Looking back at the real hardmen of rugby
Roar Pro
By Benjamin Saunders, 26 Jul 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- ARC, Buck Shelford, ruck
The Bakkies Botha ‘rucking’ on Mortlock was greeted with general exasperation and indignation by the rugby community. However, the generic response seemed to be, from his supporters anyhow, that Botha is a hard man who plays tough but fair.
Although not quite in the spirit of the modern game perhaps, I thought to myself, “Geez, where have all the hard men actually gone?”
I realised that modern rugby has created an identikit player. Every forward can roughly bench press the equal of any other forward, and so on and so on.
All modern international players are, by definition tough, but where are the big Charlie’s who used to get the opposition sweating like Dunning around a burger stand?
Botha isn’t a hard man, per say. And, in any case, there is no place for the old enforcers in the modern game, otherwise Mother Brenda would never let little Nelson trot down to the local RFC.
But I don’t think I would be human if I didn’t have a little soft spot for those old exponents of the biff. So I decided to have a think of all those golden oldies that made grandpa wince when they sprinted out on to the pitch.
I love modern rugby, but to those real old men who would pull Bakkies’ pants over his head, I salute you.
I have tried to remain within a comparatively contemporary period. If I was trying to discriminate between players in the 70s, we could be here all day.
Here are my favourites, in no particular order, gone but not forgotten.
Buck Shelford
Would you fancy playing a game with your hazelnuts hanging all over the place and missing a few teeth? Not sure I would. He was not particularly big, but what a mongrel. Exceptional. I’m sure he’ll take on lymphoma with his customary rage. Good luck, Buck.
Marc Cecillon
Les Bleus always wheeled this loony out when they fancied having a good old row with les rosbifs. Unfortunately, Cecillon took his rugby rage too far and shot his wife, taking a 20-year sentence in the progress. It was a tragic end to what was a truly fearsome career.
Frederico Mendez
Simply for that punch on Paul Ackford. Stupendous.
Sean Fitzpatrick
Literally made of iron, he had great passion, and scary intensity. It’s all in the eyes.
Andre Venter
Another tough as teak player who clearly would have fitted in during any decade of rugby. He was big, strong and fearless. Wishing him luck with his viral infection and recovery.
Others
Alain Estevez, Louis Armary, Pascal Ondarts, Vincent Moscato, Gregoire Lascube, Armand Vaquerin, Laurent Seigne, and Michel Palmie, simply because there must have been something in the water back then.
And the biggest, baddest guvnor of them all?
Gerard Cholley. He once knocked out four Scotsmen in a single match. Classic.
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- Explore:
- ARC, Buck Shelford, ruck
Benjamin said | July 26th 2008 @ 4:34am | Report comment
“They are an emotional people and they have a larger catchment for getting themselves into a zone of arousal if you like,” he said.
“If they all get it right it really is an irresistible force. I remember when we played them at Marseille [a year after that World Cup] and they came at us and I thought, ‘Holy cow, what is going on here’.
Anton Oliver feels the fear. If only Les Bleus could be what they once were.
sheek said | July 26th 2008 @ 7:54am | Report comment
I’m glad you mentioned Cholley – one tough hombre. When he & Paparemborde were the French props, they would have to have been close to the toughest pair around…ever.
Let’s see…..Keith Murdoch. Hard & tough, but disappeared after controversy of 1972-73 ABs tour. Richard Loe incited fear in opponents.
Aussies? Mark Loane was like a runaway rhino in attack, a wrecking ball in defence. Topp Rodriguez was fair, but mighty hard. Phil Kearns played with the same edge as Fitzpatrick. Sam Scott-Young had the ability to take opponent’s minds off the game…..& onto wanting to kill him! Simon Poidevin & Willie Ofahengaue were lion-hearted tough. Owen Finegan gave the Wallabies an edge also.
There are plenty more out there, I’m sure. But Buck Shelford was a favourite of mine. I guess part of tough is inciting fear in your opponents, fear for their personal wellbeing. In attack or defence, Buck had that aura.
Benjamin said | July 26th 2008 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Can’t believe I forgot Loe. What a schoolboy error. I recall that he played against Leonard in a Barbarians game and Leonard commented that he couldn’t think of one person who embodied the Barbarian spirit any less than Loe. Spiteful player.
Keith Murdoch too. I heard he’s living in the Australian bush these days, and apparently looks like Sean Connery?! Obviously ageing better than Dan Crowley then. NZ have had some pretty tough props over the years. Brown had that quiet toughness that set him apart. Peter fats was another.
Owen Finegan was another favourite of mine. When he came on during the 99 WC final you could actually see that the French were scared of him. Talking of Australians I am pretty convinced that the Australian jersey acts as a fear-retardent, the old ones 99-06 especially. I’m convinced it was the colour, athough I suppose that most jerseys have that effect these days. I certainly wouldn’t have fancied a dig of Tommy Lawton though.
I actually saw Gerard Cholley cry once, whilst watching Munster in Castres. What passion. What a man, such a shame that the current French front-row are such pale imitations. How I miss their OTT games against England in the early 1990s.
USRugbyFan said | July 26th 2008 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
I wouldn’t say Mendez was a tough guy, that hit on Ackford was a blatant cheap shot on a guy who had nothing to do with what lead up to the punch, and than it looks like Mendez almost tries to run away from Ackford’s teammates afterwards.
True Tah said | July 26th 2008 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
Im not sure if too many of the non-Sydney posters would remember the name, but Tim Bristow would need to be considered one of the hard men of rugby, even though he never played for the Wallabies.
I read an example of what he was like, he was playing for Gordon against Easts, and one of the Easts forwards king hit him and was able to get away from Tim….after the game had ended the Easts players had to form a protective circle to escort the Easts player out of the ground, as Bristow was still waiting outside to get square.
Im sure Sheeks would remember what Bristow was like, he became known for a hell of a lot of other things over the years, but he would have to be a hard man.
bozo said | July 26th 2008 @ 11:00pm | Report comment
Benjamin, you call it rucking, others would call it a king hit. Mortlock and the other players have a career in rugby and they should be protected from your “tough men”. They should have gone with white picket fences.
bozo said | July 26th 2008 @ 11:05pm | Report comment
True Tah not sure what you are saying about Bristow, but I fear it was in some sort of praise of him. You must have read someones book. One of the good things about water polo was that they banned him for life. What did rugby do?
Benjamin said | July 27th 2008 @ 12:16am | Report comment
US, it was a cheap shot, but what audacity from an 18 year old against a 6’7 copper. The incident came about because Jeff Probyn was pulling at Mendez’s nuts.
Bozo, tongue in cheek. Slow it down. Rugby was a different game then, everyone was on the biff. Frankly if the occasional smack was handed out now and again I doubt there would be cheap shot artists at all.
kenneth mortimer said | July 27th 2008 @ 1:27am | Report comment
Bakkies Botha is a typical Springbok hitman who with other current and former Springboks take the game over the limit that sometimes does not attract a penalty of any dimension. Such behaviour demeans rugby.
Benjamin said | July 27th 2008 @ 1:36am | Report comment
Such behaviour demeans rugby NOW. Botha never had any incidents around Martin Johnson, if you recall. I am sure he feels that certain players/nations allow him to behave like that. The loss of full rucking has also made being a cheap shot artist that much easier.