Sam Taulelei speaks to The Roar

 

Roar Guru

By Sam Taulelei, 23 Nov 2007 The Crowd is a Roar Guru

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There are few comments writers on The Roar who are more articulate or can convey their thoughts with greater clarity than Sam Taulelei. Often our resident voice of reason, Sam refuses to let even his passion for the All Blacks stop him from holding rugby and the wider sporting world up to his special brand of clear headed scrutiny.

Roar columnist Garth Hamilton speaks to Sam and finds out what makes him tick.

The Roar: What makes good sports journalism?
Sam Taulelei: I’ve always believed that good journalism follows three principles: telling a good story, accuracy of facts and providing readers with an insight that they otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to gain.

For me sports journalism falls into two categories, those who review the contest with general analysis and those who offer more in-depth analysis. These journalists generally have greater access to players and coaches, a wealth of experience and expansive knowledge of the game.

The secret to good sports journalism is to make a sound argument and either help people understand the game better or challenge and change perceptions. Either way you make people think.

In that respect I have always enjoyed reading pieces penned by TP McLean, Bob Howitt and Wynne Gray (NZ rugby journalists), Eddie Butler, Chris Hewitt, David Hands and Peter Bills from the English rugby press, Dan Retief from SA and of course Spiro. Keith Quinn and Grant Fox write well balanced and astute columns as do Will Greenwood and Stuart Barnes.

For the same reasons I enjoy reading comments from many of the regular contributors on the Roar.

The Roar: Do different sports require different types of journalism? Do different sports need to be appreciated in different ways?
Sam Taulelei: I don’t believe so, journalism like anything in life requires balance. If you report a sporting contest with too much statistical information and technical analysis then you’re appealing mainly to the sporting tragics and purists, if you write with too little then you’re mainly catering to newcomers and the unconverted. Too much passion and you’ll be accused of preaching from a pulpit and only offering your personal opinion, too little passion and you run the risk of not engaging your audience enough to believe in what you’re writing.

Two of the best articles I read during the rugby world cup were by Peter Marks and Jamie Miller on The Roar. Peter’s analysis of England playing a style of rugby requiring only an 80 metre field and Jamie’s explanation of rugby being a mixture of structured and unstructured play were fine examples of analytical and insightful prose that sought to explain why, rather than just report what happened. Similar articles could be written to describe or explain an aspect of any other sport and achieve the same impact.

The Roar: How important is a sports journalist’s ‘personality’ to their reporting?
Sam Taulelei: I don’t believe a journalist can prevent part of their personality being revealed in the way they write. As a journalist you need to remain impartial and objective but you also write what you think and believe, and in so doing allow readers to gain some insight to yourself.

Earlier this year Greg Growden attracted a lot of criticism for his inside reports of goings on within the ARU and the Wallabies. I understand why he can’t reveal his “sources” but I do wonder if it was more his personality that grated with so many people rather than just the stories he was filing. Many people had already drawn the conclusion that he was more concerned with spreading mischievous innuendo than reporting actual facts. Spiro, nobly sprang to his defence and asked for people to reserve judgement on the CRC until after the World Cup. In light of Australia’s overall performance and the subsequent fallout, it’s hard to argue there wasn’t some substance to his claims.

If you can get past his anti-colonial rhetoric, Stephen Jones is very knowledgeable about rugby and always has an opinion about the game. His strong views will always generate a reaction but there are equally vociferous critics of British rugby in NZ, Aus and SA who are just as opinionated in their views so it all evens out. I believe it’s healthy to have opposing views and if we all took a narrow perspective then we would miss out on some wonderful ideas and information.

