Why rugby is making even more of a difference

Great article Rickety. It is hard to explain to those who have never played, the massive significance of the confrontation, physicality and subsequent fear associated with a sport like Rugby. Overcoming fear and channelling aggression while maintaining respect for your opponents and officials is a huge part of learning the game, I suspect this is why the game has such strong ties to private schools where the game’s ethos is consistent with the school’s idea of turning out a certain ‘product’. I also would suggest that this is why Rugby has the ability to carve out its own existence in even the most saturated football markets such as London and Buenos Aries.

Rickety, I am of the view that rugby is the world's best sport because it is the international code that most closely imitates indigenous battle. Fans of a couple of Irish codes and ice hockey may want to argue. The similarities are: - a contest between the young champions of different tribes, - heavily ritualized, - emphasis on honour, valour, and other values beyond win or loss - team building, rugby mates tend to be mates for life - community building, it is as much about the story o battle as the battle itself - character building, as well as character revealing - often causing injury, rarely causing death, (my reading of aboriginal history is that battles were more about culture and ritual than fighting to the death.) In short, if there is something primal in men that they are attracted to battle, rugby seems to be a great place to park that need. RL also has a similar effect (but a narrower range of body types, and with a simpler, more gridiron style structure). Therefore, rugby wins the title of top code. In my view , it's modern man's imperfect but beautiful expression of indigenous war. And in that sense I agree with you Rickety, rugby does offer an element of the 'rite of passage' that is so central to indigenous culture.

mace22 what hurts about this one si this, i don't think many all black fans will really car if they lose a world cup in the uk in 4 years, they got the home world cup win and let go off the chokers tag and winning a home world cup meant everything to the people of NZ, simply look at the crowd at the parades unbelievable I have never seen anything like it , a team wanting to win a sports title so much, but what ors me was the stakes were so high it was the referiing performance that ruined the french chances of victory i think that annoys me so much.

KOG and Johnno you both should start a hate the all blacks and new zealand club. It must really upset you two that the all blacks are world champions, never mind in four years you might get your wish and some other team will win the cup. But then again the blacks could win again and you'll havre to wait eight years.

Yes but ALl blacks fan Quade cooper was booed at Eden Park when the stakes were at there highest, he wasn't given red carpet treatment and love in the Eden park semi final by the AB fans. Why weren't they nice and loving to him during the semi final, when the stakes were at there highest they booed him at Eden park when the stakes were highest AB fan rather than let him do his thing and encourage him to play well AB fan. And AB fan it is funny to say simply get over it, and move on if it didn't happen to your team. This 2011 home world cup meant the world to AB'S fan even more than 4 years ago, if Craig Jourbert gave all the 50/50 call to France at eden park in the final and the french got home by a point , despite the AB's being the better team, the Ab's fan would be outraged and not simply get over it. This home world cup meant the world to the AB'S fan, far more than i think any future world cups, as NZ may not get another 1 fro a long time and taking the hoodoo off it's back the checker tag. So if the referring had been a role reversal , in a home AB's world cup in final , I don't the AB'S fan would simply of gotten over it. ANd yes why didn't the Ab'S fan lovingly welcome Quade cooper and cheer him on when the stake were so high if they AB'S fan at eden park had more respect for Quade cooper they would of encouraged him to do better even if it meant them losing, that is the ultimate in nobility and sportsmanship the crowd not making it tough for the opposition, and being impartial and equally applauding, and the AB'S fan were not at Eden park vs the aussies holier than thau All Black fan.

ABF, fair call. Well written.

RK, great story about a great subject. The league coach, the late Jack Gibson said, when asked how he would like players to remember him, "I would like them to be better people." The loss of the rite-of-passage rituals, has meant that this gap in our humanness has been filled by commerce. Sport, too, helps fill that gap, something which is often overlooked, even within rugby. I loved playing rugby. Now I love watching rugby. But to me, the social standards are a hidden secret within rugby. The clubs already have defined standards, which usually come under the classification of sporting behaviour, such as not leaving an intoxicated friend, but taking care of him and pulling him into line. The cartoon Footrot Flats represents NZ rugby more truthfully than the All Blacks; so too good behaviour and comaraderie represent rugby more truthfully than the big hit, despite the brilliance of the biff and the Blacks. Rituals, such as rite-of-passage, used to be the centre-pieces of life. Rugby roughly assumes that role in our world, almost by accident. Thanks for raising this important point RK.

KOG good awnser mate I agree most rugby fans are kind and friendly(except kiwis too i agree mate).

Johnny,I was in nz. I have made my feelings felt strongly and often on that topic. Even through all the abuse I still have faith in the kindness of rugby fans (except kiwis)

Johnno, this sounds very familiar. That's right; four years ago! Couple of points: 1. Cooper was not booed at every game the Wallabies played. Just at eden park and to a much lesser extent at Wellington. When the Aussies played Italy, he was never booed (can't remember if he played against Russia). 2. At least the crowds didn't chant ``Cooper is a wanker'' : 3. The reaction from all overseas parties was that while it may not have been the biggest RWC, it was one of the most memorable and that was due to one thing: local hospitality. Me and my family went over for the pool games and despite our ockerness, we were treated royally. A bloody good time was had by all (actually, we may have abused their hospitality a bit!!) 4. NZ may have had a preference for which team to play in the playoffs but at the end of the day, you play what's in front of you. I have no doubt that had NZ played SA in the semi-final, NZ would have strangled them out of the game as well (thanks to a really good workout in the quarters with Argentina). 5. As for the refs, I'm willing to share the same addvice I got four years ago with you: it's done!! Get ovver it!! Move on!! In any case, the Wallabies can't complain about Bryce Lawrence, maybe they should buy him a gold watch! 6 Richie McCaw is fast becoming the Don Bradman of NZ sport. When Bradman was being targetted during bodyline, there was open talk of Aust cutting relations with England. McCaw will be in the same boat about 10 years after he retires. You don't attack an beloved icon of the sport and expect to be loved by that icon's home fans! 7. Kiwis will be the first to admit that Paddy O'Brien was not the best ref in the world, and the fact that he is STILL the refs boss is a source of mystery. Time for change there, I think 8. Quade went back to NZ for Xmas with the relatives and he certainly felt the love from the NZ public. That injury he suffered SEEMS to have dispelled any hard feelings towards him now he has to keep a clean sheet with McCaw otherwise all this starts agin!

Gee Matt you must be a league follower to have that kind of chip on your shoulder. You could argue the same with Football and even league in this country took advantage of circumstance. Get over it.

No but are you saying the All black fans and the NZ media were nice to quad cooper they were sonly nice too him after the wallabies lost,. And they defiantly did not want south africa in the semi final, as we saw , they can thank there fellow New zealanders bryce lawrence and paddy o'brien for that.

did you actually GO to the RWC, Johnno?

KOG Do you really believe that. Do you really believe, when the stakes were really high, and the AB fans wanted to win the world cup so unbelievably desperately , they were nice to wallaby or french or springbuck fans , and the NZ media hardly. They were only nice after they won the world cup, i have never seen such 1 eyed patriotism and total bias towards there team than the AB's fan at the 2011 RWC cup KOG.

What made rugby officials and players play a sport aligned to Nazism, disctatorships in South Africa, Argentina, Japan, Romania? Elitism? etc. What a load of rubbish.