Some fans will do anything to ensure their team wins the rugby World Cup. Fans in Scotland sit through blistering cold and stinging rain. Australians publicly embarrass themselves by singing Waltzing Matilda. It seems, however, that New Zealand fans might go the extra mile to shake the ‘chokers’ tag that has plagued them since their last triumph in 1987 by abstaining from sex.
In a campaign led by former All Black skipper Sean Fitzpatrick, fans are encouraged to “touch, pause, but not engage” with men encouraged to “think of their mums in bikinis”, which Fitzpatrick believes will aid the All Blacks with positive energy.
Fans will be given black rubber rings to wear for the duration of the tournament which lasts seven weeks.
Understandably, the campaign has not been well received. A poll on New Zealand Herald online asking fans if they would forego sex during the tournament attracted almost 10,000 votes, with 92% responding: “No, are you kidding?”
Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper added his opinion on Twitter by posting “French coach once said; sex before a game doesn’t hurt performance, it’s the hours of pleading to get sex that hurts.”
So how far would you go to ensure Springbok success in the land of the long white cloud? With Peter de Villiers’s team struggling with consistency, hampered by a one-dimensional game plan, carried out by an aging squad, perhaps abstaining for a month and a half would not be the worst idea.
With the World Cup a mere 15 days away, preparations and planning are in the final stages. All we as fans can do now is wish our boys luck and send them our thoughts. I for one would love a Springbok victory, and would definitely have to pause for thought when considering abstaining. It would certainly be a lot easier than watching the Ard Matthews rendition of our anthem one more time.
