Are New Zealand Rugby Supporters Perceived As Being Arrogant?

Question

I ask this because as I check out the forums on here I can't help but notice that anti-All Black supporter sentiment can be found in abundance.

I'll give my point of view here. I believe that New Zealanders are supremely confident in their team. Every test the All Blacks play their supporters are 100% certain their team is going to win (with the exception maybe of playing the Springboks in South Africa). I don't think that any other country can share that confidence and I think that it is sometimes misconstrued as arrogance.

Let me know what you think.

Answer 1

Rugby is the only thing we care about so we are very passionate about it.

Zebra why did Madonna wear Karens jeans? I thought she would have her own?

Answer 2

Yes we are seen as an arrogant nation when it concerns the all blacks. "Especially" by countries who we consider to be our main rugby rivals.  And vice versa. But I think theres a fine line between arrogance and pride. And for me personally beige, I think we are a proud rugby nation and should be "proud" of that fact.

Yes we have a very poor history when it comes to world cup victories and other nations absolutely love to taunt us with that fact. And man does it burn! Especially for a Kiwi like myself who lives in Brisbane surrounded by rugby mad and "proud" Australians. But thats just sports. And at the end of the day and after all the abuse directed at the allblack players and coaching staff, I am still "proud" to be a Kiwi and the all blacks are still my national side that I will always support. Win or lose.

I am proud of and support N.Z teams or persons competing in any respective sporting field. And why shouldnt I.(we)

Also, whats wrong with being confident?  Beige all the ozzys

that I know were all confident that they were going to win the world cup aswell. The irish were confident they would beat the allblacks on the weekend. So it aint just us.

Remember the views displayed by all black fans on this site represent only a very tiny percentage of views viewed by the wider public. Media always plays its negative part as do rival rugby nations.

I was not confident that the all blacks would win the world cup last year,as did "many" all black supporters, but I still supported them and each day I went to work and endeavoured to stick up for my country and its national side, as did all the wallaby supporters. Even after both countries got knocked out in the quaters! And this wasnt threw arrogance, but threw sheer pride in each respective country and there great  sporting rivalry.

Its great sporting competitiveness. It happens in all sports all around the world. Talk the Talk, Walk the walk. unfortunately we seem to trip every four years!!!! arrrrrrgh!!!

Answer 3

Yes i agree with yoy beige. In New Zealand rugby is such a huge part of their national identity. So of course they will feel passionately about their national teams.

I can see how it can be seen as arrogance, but it really is not like that. NZers have such pride for their team going into a game. There is never really any doubt that they will win. Even if we have the underdog tag, it seems that we never give up (as fans) until that final whistle.

So yes i think we may be seen as being arrogant, but it all honestly we are just a sporting mad nation that thrives on sport.

Answer 4

I definetely think there is a lot of truth to that sentiment. I too, read the rugby forums and NZ fans are seen as 'precious' and "up-themselves". I think that there is many one-eyed supporters who think that the All Blacks are invincible, but many others, such as in the lead-up to the world cup last year were nervous and tentative about NZ's chances at winniing. The all blacks are always the favourite going into a world cup, and really this is unwarranted since they hardly set the world on fire with their mediocre perfomances last year.

I really do think that the world cup is overated in the sense that it is just a snapshot in time. More importantly, the game is very transient and forever changing. NZers can be rightly proud of the All Blacks, they have performed well, however, in the case of world cups, it is important to remember that success in non-world cup years doesn't produce success in the world cups. The more you think that a strategy will work (ie. pick-and-go, rotation policy, resting players), the less likely you will think that it doesn't work. Ulimately, the All blacks faltered because of faulty mental models, or 'hubris'. I think that All Black fans need to be less insular in order to recognise the evolution of the gameand opposition teams, but apart from that, I think that the supporters motivate the All Blacks to do well, which is a great thing!

Answer 5

I agree our confidence is sometimes perceived as arrogance, but I also think we are no where near as bad as the South African supporters. The simple fact is we love to see our national team of our national sport performing at their best. So we are gutted if they don't live up to our lofty expectations.

