Poneke Diary Week 7-8

Every year, Michigan Rugby sends a few select players to travel to Wellington, New Zealand for the summer and have the opportunity to learn and play with the local club, Poneke FC. Kiyan Jacobs, Noah Alvarez, Regan Plank, and Sam Glusker are currently there and documenting their experiences. This entry concerns June 30th through July 14th.

Throughout last week, I travelled with my family up the North Island, which only further opened my eyes to the diversity in culture throughout New Zealand. For every new region that we visited, it felt like we had entered a different country. The main contrast that I saw was between Wellington and Auckland. Auckland was much more corporate, modern, and honestly more bland than the artsy, older feel that Welllington has. While on our trip, I also learned more about Maori culture, and even got to watch the All Blacks first test match vs. France at a bar in Auckland, which was packed to the point where you’d think the Super Bowl was on. 

After returning last Tuesday, my roommates and I geared up for our last week and a half in Wellington. On Wednesday, we went out to a local bar to watch the final State of Origin Rugby League match of the series. It was interesting to see the audience interested in the game and how it compared to Rugby Union fans. The demographic seems younger for League, and definitely a little smaller, maybe due to the fact that, at the end of the day, both teams are from a different country. 

At practice on Thursday, we found out that Regan would be starting at flanker for our game on Saturday, and Noah and I would be coming in off the bench. We were eager to make an impact in this top-bracket playoff matchup that we had qualified for. As the sixth seed, we had squeaked into the upper level for playoffs, which, while already a huge accomplishment that doesn’t seem to be tradition for the Poneke Colts, meant we had a tough game away against Tawa coming up, and our season would be over if we lost. 

We woke up Saturday morning eager to play. While the past couple of days had been rainy, the weather at Tawa was supposed to hold up. We got off the bus at the field to clear skies, and the pleasant weather held for the first ten minutes of the game, still gridlocked at 0. However, as if a light switch had been turned on, rain started pouring down and wind started picking up instantaneously. The rest of the game was played in a cold, wet, mud bowl. Perfect rugby weather. Tawa was known for having some of the biggest guys in the league, and that quickly became apparent. Our entire team was tested throughout the match, double-tackling, running fancy pod plays, and pounding the rock through the mud. Unfortunately, our fight wasn’t enough, and we ended up falling to Tawa. 

Postgame, spirits were surprisingly high. People were just happy to be able to play as a team, and everyone knew that just because the season was over, this wasn’t the end. One amazing thing about rugby is how the community it fosters lasts for years and years to come. Players will continue playing for a club all the way through adulthood, even just in a social manner, and go to war with their boys every Saturday. Through spending time with the Colts and Ruffnuts teams, I noticed this was especially true at Poneke.

After showering, eating, and changing, we had a pretty quick turnaround to the All Blacks test match which we would be attending in person that evening. We met up with our teammate Arjey before the game, and quickly began walking north to Sky Stadium. Once inside, we caught the end of the Black Ferns game, the New Zealand women’s national team, in which they put up a dominant performance over Australia. After warmups and anthems, the All Blacks performed an incredible Haka, which was special to see in person. In a very entertaining game, the All Blacks beat France 43-17, making up for their close win the week prior. In a crowded environment full of tens of thousands of All Blacks fans, and even a surprising number of France fans, seeing this game in person was a truly special experience.

After a very eventful Saturday, these past couple of days have been pretty mellow. We’ve been figuring out logistics for our upcoming trip, excited to get to explore a completely different part of the country in a completely different manner. As we come up on the end of our trip, we’re truly realizing our role as residents in Wellington, and how leaving, in a way, feels like moving away rather than just coming home from a trip. These next couple of weeks should prove to be a complete switch of perspective, though, and one which I’m eager to explore.