Last night me and my daughter thought we’d have a lazy night and surf the wonderful world wide web, more specifically have a good giggle at the never-ending ability for people the world over to post up some very funny, but sometimes unintentionally shaming videos on YouTube. We watched a few wedding dance ensembles, funniest Japanese pranks, and general searches for Samoans, to see what our fellow brethren are up to around the world. There are a couple of Samoan video clips I did want to mention. The first was “Samoan ‘touch My Body’”, an amatuer remake of Mariah Carey’s song ‘Touch My Body’. It was a good laugh, but judging by some of the comments, people thought otherwise. At least she’s a YouTube (super?)star… saved on the world wide web for eternity. The other video clip was entitled “Samoan krump gone wrong” which got us cracking up hard out. Other than the big slap on the head, I found it interesting that although they were Samoans living in America, the video was shot in a sitting room / lounge that I swear looked exactly like my aunty’s in Mangere! There was the big un-authentic persian rugs on the floor, a massive flat screen TV taking up most of the back wall in an already small room, great big lazy boy couches and the image of the last supper on the other wall. Goes to show that it doesn’t matter where in the world us Samoans end up, we all still got ‘fobby’ tastes! hehehe There were a few other YouTube videos where I swear the Samoans in there looked exactly like my cousins down the road, if it wasn’t for their thick American accents. However, we did watch one video clip where it was unmistakable the big islander figure was my brother. It was the recent lakapi / rugby brawl that has occupied the media here in Niu Sila / New Zealand. In one of the semi-finals of the Aukilani / Auckland Secondary Schools First Fifteen Rugby competition, players from both teams, Auckland Grammar School and Kelston Boys High School, along with between 50 and 100 spectators were caught up in a fight, which erupted in the last minute try scored by Auckland Grammar on Aso Toonai / Saturday. The match was hosted at Auckland Grammar and was watched by approximately 2,500 spectators. Stuff.co.nz reports that Kelston Boys High first XV players have been punished much more harshly than their Auckland Grammar opponents for their roles in an ugly brawl at the end of their Auckland secondary schools rugby semifinal last weekend. But Auckland Grammar will suffer the greater short-term loss as the Auckland Rugby Union disciplinary committee last night suspended four of its players, who will miss Saturday’s final against Mt Albert Grammar. I was in mid-sentence muttering away that the ’stupid’ spectators shouldn’t have got involved, when my daughter said the guy running into the brawl was Uncle Tasi! By then my wife and cousin had joined our world wide web night out, and we all cracked up laughing once we recognized his clothing and then a split second shot of his face as the camera zoomed past him. At the risk of painting my brother in a bad light, I continued by parental duty in instilling into my daughter the need for constraint. I was disappointed in the fight that broke out between the players, but not at all surprised. In my younger (fitter) days I remember how easy it was as a rugby player (or any other sport for that matter - I’m pretty competitive, even in Monopoly hahaha!) to get caught up in the moment and release your emotions (and testosterone) in a physical manner. Usually a little scuffle is good to get things off your chest on the field. But there’s a point where you’ve got to calm down. By in large, most scuffles don’t escalate to a full fist fight. Players often recognise the frustration of the moment, then get over it and continue playing the game. I think in this particular game the pressure of a semi-final, and the inevitable loss for Kelston, meant the Kelston player that dived into the ruck, well after the try was scored, was an act of frustration. From there any other previous scuffles in the game might have mounted up and caused players on both side to escalate the incident into a fist fight. But even with the ensuing fist fight between the players, I believe the officials and coaching staff would’ve been able to break it up eventually, had it not been for others running in. And this is where I got angry the most. Players on the bench should’ve stayed put and not rushed in. Of course that never happens, but spectators on the other hand, not ‘involved’ in the game should’ve had the greatest self-control and should’ve never stepped on the field. Instead it was a snowball effect. When twenty people ran on the field, another fifty thought they should join in, to the point where some accounts said up to 100 spectators were involved. That 100 people that should’ve stayed off the field and let the officials and coaching staff handle the game. 30 teenage boys are easier to handle than 100 rushing spectators. Of course I didn’t say all this last night to my kids because their ‘uncle’ was clearly visible on YouTube for all to see. Didn’t want them to think less of my brother, even though I personally didn’t think he should’ve entered the field, even if he was going to protect a friend. Ah well, at least he’s a YouTube (super?)star… saved on the world wide web for eternity.
