An eight, seven moment

It’s still hard to believe, but the All Blacks did it, just.

Photo montage/Getty Images

It may be the long-lasting delayed effect of a mass hangover, but people are certainly acting a little differently since we won the Rugby World Cup. After the game, on the night, it was as if I had some form of concussion and I wandered about in a daze for hours. It really wasn’t until I awoke the next day that the win began to slowly sink in. Others seemed in a similar state. Early on the Monday I staggered out our gate, heading for the cafe at the top of the street for an overdue caffeine fix. A guy I’d never met before was pushing a pram in the same direction. Staring forward with a glazed look, he grunted, “Eight, seven.”

“Yeah, just one point. Eight, seven,” I agreed, shaking my head.

‘It’s going to become a new national expression. Eight, seven,” he suggested. His theory was we’d all begin using the phrase to describe a narrow victory – a hard-fought win that sapped all the joy and strength from the moment. Two words that summed up getting there, but only just. In years to come people will answer questions, such as “How did that exam go?” “Eight, seven.”

If John Key wins November’s election by just one seat, he could tell reporters “Eight, seven” and we’d all know what he meant. Actually, a narrow win or even a loss for National is entirely possible. With the opinion polls putting National streets ahead, there is a feeling the Key-led Government will romp home, which in turn leads to a feeling of complacency among National supporters. It would only require one in 10 who voted National at the last election to decide to stay home or vote differently for this Government to fall. That thought should give a little heart to the Left and induce a spasm of fear in the Right, because overconfidence is a very dangerous thing, if the World Cup is anything to go by.

From the very first pool matches I was convinced the Mighty All Blacks would win the tournament, but just a few minutes into the final on that Sunday night all my certainty evaporated to be replaced by dread. Right up until the final whistle I was awaiting the French drop goal or penalty that would seal our fate for another four miserable years. I suspect most of us were. We were so wrung out by the tension of those 80 dreadful minutes we ended up shell-shocked, unable to quite believe the “Eight, Seven” on the scoreboard.

As the days have passed the mood has lightened a little, the victory parades finally convincing us the result was true. To me it seems as if we’re all a little nicer, more pleasant to each other. Over the years I’ve become so used to the post-World Cup funereal blues that I haven’t realised the national mood could actually be elevated by a win.

I’m not one who believes a World Cup victory will automatically ensure a win for National come the election, but John Key will be murmuring a small prayer of thanks to the rugby deity for at least allowing the country’s gloom to lift a little thanks to RWC 2011. With the Pike River mine disaster, the Christchurch earthquakes, the environmental damage from the wreck of the Rena, plus a couple of credit-agency downgrades in a recession with no apparent end, you could be forgiven for feeling a bit depressed over the past year or so. A nationwide six-week party was just what we needed to break out of despondency.

Quite what we’ll do for the next six weeks is the problem. With no rugby games to watch, no matches to analyse in post-mortems, no players to idolise, what the hell will we do now? I tried getting excited about the Black Caps playing Zimbabwe but failed dismally. It’s not the same. I doubt we can inject the same degree of excitement and tension into watching the election campaign unfold. Phil Goff is unlikely to be red-carded and sent off for eye-gouging John Key in a televised leaders debate. Nor will Bill English be sin-binned for a spear tackle on David Cunliffe. Although, I must admit, it does seem as if the entire Act Party has suffered a collective groin strain. The only thing that might spice up the event is if we get an “Eight, Seven” result for one of the main parties on election night.

Duller still is the referendum on the voting system. You don’t find a lot of proportional representation fans going around chanting, “Allez le MMP!” Maybe we could have a new system where 120 MPs play off against each other until only one is left standing. It worked out okay for the World Cup, even if it was an “Eight, Seven”.