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I was watching the Under 20s when the commentator mentioned that one of the players was from Saracens. What a cool name for a rugby club!
So I did a bit of Foogle and found out from that best of sources, Wikipedia, that the club was established in 1876 and that:
“The club’s name is said to come from the ‘endurance, enthusiasm and perceived invincibility of Saladin’s desert warriors of the 12th century’. The fact that their local rivals were called the Crusaders may also have been a factor.”
It’s cool really that a bunch of upper-class Poms in the 19th century demonstrated such cross-cultural respect.
I also like the name Harlequins, with the Wikistory behind this reflecting that English quirkiness which some of us Down Under find quite appealing:
“The Hampstead Football Club was founded in 1866 and the first recorded game took place in 1867. The club was renamed Harlequin Rugby Football Club in 1870, supposedly because the membership was no longer purely local but the HFC monogram had to be retained. The word ‘Harlequin’ was found in a dictionary and all present agreed to the new name.”
So they couldn’t think of a name, went to the dictionary and found the quirkiest word in the H section. Works for me.
This got me thinking about which names for the Super Rugby teams that I like and which I don’t. I have listed them below and have given them a thumbs up or down by originality and ‘coolness’.
Reds
Eminently unoriginal and not cool. Thumbs down.
Waratahs
At least it is a uniquely Australian name and the only one in a native language of all Super Rugby three SANZAR nations, so it is original. But it’s a flower, nuff said. Thumbs down.
Brumbies
A uniquely Australian name for a horse and anybody who has watched The Man from Snowy River knows is cool. Thumbs up.
Rebels
It ties in nicely with the early European history of Victoria and what isn’t cool about being a rebel? Thumbs up.
Force
Yeah, it’s original, nobody knows what it means, but it sounds like an X-Men character, a bit too kitch to be cool. Thumbs down.
Blues
Doesn’t justify full analysis, see Reds, thumbs down.
Chiefs
There are older sporting teams elsewhere in the world that have the same name, so we can’t call it original. However, is probably reflects the rich Maori history of the Waikato and therefore it is cool. My 50/50 call is thumbs up.
Hurricanes
Reflects the fact that Wellington is a very windy place, so that is kinda original, but like the Force it sounds like a Marvel character. Thumbs down.
Crusaders
Would be original and cool if the Poms hadn’t done the same thing 120 years earlier. Thumbs down.
Highlanders
Reflects the indelible influence of the Scottish on Southland, as well as the fact that the natural environment is as close as you will get to Braveheart territory outside of Scotland. And of course it is cool. Thumbs up.
Lions
Not original, even though you have big cats. Not really cool either, it sounds like a team name selected by a bunch of nine-year-olds. Thumbs down.
Cheetahs
As for Lions, though it is a slightly more original animal that would probably be selected by 11-year-olds. Thumbs down.
Sharks
Some people might not know that there are sharks in South Africa, but then there are about a gazillion Sharks sporting teams in the world. And again, sounds like kids selected it. Thumbs down.
Bulls
Reflects the fact that South Africans like beef and farm it in Transvaal provence. A nice, ballsy name for a rugby team. Thumbs up.
Stormers
Definitely original, I have no idea why they chose it and it sounds cool when said in my bad version of a South African accent. Thumbs up.
Kings
I don’t know why they get to be kings, but I supposed it is original. However, such a grand name probably raised expectations of how this team would go. Thumbs down.
Sunwolves
Original, and kinda cool if you have somebody else say it for you, while you move your lips out of synch. Thumbs up.
Jaguares
They already have a team in Argentina called the Pumas and it sounds like it was chosen by a bunch of Argentinean nine-year-olds. Thumbs down.
Whadda you lot reckon?
(Disclaimer: geographical, cultural or historical information provided should not be used in your school assignment.)
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