North Harbour is constantly derided for its lack of fans. Because we at harbourrugby.com live on the Shore, we know why this is:

1) Our old people have spent much of their lives accumulating wealth and have done it very well. When you have bought a 76-inch flat-screen telly, a $10,000 lounge suite from which to watch it, and a case of boutique Trappist Monk Ale imported specially from Belgium, leaving the house loses its appeal. The ones who do all have tickets to the corporate boxes and end up watching on the T.V.s inside the lounges at the stadium.

2) Our teenage boys are chock-full of parent-supplied beer, and would far rather jump in their parent-supplied cars with an R.T.D-imbibed vixen in the passenger seat, and drive it up and down East Coast Road at 120kph.

3) Most of the rest of the people are armchair rugby enthusiasts who have never played the game but who, with their accounting degrees, believe it makes them smart enough to talk about bygone matches they've never seen ("I prefer the Super 12, mate") and a prematurely-ended personal rugby career ("dodgy knee, mate") that they've never played.

Then there are the select few who do care. Here are hearty slaps on the back to those who have captured the attention of harbourrugby.com for their passion:

1) Sean Sweeney.
In the NZ Herald on October 12, 2005, there was an article about his son (Craig) in London who has undergone a heart transplant and who received a support letter from Jonah Lomu. Sean Sweeney was born in South Africa and said that he supports Harbour and "anyone who plays Auckland". That we have to turn to South Africans to find our best fans - the ones who appreciate that a little bit of hatred in sport helps to fuel passion - is sad, but a sign of the times.

2) Five unnamed characters in Rotorua for the Harbour game.
From where I was sitting, these 3 guys and 2 girls looked like late-teens. They arrived at the ground in Rotorua waving flags, wearing old-style jerseys, and looking inebriated. They took up residence - in the cold and the pissing rain, and wearing shorts - on the open terrace and proceeded to own it. I don't know who they are but they remind us of us 10-15 years ago. Great work.