Overview
What is it about rugby that excites so many people around the world? Wander around the exhibition ‘Union: the Heart of Rugby,’ and the answer soon becomes clear.
It is encapsulated in the concepts; team, honour, pain, courage, pride, glory, heroes, and passion. These are the themes in which the impressive collection of 150 images, taken by top local and international rugby photographers, are grouped.
Images such as men caked in mud, struggling to remain upright during a scrum or Dan Carter, with the ball in hand, shooting a look back at his team mates as if to say, ‘yes! I’m gonna make it boys!’ or players back in the changing room post match – the pain of losing etched across their faces.
Not only do you get to see many of rugby’s stars both past and present, but the exhibition also showcases some of New Zealand’s top amateur rugby photographs, selected from a nationwide competition run by the New Zealand Herald.
And the grit and determination along with the camaraderie among these players of club rugby is equally as enjoyable to observe.
Whether you are a fervent rugby supporter or a bewildered bystander to the Rugby World Cup, go to this exhibition. Within the iconic town hall lies your opportunity to witness the beauty of photography combined with the extreme highs and lows of our national sport.