The "Barmy Army" of up to 25,000 fans expected to follow the British and Irish Lions' six-week rugby tour of New Zealand beginning today are promising the hosts a thrashing -- at least when it comes to singing.
The tourists' beer-and-cheer squad are becoming as much a spectacle as the sporting contests that draw them across the globe and by the time the three-Test series rolls around in late June will have formed a red tide sweeping New Zealand's main cities.
The Barmy Army began in the mid-1990s as a small but passionate band of English cricket fans who -- before the side's recent revival -- spent a lot of time generally watching their team lose in exotic locations. In 2001 they expanded their operations to Lions rugby tours and drank Sydney dry of Guinness after their team lost a closely-fought series.
The generalissimo of the assault on New Zealand is Barmy Army tour-project manager and former London policeman Freddie Parker, who is promising good-natured mayhem from several thousand signed-up army recruits and thousands more camp followers.
As Parker puts the finishing touches on more than a year's preparations, he has been sighted on New Zealand television more regularly than Prime Minister Helen Clark in his uniform of red top and joker's hat.
One of his main aims is to rouse New Zealand fans to give the Barmy Army a run for their money for color, noise and passion on the Lions first New Zealand tour in 12 years.
"There's going to be two battles -- one's on the pitch and the other's with the fans," says Parker. "I think we're going to be overwhelming gold-medal winners, I can't see the Kiwis challenging us."
To be fair, when your team is the All Blacks, the supporters are always going to look a little drab in the funereal team colors against the fire-engine red of the Lions.
But history suggests All Black fans might be more likely to go quiet and shout threats at the referee when defeat appears imminent. They are not renowned for their singing either and generally make do with mumbling a few lines of the national anthem at the start of the match.
The Barmy Army on the other hand sings loudly when its team is winning and even louder when they're losing.
"Win or lose, we booze," is their motto.
The Army's repertoire includes a ditty reminding New Zealanders their head of state is the British queen and a suggestion that the Kiwis have a sexual preference for sheep.
"New Zealand is quite conservative, they need to come out of their shell a bit more," Parker grumbles.
He has been to some big rugby games in New Zealand and bemoans the lack of passion amongst the crowd.
"Awful, absolutely awful. There's no atmosphere," he says.
New Zealand fans may have the home advantage but Parker has made sure the Barmy Army will feel at home. With the help of New Zealand breweries, who have a vested interest in ensuring Lions fans have a terrific time, they have set up nine bases serving as gathering points and party venues around the country, including a flagship home away from home in Auckland which will cater for over 6,000 supporters.
A mobile command center will travel the country ahead of the Lions as a rallying point for the troops.
New Zealand authorities are expecting 15,000 to 20,000 Lions fans to descend on New Zealand by the time the Tests start, but Parker says it could be more like 25,000, with numbers swelled by Britons and Irish living or holidaying in Australia.
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