Answer 6

umm, im not sure, i percieve them as being incredibly good looking,

Answer 7

you hit the nail on the head with this one, for true fans being "confident" is the key word. although in saying that there a a lot of people who talk a wee bit too much and come across as arrogant. The majority of us All Black supporters would be quietly confident in the boys and let the play on the pitch do the talking.

Great observations Beige Lantern!!!

Answer 8

I'm a Kiwi as well & like most of us I really enjoy my sports (both participating & watching), it's great watching our fellow countrymen doing well & there's nothing wrong with being confident & proud about our sportspeople (this goes for all of them, not just the All Blacks).

Yes I know Rugby is the national sport & the All Blacks are a culture here, and I think most fans are pretty good, but there are times when some of them go overboard and start hurling abuse & insults at the rival teams & fans, which there is no need for and it is this sort of behaviour which labels the rest as arrogant & up-themselves, I also know there are lots of other countries that are just as bad or worse, but doesn't mean we need to do the same.

I also disagree with the comments that the All Blacks/Rugby are the only team/sport to be proud of in NZ, NZ has world champions in many sports, most of which aren't professional so they can't rely on a lovely fat pay cheque & have to work extra hard to get the sponsorship, which is probably why they are  world champions.

As for the fine line between arrogance & pride, we are all human & it seems to be that when it is one of our teams (eg, All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks etc etc) the best in the world & blowing the trumpet it's pride, when it is someone elses country it's arrogance, something to ponder over

Answer 9

No not really. Rugby Union is the only thing NZ has to boast about. Take that away and there is only sheep.

Answer 10

Well I'm a NZer & a regular gym goer but personally I hate armchair sports & kinda don't get it.  I don't care who wins or loses, I'm not competitive.  I think NZers are arrogant about the all blacks winning & I think this was illustrated in the extreme at the rugby world cup last year.  A couple in their 50's had the audacity to appear on TV complaining in a very angry fashion because they paid for tickets & accomodation re the final because they assumed the all blacks would be in the final.  I mean, what tossers!!!  It's not guaranteed the all blacks will make the final & for the TV crew to bother filming such a thing.  And the couple were throwing a real tantrum too.  That to me is searing arrogance by all parties concerned.  I was actually glad that they lost!!

And to the person above saying rugby is all we have to boast about, er, what about - our fim industry which has had huge success for such a small nation, the whole of our creative industry for that matter - writers (Margaret Mahy just won a huge award last year, the equivalent of an Oscar), fashion designers (Karen Walker has had huge success overseas, Madonna wore her jeans, followed by loads of other well known people, celebs & fashion industry people & another designer had her clothes on many episodes of s*x & The City), musicians, artists & more recently what about Flight of The Conchords?  They won a Grammy & their show is a huge hit.  And now comedian Rhys Darby from that show is about to star in a Jim Carrey movie as Jim's father & he was hand picked for the role by Jim Carrey.  

Get your heads out of the sand.  There's alot more to us kiwi's than sports.  Such an outdated concept to think we're just sportspeople & that's it.

Answer 11

i dont think the AB fans are overly arrogant, but more so the NZ media

Answer 12

Its hard not to be when your team is the best in the world.

Answer 13

We hav the right to be arrogant when every team we play between the world cup gets smacked by us game after game. Once in a while and dear i say in world cup somenoe manages to beat us. But that is mainly due to fluke and stupidity from our own side. But still we win almost or more than 95% of games we play and how can we possibly be concerned or even thinking about defe3at with this kind of winning record.

Answer 14

Yes the majority of us are just great supporters, not arrogant, but I can see why we are seen that way at times. There is a large group of AB supporters who are arrogant, abusive and unpleasent. I find it both embarrasing and shameful the way some of us abuse people from other countries and their teams.

Kiwis have always had a great reputation for being open and friendly and easy to get along with. This is being slowly erroded by AB supporters who make supporters of other teams feel unwelcome and defensive. I wish they would realise that they are not good supporters, they just make out team and our country look bad. I'd really like to see us give other nations the respect they deserve and regain our reputation as a great group of rugby fans who are always good for a laugh.

Answer 15

I think it's confidence no different to the confidence Aussies have in their Cricket team. With an almost 80% win rate over history the AB' s have given fans reason to be confidant.