How to beat the Boks? Ban the vuvuzela!

 
stash Roar Pro

By stash, 9 Jul 2010 stash is a Roar Pro

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South Africa's Frans Steyn chases the ball forward into attack during a Tri Nations Test match. AAP Image/Tony McDonough

South Africa's Frans Steyn chases the ball forward into attack during a Tri Nations Test match. AAP Image/Tony McDonough

No old western movie was complete without the triumphant cavalry charge headed by the call of the bugle. Nor can one deny the bone-chilling impact from the chords of the Last Stand.

For rugby, there are some sounds that are part of the fabric and culture of the sport.

Whether it’s the distinctive boom of the ball as it is kicked off for a much anticipated match, the shrill whistle adjoining the successful try, or the inspired, spontaneous lurching into of the second British anthem, Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

Or perhaps it’s the powerful call-out of the famed Ngati Toa, Ka Mate Haka.

There have been some blatant attempts by the rugby gods to bring a compelling and distinctive sound to their rugby brand, such as the ill-devised exercise by the Australian Rugby Union to make Waltzing Matilda a rugby anthem after a one-off spontaneous and rapturous crowd rendition during a match between the All Blacks and the Wallabies.

It now appears as if another sound will not be synonymous with rugby, and that is the sound of the South African vuvuzela.

Originally produced in aluminum in 1965, and now freely available in various plastic embodiments, the vuvuzela has been the distinctive sound of the 2010 Football World Cup.

Taking organizers by surprise, audio engineers initially struggled to filter the overwhelming drone from their commentary pick-ups. The vuvuzela was an instant trend, and every match has been accompanied by the constant drone from the viewing stands.

Some call it insidious, other hypnotic.

Regardless of your opinion (or the fact that Brazil also has a version of it), the vuvuzela is quintessentially South African.

It has now been banned from both Eden Park and the Wellington Trust Park for both of the Springboks Vs All Blacks encounters. New Zealand organizers are saying that any “trumpet” is banned, including vuvuzelas.

But it is no coincidence and it is surely and squarely aimed at the South African version. There are also signs that they will be banned from the entire Rugby World Cup in 2011.

In one breath, it is quite easy to say good riddance to these intrusive items.

But one can’t help but feel the NZRU did not want these in the hands of the Boks fans, as this sign of team support might just be motivational, and therefore advantageous to the Springboks. Just like swing low emanating from the stands.

If Australia produced a plastic didgeridoo, and fans voiced their support with that distinctive sound, would it be advantageous to the Wallabies or would it be banned as well?

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