Charm offensive

It’s been fascinating watching the usually arrogant and uppish New Zealand Rugby Union take its medicine and turn on the charm. It’s hugely obvious that they’ve had a scare in the last 18 months and some of the actions taken around the country in the first week or so of Super Rugby have been evidence of this…

• Fans allowed onto AMI Stadium post match round 1. (Don’t believe it was only AMI Stadiums initiative)
• Conrad Smith doing a half-time interview at the Cake-Tin just tonight. Eh?
• Blues coach Pat Lam appearing on Re-Union. A coach.
• Last night in Dunedin, 15-20 plain clothed eight year-olds sprinting around Carisbrook minutes before kick-off.
• Michael Jones doing something in a helicopter pre-Hurricanes v Blues week 1.
• Demanding that players (and refs) are more positive.

A fantastic start. Sky Sports could take a leaf out and scaffold these improvements:

1. Censor Grant Nisbett from using the words “fires the pass” or “fires it out to…”
2. Get rid of Willie Lose NOW
3. Send Ian Jones on a speech therapy course
4. Get more guys like Grant Fox who actually have a rugby brain
5. Charisma, sports callers with charisma

Back to the NZRU charm offensive. The old dog has shifted a little. The question is, will it last? I hope so. Though, I still can’t sit through a whole game of rugby. It’s alot better, but it’s still just too slow. Like watching grass grow.

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