5th Team Pause for Thought

Rugby has been described by many people in many different ways, team building, and comradeship under difficult physical situations and for more than 30 years it was just an excuse to drink heavily preferably after somebody had lowered their gentlemen's vegetables in your pint!! Nowadays with money and dedicated coaches involved we have a game that shows impressive prowess in all departments, the players of thirty years could not compete on the fitness levels of today's players but is it still rugby?

Has it been reduced to a war of attrition, of who has the most strength or muscle power? Where has the flair and invention gone that we enjoyed in my youth. You all can remember the Baba's game against New Zealand in 1973 with possibly the greatest try scored on camera. I grew up watching Phil Bennett and wanted to be a fly half, I watched Campese and JPR Williams and wanted to be a full back. Perhaps the turning point was the game with Jonah Lomu squashing the England players and showing how it could be done and how games could be won with simply massive players running through the opposition. The problem is that we learn quickly and evolution is not involved and all of a sudden we have 15 huge men, props that can out sprint a 1970's centre and centres that look like props. I missed the past and the games that could turn on a moment of brilliance; I watch games now and see that these players have spent a long time in the gym but not long enough watching old videos. You tube is a wonderful invention for watching just those games. I do catch the odd moment nowadays but not enough. I know the old games could be terrible and the pitches could turn into quagmires and Fran Cotton's image still haunts me. The spirit of rugby has gone at the upper levels as well, I'm lucky, I still see it at social rugby level. The number of times in recent years when a team I've been playing for has bonded without having even met before and walked off a pitch better for the experience. It's a strange feeling but it warms my heart and I wish more of the professional players could have that. Some would disagree with my thoughts but remember back to what inspired you to play and it wasn't the money, it wasn't the cheerleaders or the explosions of tinsel welcoming the players onto the pitch , it was the warm glow of a good hard game of rugby with perhaps a pint in the bar afterwards with the player who had tried to decapitate you earlier. Society has changed but not for the better.

Written with a warm feeling in his loins by Richard Craddock