Foggy memories of how and when
29 May 2006Â
By ARWEN HANN and RICHARD KNOWLER
Canterbury may be celebrating another Super rugby trophy but many fans have been left wondering just how and when the Crusaders won the match.
It was not only the one-eyed nature of most Cantabrians that made it hard for them to see what was happening on Saturday night â€" the fog which rolled across the stadium about 6pm meant spectators at Jade Stadium and at home struggled to see any of the match not played directly in front of them or the TV cameras.
For the faithful who turned out at the ground, what should have been New Zealand's showpiece final turned into a guessing game in which spectators had to rely on the cheers or otherwise of supporters at the opposite end of the ground to work out just what was going on. Dozens of people left upper seats at half time, presumably to see if the television coverage was any better.
Sarah Persico was looking forward to watching the final from one of the Hadlee stand's corporate boxes, but conditions were so bad she could not see the other end of the pitch for most of the game.
"The score kept changing but we didn't know why. We had to listen to the cheering and try and work it out. Luckily the only try was scored right in front of us so it was worth it."
The friends who had received Persico's original tickets in the Paul Kelly stand did not fare much better.
"We sent them a text and they replied to say great seats but they couldn't see a bloody thing."
Despite not being able to see most of the game, Persico felt it was right that it went ahead.
"I think the teams adapted well to the conditions and I think the standard of rugby was still good. What else could they have done? Everything was in place for Saturday night â€" I don't think they could have changed it."
Met Service forecaster Erick Brenstrum said a combination of early morning rain, a bright afternoon and light winds were to blame for the fog.
While the Met Service had not specifically predicted fog, Brenstrum said it was not unusual for the Garden City to experience it at this time of year. What did surprise him was how early in the evening it appeared.
The light winds and the warmer weather during Saturday afternoon would have contributed, Brenstrum said. "Early morning rain and light winds are a recipe for fog. The warmer weather in the afternoon would have led to higher humidity as well, which all contributes.
"If the wind gets up to more than 15 knots, you tend to get low cloud, but on Saturday the wind was only around 10 knots in Christchurch, so we got fog instead."
Fog is the same as cloud, but has contact with the ground. It occurs when moisture from the surface of the Earth evaporates, moves upward, cools and condenses.
Paul Humphreys, who watched the match in Queensland, emailed The Press describing it as a "bizarre joke". "Christchurch is very prone to evening sea fog rolling in at this time of the year, and the game should have been scheduled as an afternoon match. Those supporting the game in person should be refunded," he said.
But Paul Holland, who also watched the match on television, said the game should have gone ahead.
"Games have been in far worse conditions. As far as refunds for tickets go â€" why? You pays your money, you takes your chances. If it is good enough for the players to turn up and play, then the crowd got what they paid for. A game of rugby and a Super 14 Championship."
Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach admitted the final may have been called off if the fog had endangered the safety of the players and spectators. But, after consulting the New Zealand Rugby Union, teams, match officials, broadcasters and key sponsors, it was decided the game should proceed.
"In the end it was a relatively comfortable decision in that nobody was saying it should be called off," Riach said. "It may not have had to get too much worse (to be called off) but the collective view was that the game should proceed."
However, Riach later told a radio station that the Crusaders were aware of the concerns and frustrations with the fans, and would investigate today if there was anything they could do.
When the players trudged off the field following the 19-12 win to the Crusaders, nearly all of them said the conditions were "bizarre".
The administrators were no different, but said they were comfortable in their decision, despite spectators being unable to see all of the field, and the fog seriously affecting television coverage.
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