FB Stadium: a home away from home?
A COVERED stadium in the middle of winter with a smooth surface, or a freezing night with a howling southerly making play an absolutely nightmare — which one would you choose? It’s not even a contest, really. With the NRL supposedly kicking off across the Tasman at the end of next month, thoughts immediately switch to the likelihood of Super Rugby or even All Black rugby being played this winter in New Zealand.
New Zealand Rugby has been working on various scenarios for season structures.
But when, or if — and that is a big if — play does kick off it is unlikely to take place in front of crowds.
Under the level system operating in this country in these Covid19 times, even Level 1 only allows gatherings of fewer than 500. That cuts out a crowd of any sort in any stadium. You could not even play a game at Tahuna Park.
So if a crowd is not needed, then home advantage is largely taken away.
That leaves just the broadcaster as the main and most important player.
It pays all the bills, so it will demand a top product.
What does the broadcaster want? An entertaining game with plenty of thrills and spills.
How do you get that? Two talented teams with plenty of enterprise.
Sure, but these days the most important factor is a dry ball and a dry surface. Especially for games in the middle of winter.
And where are you guaranteed to get that?
Under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
A hard and fast track with little or no moisture about brings a way higher chance of a decent game.
Way higher than a freezing open aired stadium in deepest, darkest Addington. Or a game in a wind and rainsoaked Wellington, where the glare of all those empty seats in the capital gives everyone a migraine.
There has been a suggestion of getting all the Super Rugby teams to play in just the one stadium, that being Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The talk has been floating round the South for a couple of days and appears to have merit, although everyone north of the Waitaki River is bound to see drawbacks.
Maybe there are and maybe it is too hard, too farfetched — but these are unique times.
It could be packaged really well and games could be played one after another to give those desperately needing a sporting fix a decent measure of high class sport.
The stadium should be in good nick. It was last played on at the end of February and its irrigation system operates automatically. So it does stack up.
But it probably will not happen. Games will be played at the home of the home teams, even though there will be no home crowd.
Some traditions are just too entrenched to overcome.
Shame, as indoors in the middle of winter is way better than outdoors. Just ask Ernest Shackleton.