I was fortunate enough to travel to Auckland, New Zealand to attend both of the 2011 RWC Semi-Finals, as well as the titanic Final between the mighty All Blacks and neversay-die French XV. Outside of attending these matches I represented Indonesian Rugby at the Tenth IRB General Assembly on Monday October 17 and also found time in between the Semis and the Final to visit family and friends outside of Auckland in the Hamilton- Rotorua-Waihi region, including time to attend the “50+1 Year Reunion” at the Waihi Athletic Rugby Club where I played in 1995-96.

To understand New Zealand, one has to understand that the country and its people live and breathe rugby, and for the 7 week duration of the 2011 RWC, they all lived in hope that the All Blacks could pull it off after 24 years of anguish since winning the inaugural RWC back in 1987. Sitting in Eden Park on Sunday October 23, one could sense that there was an amazing amount of tension as the French and All Blacks played their hearts out, followed by a strong sense of relief when that final whistle was blown and the All Blacks had won with the narrowest of margins in the lowest scoring RWC Final of all time. It was ironic that the final score of 8-7 matched the last time the All Blacks had triumphed in ’87!  New Zealand as a country has been on an emotional roller-coaster ride over the past year following the Pike River Coal Mine Accident and the Christchurch Earthquake, so the All Black’s 2011 RWC win has been welcomed by the people of NZ as more than just a sporting triumph, but as a triumph of human spirit in a time of great heartache and tragedy.

Aside from the RWC, I was also fortunate enough to catch up with Tom Hudson and Jodie Burton who managed to cycle side by side 28,000km from Twickenham in London to Eden Park in Auckland. Tom and Jodie stopped by in Jakarta in early June on their travels to NZ and I was able to present them with a Rhinos jersey signed by the 2011 Indonesian National Team and Coach, Duncan Hall to include in their display at the Ponsonby Rugby Club in Auckland. When I went to visit them at their display I was surprised to meet up with former All Black legend, Bryan Williams, who is a Ponsonby Club stalwart and President of the NZRFU, as well as Brendan Cannon and the TV crew from Foxsports Australia. Tom and Jodie’s combined efforts in riding all the way to NZ, surely epitomised the triumph of human spirit against the tyranny of distance.Having visited NZ many times over the years, as well as living there in 1994-96, means that I have seen a lot of changes take place in the country, but what really struck me on this visit is just how much the recent Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants have embraced NZ as their home and the All Blacks as their team. To see so many of these people dressed in Black alongside those born in NZ at Eden Park and at the All Blacks Victory Parade on Monday in Auckland, showed me how these people have embraced “Kiwi Culture” especially given that the All Blacks play such a huge role in the daily life of NZ society.

The people of NZ did a superb job in making all visitors feel welcome in their beautiful country due to the level of warmth and hospitability they expressed to all, and to be honest I’m proud of their efforts given my Kiwi heritage on my father’s side of my family. Now I’m not saying I’m now an All Black supporter (the Wallabies are still my team, when I am not supporting the Rhinos) but you have to admire the humility of most Kiwis despite the magnitude of Sunday night’s win and what it means in terms of bragging rights for the next 4 years in the World of Rugby. The core values of respect, camaraderie and spirit that make Rugby a great sport were clearly evident throughout my 10-day stay in NZ and I will always look back with fond memories on an amazing trip to Aotearoa.