Stop worrying Syd

Open up the paper (figuratively speaking of course, I'm still a tight bastard and read it on the internet for free) and the first headline that screams out at me is:

IRB chief worried by NZ's strength

Oh this should be good ...

International Rugby Board chairman Syd Millar is concerned about the ascendancy of New Zealand in world rugby. Millar said it was not good or healthy for rugby to have one or two dominant countries.

It might not be "good or healthy" for rugby, but it's farkin marvellous for the nation of New Zealand. C'mon Syd, we are a small nation of sports-lovers, who crave sporting success far beyond our size. Please allow us this one sport, just this one, where we can go around and consistently shaft whatever and whoever the world throws at us (including Australia). Our nation's health depends on it.

It's not as if we win EVERY game. Especially ones that roll around every four years. Gee, I think we even lost a game last year - but we had to give Rodney So'oialo to the other team in order to do so. So leave us alone Syd and stop worrying, NZ at the top of the rugby tree is helping keep the global suicide rate down which is far more important than whatever it is you're worrying about. You of all people should understand - you come from a small country yourself - Ireland isn't it? - just imagine if your country had to endure life without sporting supremacy in .... (thinking hard for something Ireland is good at) ... oh yes, that's it, Gaelic Football.

Getting serious for a moment, it's the old "lack of depth" argument:

The criticism constantly made of the (Rugby World) cup is that the growing gap between the major countries and the remainder means the competition is becoming too predictable.

Absolute horse manure. With a few exceptions, ALL sports have the problem of dominant teams and/or individuals and face the "problem" of trying to develop competition. And sport is never predictable - from time to time, Brazil loses a soccer game, Australia loses a cricket game, and yes, even the mighty All Blacks lose a rugby game. And if we turn our attention away from team sports to individual sports, currently we are witnessing two collossi in the biggest individual sports in the form of Federer and Woods.

Don't know 'bout you, but rather than bitch and moan about the supposed "predictability" of sport, I marvel and appreciate the excellence that Federer, Woods, the All Blacks, the Baggy Greens et al bring to my living room via the cathode ray.

Dominance in the sporting world is not a problem. It brings excellence into a sphere of life where excellence is craved, and the few who achieve it invite the rest of the world to catch up. The benefactors are the sports-loving population who watch sport for precisely this reason - yes, competition is nice, but excellence is preferred. I'd much rather watch the All Blacks thrash France by 40 points than Andorra and Norway fumble and bumble their way through 80 minutes, no matter how close the score is.

So stop worrying Syd. A dominant All Black team is actually good for the sport. And there is a chance we'll find a way to fuck it up come October - history is on your side there.