Who would have thought that the opening of the Super 14 and Six Nations rugby seasons would occur in such extreme conditions? I had become so accustomed to watching and playing rugby in a warmer climate and having council grounds closed at the slightest hint of rain, so I was a bit shocked when asked to take a scrum session for the Scottish Women's Academy in a foot of snow.
Luckily, Otago weather had toughened me up a bit.
Memories of playing on Logan Park when it transformed into Logan Pond came flooding back, when rucks were pulled up quickly by the referee, to prevent drowning.
We also played at the Harbour grounds once when the snow turned into brown slush, causing the game to be cut short when it was impossible to decipher who was who.
Reactivating these memories made me put on a brave face and I convinced my Scottish hosts that "yes, we Kiwis were hard", even though two New Zealanders playing club rugby in Scotland suffered hypothermia earlier in the year.
The point of these anecdotes is that it is important to remind ourselves that, historically, rugby was often played in extreme conditions and that is part of its charm.
So why is it that we seem concerned that players and the standard of rugby are suffering now that the Super 14 season is creeping more and more into the hotter months?Watching the Six Nations being played in freezing conditions made me realise we may be getting soft on our players in New Zealand.
Rugby is a sport where being physically and mentally tough is as much a part of the culture as "third-half" camaraderie and "riveting" after-match speeches.
Being genuinely tough, good mates and witty may be a myth, but we do our best to uphold these myths because that is what is expected in that context, which brings me to the issue of what we expect of elite athletes in modern sport.
In a nutshell, we expect athletes to be committed, determined, competitive and good role models.
I have no doubt that many elite athletes are committed, determined and competitive when it comes to their sport.
But is it fair to expect athletes to be exceptional role models just because they are strong, fast, powerful, skilful and agile?
Why are we surprised when "All-American" 23-year-old Michael Phelps is snapped with his mouth firmly placed on what looks like a marijuana bong?
Why do we act shocked when Madonna's toy boy A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), appears on a list of steroid-users in baseball in 2003?
Why do we tut-tut-tut when players throw a punch in a physical game that rewards physical dominance and intimidation?
Athletes are talented in their sport, and some are generally gifted in the kinesthetic realm.
This is not a guarantee that they will have ethically sound reasoning skills, behave in a pro-social manner, or be exempt from making bad decisions.
Sport consumers, sponsors, coaches and culture are responsible for putting athletes on unrealistically high pedestals off which they will inevitably fall.
Let's stop idolising athletes and holding them up as shining examples of how we could all be if we just applied ourselves a little more to the task at hand.
Athletes are human, and like all human beings they make mistakes, have idiosyncrasies, pass ill-judgement, and fall off the wagon.
We tend to be more forgiving of musicians and actors for their folly than athletes. All are talented, inspirational and entertaining.
Let's remember that athletes are not super-heroes, gods and goddesses, messiahs or saviours of society.
They are individuals who happen to have a physical talent that in today's society we see as entertaining and inspirational.
Their humanity makes them less freakish and more real. So let's keep it real - enjoy their performances as athletes but don't expect miracles.
