Asking for dignity again in Australian rugby
Columnist By Andrew Logan, 28 Nov 2007 Andrew Logan is a Roar Expert
“Dignity consists not of possessing honours – but of deserving them” – Aristotle
I’m sick of rugby. Over the last 20 years I have played it, coached it, watched it and written about it more or less continuously and now I’ve had enough. Of course, if I’m sick of it, as one of the hard core, then God only knows what some of the “swinging voters” out there are feeling about it.
So why am I sick of it exactly? I’m sick of rugby because in Australia at least, it has lost its dignity. Let me clarify. I know there are some out there who will think I mean that rugby has lost the old-school stuffed shirt elitism, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I don’t wish that rugby would revert to the private schools from whence it came, neither do I covet a return to amateurism. That isn’t dignity, but exclusivity.
Dignity is simply the earning of respect or esteem from fellow human beings. So perhaps another way of expressing my view is that I’m sick of rugby because the players and administrators appear to have lost the will, or ability, to earn respect from their fellow human beings.
I was struck by this widespread lack of dignity when John Muggleton, when discussing his candidacy for the Wallaby coaching job with the media, made the caustic remark that he was a better candidate than Alan Jones because “at least he had coached this century”. What was the point of denigrating Jones I thought? Why bother? It certainly didn’t improve his own chances of winning, and I certainly didn’t respect him any more for it.
The Muggleton tutorial entitled “Respect 101 – A Right, Not A Privilege” was obviously well attended by the 2007 World Cup squad, since they too failed to win any respect with their paper thin performance against a gutsy England. Note – I’m not having a crack at their skills or saying they should have won. I’m saying that had they been a prouder side, they would never have suffered the indignity of such a weak and gutless loss.
There is dignity in losing hard – a lesson that many players in Australia have yet to learn. Indignity hasn’t been confined to the playing ranks. It is hard to put the words “Western Force” and “dignified” in the same sentence of late, since revelations of secret player payments and assault cover-ups have been splashed all over the media. How does a professional sporting administration forget itself to the point where it thinks the right thing to do is to cheat, lie and then try to hide it?
True self respect, and respect from others, can only be earned through honesty and accountability. Neither appear to be in evidence at the Force. Do I have to mention the quokkas? I’ve been to the zoo with 6 year olds who have enough sense to leave the animals alone, but Force players…well…obviously they’re not that smart.
Did they hammer throw the quokka or not? It doesn’t matter really. All that matters is the fact that once again no-one involved had the sense of respect for themselves, their club, their teammates or the animal to simply appreciate it for being a wonderful part of nature, and leave it alone. Not a whole lot of dignity in a $10,000 fine for being a moron who can’t resist a bit of peer group pressure.
The lack of dignity pervading rugby isn’t always overt, sometimes it is carried out by marketing types. The Waratahs new-fangled sobriquet “’Tahs” makes a mockery of over 100 years of proud rugby tradition. Where “Waratahs” rolls richly off the tongue, “’Tahs” is a word to be sharply spat, a sound of disgust. There is dignity in the formidable “Waratahs”, but the “‘Tahs” just sound irritating.
Other indignities? Eddie Jones coaching South Africa. The Australian scrum. The McGrath inquiry. The Waratahs ’07 season. The Reds ’07 season. The sledging of England before our RWC loss. Lote Tuqiri. Lote Tuqiri again. Matt Dunning.
Before Australian rugby even thinks about regaining its position in the world hierarchy, it had better start taking some steps to simply regain respect. Not respect for being formidable on the field necessarily, although that would be a good start. More important would be respect for each other, for the game, for the supporters and for self. A return to dignity some might say.
There have been flashes of this return in unlikely quarters. Former league player Timana Tahu has come from league to union, and is probably the first for whom this switch has been a downward step to a place where the players are worse behaved. Despite this, Tahu has so far been a model of commitment, humility and dignity. His Waratahs teammates could do worse than follow his example.
Another unlikely candidate, the “dinosaur” Alan Jones, showed that competitiveness doesn’t have to equal bitchiness, and that dignity hasn’t gone out of style, when he replied to journalists asking about Muggleton’s century sledge by saying “I have never denigrated other people who are seeking the same opportunities I am seeking. They are all quality candidates and I welcome their competition”. Regardless of whether Jones can coach at the highest level again, his instincts for ignoring a pointless barb remain intact.
