That rugby thing

I have to admit upfront that I’m not especially interested in sport. I might take an interest in a particular game or series, but, ultimately, it’s just not my thing.

So I was a bit surprised to find myself feeling excited about the start of the Rugby World Cup, especially because it came out of nowhere. I was pretty blasé up until yesterday: The news video of preparations pushed me over the edge into actual excitement.

I’d heard stories about the tourists in Auckland, but I never saw any of them, so it wasn’t real. But seeing the hard work of ordinary Kiwis, well, that did the trick.

Tonight I watched the opening ceremonies, which I thought were awesome. After that, we watched New Zealand beat Tonga 41-10, but that was a kind of icing on the cake after those opening ceremonies.

Of course I cheer for the All Blacks, who I fervently hope will win the World Cup. But between now and then I’ll watch the USA Eagles take on Ireland on Sunday in New Plymouth (6pm NZ, which is 2AM Eastern on Sunday in the Americas). In that match I’m of course cheering for the USA.

I’m not the only binational who cheers for more than one team, but I’m lucky in that there’s no way the USA will reach the finals, so I’ll never have to choose sides. Mostly, I think it’s interesting that I care at all. I’m not especially interested in sport, after all.