The Roar: 20 years ago there was almost no Australian Rules football played in Brisbane . Now the Lions are huge. Could rugby league make the same sort of impact in NZ?
Sam Taulelei: I don’t believe so and that is not intended as a slight against league which I enjoy watching and follow closely. AFL’s impact upon Australian sport since it launched their national competition is nothing short of amazing. Growing up in NZ I believed that the only game that mattered in Oz other than rugby was league. Migrating to Melbourne I initially struggled to understand and follow the game but you couldn’t ignore the reverential passion and bias in the Melbourne papers or blanket TV coverage for the sport. What impressed me particularly is how they managed to retain the tribalism of two transplanted clubs (South Melbourne and Fitzroy) from Victoria into foreign states, combine them with an existing fan base and foster its growth and development so it too became a source of state pride and rivalry. I guess one of the strengths of AFL lies with the strong ties that families experience with clubs, so that even if they’re relocated, fans from different generations will continue to barrack for them.

Historically league followed similar provincial rivalries in NZ as their rugby cousins but the recognised stronghold of the game was Auckland and they were the natural choice to enter the ARL, as it was then known in 1995. People were more closely affiliated with their local clubs than provincial teams so there wasn’t the same sense of tribalism or connection for anyone living outside of Auckland to support the Warriors in the ARL/NRL comp even though they are a Kiwi team.

League honchos hoped that having a team in the ARL would help stem the migration of Kiwi talent to overseas clubs in Australia and the UK as well as give them a stronger position domestically to challenge rugby as the No.1 winter code. I remember Warriors CEO, Ian Robson boldly stating to the press in 1995 that in 10 years time, more kids would grow up wanting to play for the Warriors than the All Blacks. Nope, nothing’s changed.

The challenge for league in NZ is similar to what rugby faces spreading the gospel here in Victoria. Sport is integrated within a country’s cultural fabric in the same way as its language, food, and history. The challenge is cultural and not specifically that of sport. In my opinion the only way to overcome this barrier is by targeting future generations because the heritage and love of the major code/sport is too strong and inherent to overcome with today’s generation. Once the novelty value wears off, or an event like a major test match passes by, then the masses will always return to their first love.

Establishing a foothold requires an investment and development of local talent at grassroots level so that the revolution becomes an evolution and therefore never stops. A good start would be inclusion in school’s sporting curriculum along with a development program aimed at kids like AFL’s Aus Kick, to aggressively promote the game as a fun alternative for kids and (most importantly) their parents to encourage participation if it wants to succeed. This would be supported then by the clubs to continue their development and involvement in the game.

I don’t believe this is the case in NZ so the NRL have not advanced the cause or extended the reach of league in NZ any further, in my opinion.

The Roar: Greatest sporting quote you’ve ever heard?
Sam Taulelei: Richie Benaud after watching Rodney Marsh tackle a streaker in a test match against England “Marsh has made his first catch of the day”.

Tana Umaga to ref Peter Marshall who had ridiculously penalised him for making a strong tackle against the Crusaders in a Super 14 match “this isn’t tiddlywinks we’re playing here mate”

Not technically a sporting quote but I have to share this one, former NZ heavyweight boxer David Tua appeared on the national TV game show “Wheel of fortune”. When David was told that he could buy a vowel, David replied in his strong Samoan accent “I’ll have an O for Owesome!”

Cut to host and hostess desperately trying to suppress their laughter, but a whole new phrase had just entered the NZ vernacular and spawned hundreds of t-shirts and bumper stickers. It was pure gold.

The Roar: Who do you think will have learnt more out of the last rugby world cup, Australia or New Zealand ?
Sam Taulelei: It won’t be possible to answer that question until the next world cup to see how both countries fare but there is a lot of soul searching and questions asked in both countries as they deal with the disappointment of failed campaigns.

Here is a list of things that I have learned from this world cup.

The Roar: Some sportsmen and women promise so much yet inevitably seem to deliver well below what they are capable of. Who was the most promising sportsman you ever saw that never really went on with it?
Sam Taulelei: Mark Philippoussis is a tennis player who infuriates me with his attitude to training and poor work ethic. He had all the physical attributes and talent in his game to go all the way to no.1 but lacked the heart and desire. With every isolated success he enjoyed, it only made me more frustrated as I knew that he would be more than likely knocked out in the opening round of the next tournament. Even with his knee injury, he should have achieved more success than what he has to date.

