North Harbour vs Southland Rugby Park, Invercargill 2:35pm, Saturday 13 August 2010
23	25
Tries: J Parsons, I Finau Cons: B Botica (2) Pens: B Botica (3)	Tries: S Cowan (2), T Cornforth Cons: J Wilson (2) Pens: J Wilson (2)
Halftime: 20 - 7

The Rant:

I don't care that we almost won the Ranfurly Shield, we have only won 1 game in 7 and that is a fact.

I don't care we subbed off our captain again and changed the players who were actually our best performers.

I don't care the ref didn't go to the TMO and possibly the ball was knocked on previously from the penalty.

I don't care we played poorly in the last 20 and let them back in it.

The Game:

They scored in 80 seconds, which in itself wasn't all that surprising, but it did dent the hopes of bringing the Shield back to Albany. Our next 40 mins was very good, Parsons scored, Finau scored after a great break from Raikuna and with Botica kicking it from everywhere - things looked good. Half-time 20-7. Cowan scored, they blew us off the ball, the rain emptied from Satan's weakened bladder and Cowan scored the controversial winner and we lost. We are no strangers to losses where the RS is concerned but this was the light for us in a tunnel of sewers and now it is gone, gone I say.

The End:

If you are anything like me and have watched Harbour for a bit, you start to become very fatalistic about the new season, in the main due to witnessing the previous one.

Every August you get a bit excited again but temper this with a defensive mechanism knowing the worst will most likely occur. The problem with this impending sense of doom is that it becomes self perpetuating, and you need Professor Dumbledore and the attractive Hermione to get you out. You do it of course to protect yourself from further hurt and to keep alive the memories of teams gone by. (1994 for instance)

I am now in a cruel cycle of despair, I feel strange comfort in losing, I get motion sickness when we are ahead. I hurt when we lose and my workmates mock me like I was a 140kg pubescent with no sporting ability and only a Star Trek lunch-box to show for the first 14 years of life.

I miss when once we were a proud Union, I miss the days of unpredictable talent and explosive runs. These days are rubbish and I wonder how long the "implementation of change" Wilson talked about on Radio Sport will take, before change itself is evident.