In the Garden of Eden

© nacho hernandez

Eden Park in Auckland is one of the most important rugby fields in the world. It has hosted rugby games since the early 1900s, and is home to Auckland Rugby (in the photo, last Sunday) since 1925. It hosted the final of the very first Rugby World Cup, won by the All Blacks in 1987, and will also host the final of the 2011 edition, exactly one year from this Saturday.

In a country where rugby is lived almost as a religion, being on the grass at Eden Park feels like stepping on hallowed ground. Or like walking in the Garden of Eden.