ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Sport
SEEING RED
Craig Chamberlain, 60, from Shirley in Christchurch, has arrived early at Wellington’s Cake Tin ahead of tomorrow’s Super Rugby final between the Hurricanes and Chiefs, and is already firmly settled into what he insists is only half the story.
Wearing a well-worn Crusaders scarf and a supporters flag Chamberlain took his seat a day before kickoff, unimpressed by what he called “confusing misinformation about the fixture.”
“Super Rugby finals don’t run without Crusaders,” he said, adjusting himself into position like someone preparing for a very obvious outcome. “That’s just how it works. You don’t suddenly change the rules because of one bad rumour. Go the mighty Crusaders!” Chamberlain bellowed to any empty stadium with yellow seats.
When told that the Crusaders had, in fact, been eliminated in the semi-final last week, Chamberlain paused briefly, looked at the field, and shook his head.
“Bollocks,” he said. “They’re trying to tell me the Crusaders lost the semi-final and won’t be in the final. That’s just people talking nonsense again. Probably Chiefs supporters, or someone from Wellington trying to manifest things.”
“I had one bloke in a petrol station try to tell me it was Hurricanes v Chiefs,” he said. “ The Crusaders always come out when it matters.’ He just looked at me funny.”
Stadium staff, meanwhile, have reportedly been unsure how to gently explain the situation to him.
“I’ll say it again,” he said. “Super Rugby finals don’t run without Crusaders. Anything else is just a rehearsal.”
More to come.
