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30 odd young men will return from the Rugby World Cup far more devastated than any of us who watched their demise at the hands of Les Bleus.

Support them. Hidden amongst that group is the best rugby team in the world.

Remember:

• The players didn’t select the team which played against the French.
• The players didn’t decide not to play in most of the Super 14.
• The All Blacks didn’t set up a pathetic opposition in the playoffs.
• The players didn’t decide that player rotation was a great idea.
• The cup is not ours by right.
• In knock-out competitions the race doesn’t always go to the swift.

And.

Get over it. Welcome these young men home. One less bad decision by match officials or one more successful penalty kick and you’d be cheering for them next week.

Cheer for them now.

There’s been a lot of kerfuffle recently about the absence of railings on our splendid new boardwalk.

Many people whose opinions I respect and usually agree with - Ross Mitchell-Anyon for instance - have criticized the perceived danger of this ommission.

Sorry folks, I have to disagree.

Vehemently.

The world is full of danger. Some of those dangers should be controlled, others should not. They should be part of the learning curve of life. If we are not exposed to danger, how do we learn to cope with it?

In the former category we must surely include handrails on stairs and high balconies. Inaccessible poisons and bars on the tiger’s cage.

In the latter category lie wharves, riverbanks and lakesides. Children need supervision in such areas, the younger they are the more closely they need to be watched or restrained. That’s what parents are for.

Otherwise, where does it end?

Sorry kids, you can’t climb trees or dive into a swimming pool. You can’t ride your bike on the road or play in the mud.

This obsession with cutting ourselves off from the real world may already have caused huge real and potential health hazards. There’s evidence that the armory of disinfectants we use to sterilize our lives is resulting in children not building up the immunity systems that untold generations acquired by crawling in the muck and eating flies.

Some authorities believe that this is a major factor in the dreadful growth of asthma rates.

Sorry people. You need to let your children live life. Protect them, but don’t smother them.

I know, children will be hurt. Sadly, a few will die. If they’re over-protected, eventually the overall outcome will be worse. More children will be sick, obese, or dead. More of them will reach adulthood unprepared for life and its hazards.