin !!!!!!
So I'll say me, which really surprised me at Eden Park, is the cleanliness of the stadium and its environs, and also to see my idols in New Zealand rugby (Dan Carter, Joe Rokocoko and Keven Mealamu) play under my eyes! It's a beautiful stadium that has been redone, it is modern, large (but still smaller than the Stade de France). I was also surprised to see between the opening match of less than 20 years and the pro game for children 8 / 10 years play on the ground of Eden Park for 30 minutes! And the last thing that impressed me is the cleanliness and calmness in what people (40,000 people) left the stadium after the match. Not a paper on the floor! This confirms the saying: "Football is a sport of gentlemen played by hooligans, rugby is a sport for hooligans played by gentlemen! "
Marino
When we arrived in New Zealand last November, the season of rugby - a sport that is taken seriously here! - Had just ended. Bad news for us! Yes, it was almost the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere ... Going
find info on the Internet, I saw the first games back of the new season would be running in February. I then promised that we would go to Marin to attend a match at Eden Park before leaving the country where you do not mess with the oval ball, especially a few months of receiving the World Cup (of 9 September to 23 October, Sunday, 10/23 final at Eden Park)! And something
promise is a promise, is not it?
I return on the net early February, and notice that the first game of the season at Eden Park Super Rugby match, which will oppose Saturday, February 19 at 7:35 p.m. Auckland Blues to the Christchurch Crusaders, the two biggest clubs in New Zealand! Yes, at Eden Park! Ouahhh ...! 23 All Blacks and former All Blacks on the field! Missed!
Choice and booking tickets on TicketMaster, printing of tickets on board and, on that day, heading towards Auckland!
I am so happy to take my son to this game ...
Well, start with some information ...
Eden Park, Super Rugby, All Blacks, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu, Joe Rokocoko, what is it?
George Eden, Baron Auckland, a member of the House of Lords and First Lord of the Admiralty, has his name given to the new capital of New Zealand in 1840. A quarter of the city, Mount Eden, also bears his name. It was here that Eden Park was built, the Temple of New Zealand rugby, the largest stadium in New Zealand. It has been optimized for a cost of 240 million NZD (New Zealand dollar) to accommodate 60 000 spectators at the next World Cup. Eden Park is not a very large stage, it's a beautiful stadium and the temple of rugby kiwi!
And the Super Rugby? It This is a major rugby tournament in the southern hemisphere (with the Tri-Nations), which has for this year's Top 15 clubs (known then Super 15) south of the equator, which are distributed in 3 countries: South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, at 5 clubs per country (known example of South African Conference, and New Zealand Conference)). Super Rugby season lasts 24 weeks. The end of season clash sees over 3 weeks 6 finalists, the top 3 clubs in the season in all 3 countries, and the 3 clubs that have registered the highest number of points regardless of their a Conference. Capito?
Good, New Zealand, 5 clubs in the Super 15 are the Auckland Blues, the Chiefs in Hamilton, Christchurch the Crusaders, the Highlanders in Dunedin, and Wellington Hurricanes. In Australia, those are the Brumbies, the Force, the Rebels, the Reds and the Waratahs. Finally, South Africa, the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks and Stormers.
The All Blacks, is of course the New Zealand national team, wearing a black shirt, and known worldwide for its international matches to be preceded by a short but impressive Maori war dance, the famous haka. (By the way, "Haka" is the name of our next dog, a border-collie, he promised to Adélie ...) The "Blacks, whose team is divided between white players (descendants of immigrants English Scottish or Irish mostly) and players of Maori descent, are usually formidable on the ground, but the XV of France is respected here in New Zealand, among others for the Kiwis crossed twice recently and the road to final World Cup ... In addition to these coups, one also takes beautiful frigged against the All Blacks ...
Now, the team Crusaders can find stars like Richie McCaw, captain of the All Blacks, 1.87 m for 107 kg, the third line, and best player in the world in 2006, 2009 and 2010. And Daniel Carter, the famous flyhalf, best player in the world 2005. In Blues, captain, Keven Mealamu is old Maori warrior (32) All Blacks hooker and right wing, meanwhile, called Joe Rokocoko
... And then there are all the other international field!
The match takes place at 7:35 p.m., but the curtain is set to 16.00. With Marin, we drive from Auckland Marsden Cove 13:30. Adelie, I think, would much for joining us. She does not disdain, in La Rochelle, come with us at Stade Marcel Deflandre attend matches Rochelais Stadium ... But this time the celebration is for Marin. Two hours and 160 km later, we are approaching Eden Park. First surprise, unlike the Stade de France, for example, the stadium is built in a residential area of Auckland, very quiet, and quite posh. We can access it directly by car without any difficulty. Many employees wearing a bib "Event Staff" are already in place, four hours before kickoff. We park in a quiet street, 100 meters from the stadium. No paper ground, not a residue of gum on sidewalks, not a beer abandoned in a gutter ... Everything is clean, nickel, trees, green. Not a pub in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.
We're really early, so we crossed the footbridge spanning the railway line connecting Eden Park in central Auckland, and we'll take a drink at the "cap", a small, unpretentious, marked " French bar "at the entrance of which a street sign homegrown says:" Avenue of Castres. Old black and white photos very French slowly turn yellow on the walls. The owner is French, apparently former rugby player, but the manager of the Indian bar tells me it's the country right now.
Go towards Eden Park. Search light of our small backpacks, barcode reader pre-printed tickets on board, and within seconds we are in the precincts of the lawn the most legendary rugby 15. The stadium is beautiful, refurbished, with a superimposed additional lateral forum.
After the opening match, before the game and the pros, we take the lead with Marino, issue dinner and go buy "kiwi lamb burgers" accompanied by "hot fries, washed down with Coca Cola of course!
The bleachers are filled gradually, an orchestra playing music from classic rock in the middle of the lawn, the inevitable "cheerleaders" performing energetic choreography, the pressure rises in the arena.
Almost an hour before the game, both teams enter the field, and train alongside one another, before our eyes. Marin is pleased to see Dan Carter chaining penalty shots at the foot: they rarely miss their target! Mealamu, he prefers the pumps, he knows every blade of grass on the lawn of Eden Park by heart!
19H30: Presentation of the teams on the big screens. The chance has placed us among the supporters of the Auckland Blues. Marine gets a flag of the club, come on, we will support the Blues! Strategically speaking, this is a must ...
7:32 p.m.: the gladiators enter the arena, the sound swells, the Crusaders in Christchurch are red, the Blues in Auckland ... blue of course!
7:35 p.m.: Kickoff, Carter at the helm. It left for 80 minutes of rugby at the highest level. The man of the match will be Benson Stanley, the center three quarts of Blues, a Black monitor close soon!
The final score: 24-22 for the Blues!
I put my arm around the shoulders of Marin and looks with a smile: my son is bright, and I'm just, but so, happy to be there with him to attend a major rugby match Eden Park in Auckland! Nobody will steal this pretty common memory. Olivier
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