Experiencing the hostilities of a Trans-Tasman clash, the World Cup Final, and work, work, work

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I mentioned in an earlier blog that in working on the farm, I knew what hard work felt like. For three long weeks in Auckland, hard work took on a whole new meaning!
My new role as labourer extrordinaire took me into unchartered territories. After making a mess of painting a wall (how I managed it I do not know), I was tasked with assisting in erecting a wall. Thankfully I really was the assistant, otherwise the whole building probably would have collapsed, and after two days of heavy lifting, a masterpiece to rival Hadrian was there for all to see.
By this time, the hype surrounding the New Zealand vs Australia semi-final was in full swing and as a result of the on-field skirmishes between All Black captain Richie McCaw and Aussie fly-half Quade Cooper, the encounter contained some added spice.
Even though rugby embodies the passion and national identity of New Zealand, tickets for the game were incredibly still not sold out. I would have assumed that every Kiwi would want to say they were there when the All Blacks put one over on their big brothers 'across the ditch'. So for the small price of $800, £400 to us British folk, I took the plunge and bought the hottest ticket in town.
The Friday before the match I met up with Gav, a mate who I had first met on the bus from Taupo the weekend of the Ireland vs Australia game. Conveniently Ponsonby was our meeting place for our beer filled evening, and as I hadn't fully explored what many of the quirky bars had to offer, it was good to really get involved with how the locals party in the more exclusive part of town.
One of the highlights of a very entertaining evening was bumping into a rather drunk looking Andy Powell, the Welsh flanker. After a handshake and a very Welsh 'alright pal how you doing alright' we left him to his pint and went in search of food.
It was quite early in the morning when a reasonably intoxicated Tom Andrew Bacon esquire discovered a love affair with Burger Fuel, quite literally the best fast food burger joint I have ever been to. It's so good in fact, that I am dedicating the forthcoming paragraph to describing to you how incredible the chicken burger was.
The bun was toasted ever so slightly, and the chicken was grilled to perfection. However it was the Mexican salsa filling that really brought it to life. The kick that it gave really left an impression on my tongue, not so much that I couldn't eat anymore, but just enough to really taste the salsa. In a nutshell it was EPIC!
Anyway...the following morning I had the hangover of all hangovers, and Darren kindly agreed to give my the weekend off, so that I could a) recover, and b) immerse myself in the atmosphere of the pre-match festivities. The seat I had was in between the 22 metre line and the 10 metre line, so it was an incredible view and the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric. The looks on the All Blacks faces really gave the impression that they meant business, and as a result, the passion and energy of the haka sent a shiver down the spine of everyone.
Quade Cooper putting the kick-off into touch on the full, really set the tone for a disappointing Australian performance. New Zealand on the other hand were simply sublime. Full-back Israel Dagg was in my opinion the star of the show, and the skill he showed in creating the first try for Ma'a Nonu, demonstrated why he was one of the players of the tournament.
One of the key talking points prior to the game was the battle between flankers David Pocock and Richie McCaw. In recent years, Pocock has become a real force in the number seven jersey, however he was completely outplayed by an injured McCaw. In the end, the All Blacks deserved their 20-6 victory and looked ahead to the World Cup final against a French team they had outplayed in their pool encounter.
After my weekend off, it was back to the grindstone, back to waking up at 5.30 and the subsequent 12 hour slog. To my delight...not, the finished walls needed to be sanded, and as I was the apprentice, or as I had been christened 'mascot', it was my task to sand from top to bottom. Anyone who has sanded before will know that it is a torturous exercise, and this experience was no different. Honestly, I never want to see a sanding block ever again!
During the week of the final, the last of the tickets were released on a first come first serve basis. Unfortunately I was at work, with no access to the Internet, so my aspirations of going to the World Cup Final were royally buggered.
However across the pond in Sydney, Darren who was spending a few days at home had other ideas. Somehow, and I still don't know how he managed to do this, he bought 8 tickets. Yes 8!
Soon after I had heard this unbelievable news, my phone rang..it was Darren. 'Im sorry to say Tom, but I've got you a ticket to the Final', cue several minutes of jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day. Excited was an understatement!
Those next few days of work seemed really really slow until Sunday finally came about. After an annoying couple of hours work, one of which was spent in the toilet with 'tap-arse' (an Aussie term I picked up, meaning the shits) we all left early to soak up the atmosphere of final day, which meant getting on the beers and firing up the BBQ.
