RWC 2007

So what to say about the World Cup? I reflect with amazement that England is through to the final. This is the same England that many pundits predicated would be the worst defending champions ever. Yet here they are, through to the final next week against either The Springboks or The Pumas, thus becoming (no matter whether they win or lose the final), the best performing defending champions ever.

And as for the All Blacks they were expected to easily win the cup, like 91, 95, 99 and 03, but this time they were really going to win, having only lost once this year and humiliated the British & Irish Lions last year. But despite this strength and depth they got bundled out in the quarter-final by the French - the earliest exit for NZ in any world cup ever.

As well as great joy in seeing England through to successive finals, and even greater joy in beating Aussie and France (I personally wouldn't even mind losing to Tonga, as long as it's not Aussie or France) , we're also caught up in this nation's mourning. I support two teams now - NZ and England (and am mighty pleased it didn't come down to a knock-out match between the two), and it's enlightening observing a nation in grief.

NZ is obsessed with rugby - probably the only top-team rugby nation in the world to be so. I flew to Nelson on Friday. At check-in, all the baggage tags were no longer the usual AirNZ teal, but black, to show support. And as the photo below shows, I had to walk under rugby H posts to check in.


So why the failure?
NZ loves to be the underdog in sport - it has to love that, as with a small population that's often the way. Yet when it comes to the weight of expectation with the rugby, the label 'chokers' seems to fit well. David Kirk, in the weekend paper, puts the bleak, unpalatable situation well here: What we can learn from another failure
And Paul Windsor, from Carey Bible College is, as usual, well on the point here: Great to good: NZ rugby

There's a lot of soul-searching in NZ over the national religion of rugby. For many, rugby is God, which is why without the true God there is so much pain. As one who follows Jesus and enjoys rugby too, I'm looking forward to the final next weekend. If England's amazing, surreal, surprising and fantastical run to the final ends with Vickery lifting the trophy, I'll be extremely happy. It's just I'll have to remember to be muted in my celebrations in deference to the nation that has adopted us.