There is also NZ cricketer Ken Rutherford, the All Blacks at a world cup, and another hot favourite who cost me plenty, Master O’Reilly at the Melbourne Cup.

The Roar: To the opposite end of the spectrum, who was the most unlikely looking person to surprise you the most on the sporting field?
Sam Taulelei: This may confuse some people but Jonah Lomu was the most unlikely looking person to surprise me on a rugby field, because for a man of his size and height, he possessed an incredible sense of balance and centre of gravity. I’ve seen him hit hard by tacklers around his legs and while they managed to make him totter and stagger, he was still able to regain his balance and keep running. Watch his famous first try against England in SA 1995 as one example of Jonah keeping his feet and another similar effort against England at Twickenham in 1999. There have been many players with similar physical attributes that played rugby, but never before on the wing and certainly nobody that combined the power to speed ratio like Jonah. There have been other big wingers but Jonah truly was unique and a freak. It was a joy and privilege to watch the big man play. I couldn’t think of a more apt description of Jonah than “a rhinoceros in ballet shoes.”

The Roar: What is the best example of sports marketing you have seen?
Sam Taulelei: NBA basketball. The transformation during the 1980′s under David Stern and the NBC network was extraordinary. They were fortunate that they had some once in a lifetime players beginning their careers in the same era like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan who all became franchise players. But to take the sport from its fractured state in the 1970′s with its poor public and media profile, drug and race problems, and free-falling ratings in a few short years culminating in a shoe (Air Jordan ) that became the must-have sports item for kids during the 1980′s. As the marketing caption stated “NBA it’s fantastic”. The ‘dream team’ at the Seoul games in 1988 showed just how far NBA basketball had promoted the sport when the superstars were mobbed even by their fellow Olympian athletes. I had the pleasure of watching the Lakers play live several times and I loved the whole American experience, with the big robotron screens, uptempo music, interaction with the fans and of course the Lakers cheerleaders. The Yanks know how to entertain better than anyone else.

The Roar: Where are the Keith Miller’s of yesteryear? Can people reach the top of the sporting tree in the modern age and still have a ‘life’ outside of sport?
Sam Taulelei: I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m not as familiar with the story of Keith Miller as I should be. I’m sure that Spiro, Sheek and others will enlighten me on his history and chide me for my ignorance (sorry guys).

In answer to your question, I guess it depends upon what the public perceive to be a “life” outside sport. If it’s a life devoid of controversy, indiscretion and fault then the answer is no because we have deified our sporting heroes to become idols of worship. It’s not surprising that Australian Idol is such a popular TV show as the connection between television (media) and sports stars private lives is so deeply intertwined. I love watching sport but I don’t envy the media scrutiny and public hangings with every sensational headline that our sporting stars have to accept and endure, whether they’re true or not.

Where once there were so many colourful characters in sport that I grew up following, my favourites being McEnroe, Daley Thompson and Beefy Botham, in this stifling age of political correctness and image consciousness they have all but disappeared. Originality and straight talking is as unlikely with today’s sports stars as Shane Warne trading in his mobile phone for some diuretics.

Speaking of Warney he is a rare breed of sportsman nowadays. My wife can’t stand him and doesn’t care that he’s one of the best players to have ever played cricket, my mother in law loves him because he’s a champion sportsman and a winner (and ignores his indiscretions), and my mates worship him because they wish they could play the game as well as he can and he’s a legend on and off the field. I hated him whenever he played NZ because he was so bloody good but whatever your feelings about Warney, he is definitely his own man with his approach to cricket and life, and I can respect that.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity Garth and to Zac and Spiro for creating the Roar. Since I was referred to the site earlier in the year, I’ve had a blast. So with the festive season almost upon us, a toast and salute to The Roar and all the mighty pens who contribute to her good name. Cheers.

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