‘Not too PC’
Happy Sevens fans hail Hamilton
After losing its lustre in Wellington, the Sevens were back with a bang in Hamilton yesterday, and the new location got the thumbs-up from fans in the party zone.
Just don’t let it get too ‘‘PC’’, punters say.
They came dressed as everything from Jedi masters to prawns and Fred Dagg, the stands filling during an overcast day in Hamilton.
Wearing 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 down the road in Tirau, Wade said he was ‘pumped’ to be partying it up at a tournament in Hamilton.
‘‘I played here at the stadium as a young fella so it’s got a bit of nostalgia for me.’’
Wade and ‘‘the boys’’ decided on their costumes in honour of a mate who reportedly ‘‘smashes the prawns’’ in any all-you-can-eat situation.
He reckons police should arrest the idiots but let everyone else have a good time.
‘‘I hope this stays in Hamilton for a lot longer and I hope that they can get rid of the PC rules,’’ he said.
He wanted to be able to get ‘‘happy drunk’’ in a safe environment and liked the Hamilton system of different zones for party people, hardcore rugby fans, and families.
The ‘‘not too PC’’ sentiment was echoed by Auckland’s Ben ‘‘Biggi’’ 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.’’
‘‘It was sort of all PC.’’ Rogers has experienced two sold-out Sevens events and said Hamilton’s was going better than the last Wellington tournament.
It hadn’t matched the heyday levels yet but ‘‘it’s only day one’’.
Amongst all the good times, there were a few teething issues.
As the afternoon wore on, punters started to complain about queues at bars and the switch to low-alcohol drinks.
Some also reported problems using the money pre-loaded on their wristbands.
But first-time Sevens punter Ethan Carter, who went as comedian Billy T James, complete with yellow towel and black singlet, was a convert.
‘‘It’s awesome. I’ll be back next year.’’