As Fifa loses its way, rugby still feels real

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

Dave Armstrong is a playwright and satirist based in Wellington. He is a regular opinion contributor.

OPINION: With the World Cup dominating sporting headlines, soccer is having its moment in the sun. Even after only a few days of competition, there have been upsets (Go Aussie!) red cards and goals aplenty. So why am I feeling a little hollow about it all?

It might be the obsequious crookedness of Fifa, awarding Donald “bomb the shit out of them” Trump a peace prize. It might be the outrageous ticket prices for the so-called people’s game. It was sad seeing heartbroken Mexican fans unable to afford the massive ticket price to see their national team. Hats off to President Claudia Scheinbaum who gave away her free tickets to the opening game and instead watched it in a fan zone with true fans, well away from the elitist Fifa stench.

It might be the racist banning by the US immigration of top African referee, Omar Atan. According to the US he is linked to a terrorist organisation – yet they have produced no hard evidence. When you think of Trump’s racist utterances against Somalia (“dirty, disgusting”) and its people (“they’re all crooks”) I suspect Atan’s biggest crime is the colour of his skin and his birthplace. If he really is linked to terrorists, why did Uefa, the European football body, choose him to referee their big Super Cup match in Paris in August?

What an awful butt-kisser Fifa president Gianni Infantino is, sucking up to Trump then pretending that the banning of the Omar Atan was beyond his control. Has he not heard of boycotts?

Once upon a time, it was rugby that wore the elitism and racism jersey now worn by Fifa. I remember the days when New Zealand Rugby Football Union chairman Ces Blazey, the Gianni Infantino of his day, would regularly tell the country how supremely important it was that we play rugby with apartheid South Africa.

How times have changed. The Hurricanes’ display on Saturday night, as they routed the Blues, was not just an exhibition by solid forwards and exuberant backs, but an example of a cohesive multicultural team at the top of their game.

For my sins, I’ve been a Hurricanes and Lions season ticket holder for a few decades now. It all started as a Christmas present subscription for my young nephew who’s now in his 30s, but still an avid Canes fan. Over the years, I’ve watched potentially brilliant but ultimately disappointing Canes teams come and go.

For a while, they were at their most brilliant in the last game of the season when they had failed to make the finals and there was little at stake. I clearly remember the disappointment of the 2006 “fog final” and the 2015 Super final at the Cake Tin when the Highlanders beat us. Yet I can hardly recall our victory against the (South African) Lions a year later. I suspect remembering defeats more clearly than victories makes me a true Canes fan.

Being a Wellington rugby fan isn’t just about Super Rugby. In the past it’s been about turning up at the Cake Tin on a freezing Friday night with a handful of others to watch the Wellington Lions lose a boring and low-scoring encounter against North Harbour. Or being led into a socially-distanced stand during the Covid pandemic to watch us getting thumped by Hawke’s Bay.

But despite past trials, I’m excited about Saturday. It’s not just that the Canes have been winning, it’s how they’ve been winning. The tries have been shared around, and the team have hit over 50 points in their last two games – the so-called tough end of the season.

And while people rightfully have problems with the venue, it’s better than previously. The variety and quality of the food and drinks have improved, although it’s still very expensive.

Last Saturday, there was a bottleneck at the entrance, but not a terrible one. And Saturday’s halftime light show was better than anything I’ve seen at the Cake Tin for a long time.

There was a big effort to fill the stadium last Saturday, and while the crowd was sizeable, it wasn’t packed, with a least four sectors empty.

After years of trudging home from night events at the Cake Tin, I was delighted to learn that while extra buses and trains weren’t available, there was “extra capacity” – bigger buses and more carriages on trains. I managed to get onto a double-decker bus into town immediately after Saturday’s game. Yes, there was a 10-minute wait in town to get home, but that’s better than the “ghost bus” days.

I’m looking forward to Saturday night. The Chiefs are also in fantastic form so it’s anyone’s game. Because of the stadium’s ridiculous “safety” rules there will be no cowbells to add to the atmosphere, you won’t be able to scooter up to the entrance, and your can of beer will be opened before it’s handed to you. After all, we must be safe, sound and mollycoddled as we watch one of the most physical games on earth.