So what am I looking for from Australian rugby in 2008? I’m not looking for World Cup redemption. I’m not looking for a Super 14 win. I’m not even looking for a decent showing in the Tri-Nations. All I ask is that Australian rugby regains its dignity. The results will follow.
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November 28th 2007 @ 7:38am
onside said | November 28th 2007 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Andrew,
Rudyard Kipling might well have summed up those qualities you miss in the following poem.
When you get what you want in this struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what the man has to say.
For it isn’t your father,your mother,or wife,
Whose judgement of you – you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the guy staring back in the glass.
He is the man you must please – never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end.
And you have passed your most difficult and dangerous test,
When the man in the glass is your friend.
You can be like another and chisel a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum,
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world, down the pathway of years,
and get pats on the back as you pass,
but your final reward will be heartaches and tears,
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
And get pats
November 28th 2007 @ 8:25am
Terry Kidd said | November 28th 2007 @ 8:25am | Report comment
Yeah, I’ll second those comments Andrew. Unfortunately they could also be applied to a lot of things currently in this world.
November 28th 2007 @ 8:37am
Spiro Zavos said | November 28th 2007 @ 8:37am | Report comment
I know what Andrew is saying. You could make the same complaint about most of the sports but the criticism of the decline of dignity in the Wallabies is the point at issue. I think a great deal of the blame must lie with Eddie Jones who was disrespectful with other coaches, who allowed sloppy dress standards with his players and seemed to condone equally obnoxious behaviour.
One of the aspects of Jake White’s regime with the Springboks is that they generally presented themselves appropriately dressed and the players seemed to respect their opponents and behaved off the field with a certain dignity that not all the Wallabies emulated. White himself was feisty about other teams, and sometimes needled. But it never seemed to me to be malicious or gratuitous.
The Wallabies in the Macqueen, O’Neill, Eales era (the holy trinity of leaders of Australian rugby I onced called the coach, CEO and captain) were always impressive on and off the field. The Wallabies and Australian rugby had the respect of the world rugby community. The little men who succeeded trinity have done a disservice to the game, and to the hundreds of thousands of people who support the game throughout Australia.
Let’s hope the return of John O’Neill will mark a return to the standards, on and off the field, that made Australian rugby such a force for good throughout the world.
So keep the faith Andrew.
November 28th 2007 @ 9:14am
Peter said | November 28th 2007 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Not a truer word has been spoken about rugby for some time. We desperately need fresh blood and idas to rid us of the Eddie Jones influence. The lethargy could be seen on the face sof the Wallaby players against England. There was a time when players crawled all over each other to wear the green and gold. League converts, poor behaviour on and off the filed and a disrepectful coach smeared the shine on our colours. Put someone with pride in as coach. I’m all for Alan Jones. He’s tough but he does care. And great care is what’s required in bucket fulls
November 28th 2007 @ 9:23am
Andrew Marks said | November 28th 2007 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Thanks Andrew,
Great words – right on the money.
Modern sports people are a reflection of our wider society. Many are emotional juveniles who have not made the psychological shift from being a boy to a man. In years gone past “rights of passage” (such as military service) enforced that shift. Emotional immaturity coupled with wealth, publicitity and the iconic status given is at the bottom of the boofhead behaviour we are witnessing. Sadly, as many men get older, not much changes leading to deeper behavioural problems often resulting in depression and even suicide (Chris Mainwaring being the latest of a long line). As there is so much shame associated with suicide, society has chosen not to address this problem – hoping that it will somehow go away.
There was time when we valued the old knighly values of integrity, responsibility, respect, chivalry … this no longer it is now all about how shit and glitter you have got and whether it is the right brand.
November 28th 2007 @ 12:18pm
Nick said | November 28th 2007 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
Back in the days of The Farr Jones Captaincy, I recall reding about the “Players Code of Conduct”. When a player stepped out of line the even had their own court of justice within the team. It was respected and adhered to.
Does it still exist?
November 28th 2007 @ 1:02pm
DaniE said | November 28th 2007 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
Spiro, I agree with you that a lot of it started in the Eddie Jones era. I was a big Wallaby fan until he became coach… the sneers, the arrogance and negativity he displayed left me feeling sour for the team. It was also in this era that the Wallabies seemed to change a bit… to having what Simon Poidevin described as “rock star attitudes”. I’m an old-fashioned girl and it was the qualities of previous Wallaby teams which attracted me – fair play, honour, courtesy, down-to-earthness… and dignity. Rudyard Kipling’s poem says it all.
