Wellington Sevens gone to Heaven

Michael from Pinehaven

Shame on the Wellington City Council and the Wellington Police. Their heavy handed conspiring and fantasy policies killed the Golden Goose that was the IRB International rugby Sevens at Westpac Stadium.

I have been involved with the Sevens in Wellington since it first arrived here in one way or another. It crumbled in Wellington because it ceased being the party that it was seen to be in such cities as Hong Kong. The tournament is ideally suited to teens 18 and over, young and middle aged adults and not children or rugby purists.

The noose was tightened when off-the-field entertainment quality levels dipped several notches and promotion of the event appeared to dry up. But all this happened because the event had become a hard sell thanks to the removal of the " fizz from the bubbly".

It wasn't the costs associated with the event or the food quality that was to blame though the patronage would always wish for competitive pricing and decent nosh. And more decent nosh was served up at least for the past two toirnaments.

The 2016 and 2017 tournaments were disastrous on several fronts as the organisers either ran out of ideas or ran further away from the fun, party aspects.

But the rugby itself always continued to grow in quality and the competitiveness improve.

Here is my wish: that Hamilton has it for two years and then it is offered back to Wellington who have come up in the meantime with a great plan - something like back to the past when tickets were sold out in a few minutes.