Its not a case of remembering my first BOP rugby supporters memory.. its more a case of never knowing a time when I did not support them. Those players go out there and sweat and bleed to represent my home provinces honour against the evil of the other NPC teams (I am just waiting for the day when the true sponsor of Waikato comes forward, I can just imagine the Hamilton ground announcer... "Give a big cheer for your team...SATAN'S WAIKATO!!".)

Lets not forget winning is good (very good) but its more about really supporting a team, supporting them enough so that when they are languishing in 2nd division, they are still your team. Supporting a winning team is easy, sure I wish for the easy supporters life, but those times will come again, once the artificial imbalances of the S12 are removed (everyone remember Waikato in the 2nd division in the 80's?... big indeed) times will be good again. And if not? I will still be a fan... although I may lengthen my title to fanatic in that case.

I have many memorable memories of BOP rugby, hearing us lose to Canterbury in the Ranfurly Shield Challenge in the eighties, in the shearing shed with my dad, the commentary on the radio... interrupted by the 'tick....tick...tick' as the electric fence generator interfered with the radio reception. The despair as the try was not awarded (oh for a time machine and a TMO!). More despair as BOP lost the midweek promotion/relegation game to King Country a number of years later. Pride as BOP fans boarded a train to Auckland for a Shield challenge. Relief a few years later that I was in Iran when 'the match that did not happen'... did not happen, so was spared the immediate dismay and heartache. Joy when I saw the midday news on the television saying that BOP were back in the 1st division.

Supporting BOP is a roller coaster ride... but as a famous philosopher once said "Can he who has never known sorrow, ever really know what joy truly is?" You can take your boring winning Auckland's and Canterbury's, your over hyped Wellington, your unfairly advantaged Waikato's and Otago's and shove them up where the sun don't shine, I support BOP cause they are my team and goddamit they are the best team!