Aisle Be Back: The Mighty Bush

Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but one thing struck me during the four hours I spent at the stadium on Saturday.

It first came as the mighty Bush were over-running Horowhenua-Kapiti, and the small but vocal crowd was sunning itself like a contented seal.

It came a second time as the less than mighty Lions stuttered through 80 minutes of not threatening the highlights reel, and it got dark and it got cold.

And it suddenly occurred to me how much more I'd enjoyed watching daytime rugby than early evening rugby.  Better fun, better spectacle. irrespective of the drop in division.

Actually I did have another thought. Which occurred as the Bush scored an eight-point converted try after a two-point penalty goal. An EIGHT point try. Just what was happening here? What was a safe lead?

Fast forward to the second game and the forwards were doing this weird breakdown shuffle and trying not to compete, with defences fanning out even more than usual to snuff out attack

So the second thought was that this wasn't the stadium and the grassroots jewel in the crown of New Zealand rugby. It was guinea pig central.

So now that the function of the comps are clear this year, even if the rules aren't, then how about next year asking for ideas about what to next experiment with in the rugby beaker.

As hopeless as it is to ask, let's try playing everything except the Friday match at 2.30pm in the afternoon.

I don't care if it puts more backsides on seats, though that would be nice, and I don't care if it means Sky doesn't have footy spread across eight hours of the day. If only 3,000 people turned up on Saturday I can't imagine tens of thousands of others are thronging around their TV sets later in the day.

So why not try an experiment? I'm sure the guinea pigs are willing.

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So that's what it feels like to support England. Seven penalties to two tries, what a victory! Well it beats losing.

The Lions will know what's not clicking in the side, and hopefully how to fix it, but it's not immediately obvious.

The new breakdown rules are clearly somewhere in the mix, but there was a distinct lateral feeling to everything and Harbour were gritty defenders.

I am worried Counties-Manukau will give us the runaround, unless the team lifts its game substantially. Fingers crossed because the cross-over games are the ones to win.

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Back to the test arena this weekend, and I'm really interested in seeing how Argentina go against the best.

It's no secret that the All Blacks struggle to break down the Pumas defence. Or at least they have for the past five years or so.

More interesting will be what venom Argentina can muster on attack. That's where they seem to have been broadening their game of late, enough so of course to now regularly threaten the struggling Boks.

They will no doubt be targeting the Wallabies the following weekend - although you've got to figure the Aussies are thoroughly sick of being the
whipping boy this season.

If Argentina can win away though, mark this down as their breakthrough year in the Rugby Championship.

Lifelong All Blacks supporter Kev has followed the Hurricanes since they began. This year his faith in them was rewarded when they won the title. Now he’s holding out hope that the Wellington Lions can again one of these seasons too.