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Source: ONE News -
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Two of the country's oldest schools have taken the drastic
measure of breath-testing spectators to stop the escalating
violence at their annual inter-school rugby match.
Today every single spectator attending the Christ's College versus
Christchurch Boys High match was breath-tested whether they were 18
or 80 years old.
Senior Sergeant Murray Hurst from the Christchurch Police says they took a zero tolerance approach.
"If you've been drinking, even if you've had a sherry with lunch, you're not going to get in," he says.
The rugby rivalry between the two schools goes back more than a century and both schools boast a number of famous old boys. But over the past decade the match has been marred by fights between the spectators and last year 250 people were involved in a post match brawl.
Christchurch Boys High School Headmaster Trevor McIntrye says with incidents like last years it is important to take extreme measures.
The compulsory breath-testing upset some old boys who for the past 60 years have met before the game and had a few beers.
"It is quite unfair because we're tidy citizens," says old boy Kelvin Victor.
As a result some refused to attend the game.
"I'm just not prepared to go, frankly I think it's a bit over the top," says old boy John O'Cain.
But Hurst says the majority of people were aware of the measures being taken, and did not make a fuss.
"Some weren't too happy and had a little bit to say, but most were resigned to the fact that they couldn't get in because of the fact they'd been drinking.
The new measure was deemed as successful as only a dozen people turned away at the gate and the game itself went ahead relatively undisturbed.
Hurst says the lack of trouble was linked directly to the tough stance.
"I put it down solely to the fact that their was no alcohol involved. In recent years there's been a lot of violence caused by, or fuelled by alcohol," he says.
And for Christchurch Boys High the success is even sweeter with
the team celebrating their 25-12 win over their historic rivals for
the 10th year in a row.
