The Tron hits the spot for Sevens conversion
AFTER losing it’s lustre in Wellington, the Sevens was back with a bang in Hamilton – just don’t let it get too ‘PC’, punters say.
Despite an overcast day in the Waikato, fancy dress was the name of the game off the field at FMG Stadium.
Dressed in a bright orange prawn suit and surrounded by a bunch of similarly-attired mates was Tirau’s Hayden Wade, in the thick of the party zone.
He’s a sevens veteran, attending every Wellington tournament plus a few extras in London, Hong Kong and Scotland.
And coming from just up the road in Tirau, Wade said he was ‘‘pumped’’ to be partying close to home. ‘‘I played here at the stadium as a young fella so it’s got a bit of nostalgia for me.’’
Wade hoped the new venue would give the tournament a fresh start. ‘‘I hope this stays in Hamilton for a lot longer and I hope that they can get rid of the PC rules.’’
Don’t let it get ‘‘too PC’’ was echoed by Auckland’s Ben Gilbert and Wellington’s Paul Rogers, both dressed as Goku from Dragon Ball Z.
‘‘I love Hamilton. It’s a little bit less restrictive,’’ Gilbert said. ‘‘You don’t feel like you’re getting hounded. That’s what killed the Wellington Sevens.’’
Rogers has experienced two sold-out Sevens events and said Hamilton was going better than the last Wellington Sevens.
Punters were also impressed with the views of the field. ‘‘I think because Waikato is a purposebuilt rugby stadium you can get a lot closer,’’ Havelock North’s Russell Farmery said. ‘‘It adds to the atmosphere.’’
There was also a healthy dose of first-timers, including Ethan Carter, who was dressed as comedian Billy T James and making the most of the party zone. ‘‘It’s awesome. I’ll be back next year.’’
Amongst all the good times, there were a few teething issues including long queues for bars, complaints at the switch to lowalcohol drinks and reported problems using the money preloaded on wristbands. Tug of love teen wows crowd at Sevens Sport, p17-19