Cringe Week

There is a new annual event in the New Zealand sporting calendar, and it has been playing out in traditional style over the last few days.

The week where national paranoia and self-justification kicks in.  There must be an All Black test at Twickenham this weekend.

Daily Telegraph scribe Oliver Brown put up a piece during the week stating that the haka have New Zealand an advantage, and the fact there is not Right of Reply for opposing teams was not really fair.  That is a reasonable observation, but it produced predictable outrage.

In the comments of the article.

“It’s just more proof that British journalists are little more than brainless hacks”

“Just another nervous pom looking for his security blanket”

And probably the best one…

“the poms i think are just jealous they dont have any significant culture to speak of” (sic)

This outrage was not confined to Stuff Comments.  The old line about how arrogant England is has been splashed around all week.  And no talkback show would be complete without reference to that time the English players did the lap around Old Trafford in 1997 acknowledging their northern fans.

“That shows how arrogant the English are.  Doing a Lap of Honour after they lost!!!”

It was not a lap of honour; it was clapping those who turned up in a football and league part of the country.

And it was in 1997.  That is 17 years ago.  17 years ago.

The English play their part in this too, and Brown knew exactly what he was doing, and he probably recycled that from a Cringe Week from the past.  But, as far as trolling, that was ridiculously easy.  And there will be more of it next year; World Cup Year.

The only difference next year will be that the fact the All Blacks have never won the World Cup abroad will be the focus.  You read it here first.