I've had the pleasure of experiencing many BBQ's before, but never one that has been cooked by an Aussie. The barbecue is most definitely their domain, and the smell of steaks, burgers and sausages really were fantastic.
The fan trail was gradually becoming busier, so myself, Darren, Matt, Kenny and Nelson decided to hit the bars and gradually work our way down towards the stadium. The bridge over the highway was a sea of black shirts, and the students who had erected a big screen outside their houses were really making some noise.
Due to Nelson not having a ticket for the game Darren went in search of one, and rather quickly returned with one in his hand. The smile on Nelson's face lit up and he was excited as all of us. It was a real highlight of the evening.
We made our way to the seats with beers in hand, 3 rows from the front, just next to the players tunnel, and the focus of attention quickly turned away from how amazing the view was, to why Darren was wearing an England football shirt to a rugby match. Mass laughter ensued, not just from us but from an entire army of Kiwis!
As both teams lined up in the tunnel, I managed to get my camera over the railings and photograph Richie McCaw. The focus in his eyes was unbelievable, and as the teams ran out to what would be the biggest occasion of their lives, the noise shot up. The decibel meter would have probably broken!
As the anthems were completed and the French team prepared to face the haka, Hayley Westenra, the soprano who was charged with singing 'God Defend New Zealand' made her way to the touchline and was standing only a matter of feet in front of me. I leaned over and said 'well done that was really good', to which she smiled. It was pretty sweet, and I had a massive grin on my face thereafter!
The intensity of the haka was yet again plain to see, however the French responded my advancing in unison. They were clearly up for the challenge and for the next 80 minutes, they re-envigorated their somewhat lacklustre World Cup campaign by dominating the All Blacks.
Early penalties were exchanged up until half-time until the French skipper, talisman Thierry Dusautoir went in for a try under the posts. Suddenly Eden Park went very quiet and when fly-half Aaron Cruden was substituted through injury, it seemed the All Blacks were living up to their name as chokers.
Cue Stephen Donald, recently signed for Bath Rugby and someone who had a chequered career in the All Blacks jersey. As if the pressure wasn't high enough with his team behind on the scoreboard, he came on to a massive ovation, and proceeded to kick what turned out to be the winning penalty. Amazing!
With minutes to go, finger nails were being bitten and hearts were in people's mouths. If Eden Park had a roof, it certainly would have been blown off with the noise of 60,000 screaming New Zealanders as Jimmy Cowan booted the ball out of play to signal the end of the match.
Everybody was embracing and breathing a huge sigh of relief, for the first time in 24 years, New Zealand had delivered the World Cup.
The return leg of the fan-trail was incredible, flags were being waved and even though there was an alcohol ban on the streets, the beers were flowing.
Amongst the hoards of fans, seemingly out of nowhere, Kenny yelled 'its Richard Branson' and soon enough I was standing next to him in his All Black jersey with 'Sir Richie 7' on the back (nice touch). I shook his hand and said 'it's a pleasure to meet you', to which he said 'nice to meet you too'.
I had been told that because New Zealand is such a small country, the chance of coming across famous people is likely. However I really didn't expect to meet someone of Richard Branson's stature.
After partying hard and all night long, I arrived back at the house at around 6am, and sure enough I couldn't be asked to go to work.
My last week in Auckland was more of the same, however with plenty of tidying up to do. I returned to Hastings a happy bunny and having earned some good money!

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Photos

All out attack for the All Blacks
Cory Jane evades the despairing attempts of Quade Cooper during New Zealand's swmi-final win over the Australians

Frailties at scrum time
The powerful All Black scrum dominated a seemingly weak Aussie pack

A man of the match performance
Full-back Israel Dagg shows why he is the natural successor to Mils Muliaina in the #15 jersey

An Australian lineout
Stephen Moore preparing to throw a lineout

Pre-match shenanigans on final day
A typical Aussie BBQ, beers, steaks and good humour

An England football jersey
Need I say more

The prize they both so craved
The Webb Ellis trophy is proudly displayed before the commencement of the final

The biggest game of their lives
The look of determination on the skippers face says it all

This is how close we were
Imanol Harinordoquy calls a lineout during waves of French pressure

24 years of waiting
Richie McCaw receives the Rugby World Cup from Prime Minister John Key

A proud moment
Richie McCaw clearly saw my shirt and said 'this is what you could have had!'