Resort break: Enjoying some R&R in the Wakatipu are (from left) Queenstowner Dave Gardiner, Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph, Highlanders star signing Hosea Gear and Queenstowner Stacy Coburn
“Where the hell ...” said my slightly boozed Aussie mate, “ ... is that?”
I was in Sydney on a stag do and this Aussie and I had just walked into a Balmain pub, the fourth – or maybe it was the fifth? – in a bar crawl that started at lunchtime.
On entering, my mate had looked straight up at a big screen showing a Super rugby fixture in Queenstown between the Highlanders and Perth-based Western Force. Blowing his mind was a stunning shot of the Events Centre rugby ground dwarfed by the towering Remarkables mountain range.
The rest of the stag’s Aussie buddies – numbering about 20 – were just as awestruck ... well, the ones who’d never been here.
It was nice to be able to tell them that that was where I’d just come from. Immediately, the conversation turned to the fact they’d all have to pay me a visit sometime.
Such is the power of TV imagery.
I have to say even I was a bit in awe to see the Events Centre main oval on the box in all its glory like that. It truly does look sensational – and a bit surreal when you see televised rugby or cricket being played in such a setting.
There really is no other ground like it. That was back in April 2010 and it’s undeniable Queens-town is going to be an increasingly important tool for the resurgence of the Highlanders.
We’re already seeing some fantastic stuff happening in the Wakatipu to support the franchise.
Just last week, coach Jamie Joseph brought the squad through for a bonding trip – they played backyard cricket at the Recreation Ground with locals before heading off to Glenorchy for hunting, fishing and tramping.
Not only did the local business fraternity rally around to make them feel welcome, the Davies family threw in some lodge accommodation for the side.
Davies’ family company Trojan, as revealed in Mountain Scene today, has also stumped up significant dough to ensure the key signing of Hosea Gear. It doesn’t end there – Queenstown’s Locations Realty jumped on board last season as a sponsor.
And in the background, Good Group chief executive Russell Gray – a man with strong Otago rugby ties – has started a Southern Lakes rugby scholarship fund that aims to keep promising young talent in the area. The fund chipped in to help pin down the signature of in-demand youngster Michael Collins, who hails from Queenstown and has signed with Otago fresh from finishing secondary school.
Despite all this we’re unlikely to see many more games come our way, given the new whizzbang $200 million roofed stadium in Dunedin. It’s a shame because the marketing flow-on of Queenstown imagery on TV is invaluable. We’re getting a warm-up game in February, so I suppose that’ll have to do.
Queenstown deserves more, though. And I’m not just talking match fixtures. It seems logical that the Highlanders should be based in Queenstown for a decent chunk of the Super rugby season.
The resort proved during the Rugby World Cup that it has the facilities to properly host heavyweight international teams like England and Ireland ... and keep them entertained off the field.
Plus, no offence Dunedin, but I’d bet it’s a far more attractive proposition for the players. Just ask Gear.
How about it – games in Dunedin, training in Queenstown?
Maybe with the recent separation of the Highlanders management from the Otago Rugby Football Union such an idea may gain traction.