November 28th 2007 @ 1:57pm
Chris said | November 28th 2007 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
Andrew, and others, you are spot on. However, Australian rugby could well be simply reflecting corporate (professional) life, where frequently it is acceptable (until caught) to “forget itself to the point where it thinks the right thing to do is to cheat, lie and then try to hide it”
Maybe some might think that is a trifle harsh, but let me remind you of Richard Pratt, AO, fined $36m for illegal and anticompetitive behaviour at Visy, Australia’s largest boxmaker. Or the appalling behaviour by the directors of James Hardie, who, by relocating offshore, attempted to sidestep their responsiblities to dying employees affected by asbestos related diseases. The list can go on and on….
Rugby was once a game which embodied honesty and integrity and respect for others, plus a whole host of other admirable traits. Sadly, and perhaps as a result of a “win at all costs” attitude and the need to make a profit, its just another business, and is suffering as a result.
In reality it is a minority within the rugby, and business, community that are responsible for a lowering of standards, but sadly that minority seems to be either in charge, or in the ascendancy. And sadly, as the standards sink, they become commonplace, and thus in some peoples’ minds, the norm. It is said that “bad things happen when good men fail to speak,” so Andrew, well spoken. Now we all have to do something about it.
November 28th 2007 @ 2:02pm
Nick said | November 28th 2007 @ 2:02pm | Report comment
If the players of the Western Force, who were involved in the “hi-jinx” at Rotnest Island, were given a copy of Kiplings poem, they would in all probability say “Yeah, so what”. They would be fine with their own image. They would not see anything wrong with having a bit of “harmless fun”.It is only when held up to the scrutiny and standards of the public eye would they think twice about their behaviour. Only when their payments and sponsorship are in jeopardy would they be concerned with their dignity. Never would they think of the dignity of their State or Country, who they represent.
They really don’t get it. Because of the decline in football culture and a mixture of too much money and nothing else to do outside of training and playing football, apparently it’s called being professional, they are not taught the social boundaries we, thise with a regular jobs and lifestyles, learn as we grow up from school through work and family. From the days of being idolised at school in the 1st 15. to selection for club then super 14 and country, there footballers have no sense of reality. Their life revolves around only a few things – Training, training and more training, play footy, a piss-up, followed by more training and sponsor work. Then there’s the off-season, BBQs, pools, pubs and piss-ups.
Can you blame them? Throw in a bit of fun with some quokkas and …….”What?”
I of course speak only of those players who DON’T seem to have any control in social occasions, the Dunnings and Henjaks, the Shepards and Tiquris, the Masons and Williams’. But their actions speak for he whole code. Every player is brought down to their level, along with their dignity.
This DID start with going professional in 1996, and has got worse ever since. It was better controlled under Eales and McQueen, certainly, but the days of having a job outside rugby (or league for that matter) have gone and created a problem that must be addressed if we are to bring back some dignity. As Andrew Logan said I don’t want to back to the days of amateurism, but we can learn from those days and try to remedy this situation. The first thing that must be done is to recognise we have a problem, and admit to it. The second is to actually have a desire to fix it.
This year The Canberra Raiders had two players involved in a police car chase. Todd Carney and Steve Irwin were involved in a high speed police chase, Carney was unlicensed and speeding. He was asked to pull over by the police. Instead he drove away, before being caught. Carney got out and ran away, while Irwin did the right thing and gave himself up. Carney was charged and Irwin was exonerated, as he broke no law. Now what did the club do? Carney who was found guilty, was kept on, as he was a better player, and Irwin was shown the door to unemployment. This story is symbolic of the attitude of most professional sporting organisations, where poor behaviour is overlooked for the sake of winning.
Onside, I understand and agree with the sentiments in the Rudyard Kipling poem, but I feel it would fall on deaf ears.
November 28th 2007 @ 2:21pm
Chris said | November 28th 2007 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
They say a fish rots from its head, and therein lies the problem at the Western Force. Dodgy deals, undercover payments to silence assault victims… this is a management problem. So no wonder little or nothing is going to be done to the four players alledgedly involved.
As a start they should be named and shamed. Even thickheads who think yobbo behaviour while out on the turps is just being one of the boys won’t accept this kind of thing.
These players have no place in the game, irrespective of their star status. And if management can’t see that, neither do they.