Moods of Rugby Crowd

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 7, 30 July 1930, Page 8

Moods of Rugby Crowd

QUERULOUS, AFFABLE OR EVEN BELLIGERENT NO GREAT ENTHUSIASM. When people' fainted in the unprecedented press of Rugby spectators at Eden Park on, Sat", urday afternoon, they could not be taken through life crowd to receive medical attention on the fringe; instead, they had to be lifted bodily by many hands and passed down to the ambulance men over the beads of the throng. And this was only one aspect of the remarkable pressure of space, states the Auckland Sun. When a small section of those, on the terraces swayed to follow the movement, the motion continued throughout the length of the “hill”, like a vagrant breeze playing on a held of wheat. The gamut of human emotions was run in the monster assembly of -10,000 tremendously keen Rugby enthusiasts. Feverish excitement, chattering armoyande, gloomy despondency, anticipation—-these were only a few of the mass expressions. Yet there was a sense di security in the moh on the terraces. Even 1 hough ;iu insignificant man revealed an unsuspected streak of daring by throwing a. paper bag of scoria rubble at the big man blocking the view of the game only one or 'two feet away, be knew perfectly well that the big man would not be able to reach him. In most parts of thetorraces, individual movements ,was an utter impossibility. IT ouo reached for cigarettes, one’s arms wore caught immovably and a lull in the game had to waited for relief of the tho strain. If Iho big man had carried out his desire to remonstrate with the insignficant but Emboldened assailant, bo would have needed tlio co-opqration of possibly ICO people in the vicinity. Shrill women and girls had a wonderful time. They were able to batter the hats of annoyingly large men in front in absolute immunity from retaliation. LATECOMERS SUCCEED. The thousands who selected positions on, the terraces in the morning really had no great advantage on lute-comers. Late arrivals wore full of grim determination. Thty formed sp;arheads and pierced the ranks of indignant early position holders. Near tho time for the appearance of tho British and New Zealand teams, tho .spearheads were egged on by a wireless announcer, who, from his seat in the grandstand, surveyed the terraces dispassionately and directed the heseigors to weak points in the solid phalanx of people. It wa(s good .generalship of its kind but tho wireless announcer should have been able to hear the opinions of bis manoeuvring flung across tho crowds by “hillites” -whose posticus were endangered.

It required towage to hoist umbrellas even when a heavy chcwer eh v,:htd the terraces. Spectator? behind webe ftinicky about obscured views. Apple cores, scoria., clods of earth, bread crusts and oven unwanted sausage rolls wore missies employed ni iho barrages in certain quarters. Generally the replies were willing. 'I his system of provocating attack is becoming quite the thing at football matches. CROWD RESENTS SCREEN. * The Auckland Rugby Fnion, resentful of the considerable business done by enterprising householders, who built unofficial stands above the terraces, was understood to have the notice of erecting huge screens to shut off the view from these structures. Apparently with the idea of testing the feelings of the ‘indites’ about this, one screen was actually raised. The official sp t.-.ioi. were unanimous in pa,l. eiin.j; the interests of their nit •lieial U dev.-q Willing hands In re. the see 1 i la shreds and the woodwork was crudely fashioned in support' for ilie despoilers. The notion of any move screens was I abandoned. With all this lie’ bub and fuss, attended by small disputes and laughable incidents .t'm < mwd was really not as entlno i.isi ic about tho Test Rugby as ; In' smaller assembly the previous iSatnrdav over Auckland’s eoiujiicst of / Britain. Jnhiliation reached its peak, indeed, whim Mark N.ipholls. (outwitted 'the insitlo hacks and kicked his wonderful field goal. Auckland’s voice was lionrd I hen. Otherwise, the crowd was enthusiastic in patches only. Right and shade. _ . . ORIGINAL H’OUSER ORDERS. Tim people of Dominion Road and | Kingslaml must he counted as original. Some householders, apart from their initiative in setting up private grandstands, are full of profitable dodges. One man had hammered

length of light planking the smaller seats for the Hill slope. Ho sold these easily to the crowds, but. in tho end. the spectators had to abandon all notions of comfortable seats. Everyone Juvd to stand, that was not difficult to do; a person was simply supported by his neighbours. It seemed a brief game. It took most (u people a. second or two to realise when it was nil over. Slowly came tho realisation that New ZeaZealand had consolidated its posit, ion in Test contests, and then small hovs avid numbers of other enthusiasts rushed on to the ground, clustering round the teams. They seemed to do it ns a matter of course, for there was no remarkable demonstration.

Then the horrors of the day really began. With the pressure of thousands behind, one was simplj' a component of a stream of humanity which oozed from 'one or the other o! the gates. DELIGHTFUL CONFUSION. The Auckland Transport T. certainly was prepared. Trains lumIjorod about wherever one looked* with r, avengers Winging to every available support. Delightful confusion, with Ira flic officers and policemen striving manfully to bead vagrant cars and motor-cycles into their correct channels. Taxis came and went u swarms with (jneiulous men haggling with the drivers on receiving information that the cars 'Were engaged already. Still, it was an orderly confusion. All the traffic men went .novae with the sense of glorious mffiivi.vnent. Every motorist knew whore he wrnt. eel to go, and, under the i inistiations of officials, tho ears were 'dtered into their appointed lanes. There was a precipitate rush by motorists info tho by-streets where row after row of cars stretched. With much clattering, tooting -of horns and manoeuvring. the main routes of Sandringham Road or Dominion Road wore reached, and double line of cars and processions of trams groanled citywards. Eden Park was desolate when me crowd nwe moved oft the ground. All manner of rubbish littered the area. Small boys pried and skulked to every corner with speculative eyes and hopes of finding seme vaguelyVisioned treasures. And that was tho hist oV Now Zealand's record football crowd. Every one at Eden Park knew that Auckland established a record. JnbI ilation was now evident. for how could one on the torracs iho joyous with a selection of elbows jogging industriously in one’s ribs even*v minute or so, jbte (distraction of several heated arguments, the discomfiture of the crush and tho persistence of tho man at the back in resting his arms on one’s neck and the menace Of banana .skins thrown from the tdp of the terraces ?