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I have tried several times to watch Invictus. There are many reasons why I’ve never watched it in its entirety.
If I’m being honest, first and foremost is that the 1995 Rugby World Cup final along with the Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and the Reds rank as the most bitter defeats for me to swallow as a rugby supporter.
The Reds and the Springboks were undoubtedly deserving champions but both those defeated sides achieved something on the rugby field leading up to those matches that deserved a fairytale ending. Alas, life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to based on what seems fair. Therein lies the appeal of sport.
Another big reason why Invictus is unwatchable for me is Clint Eastwood’s depiction of rugby. It was clear the political appeal of uniting a nation behind a sporting team was his primary motivation for making the film. Showing off the appeal of rugby as a sport was a distant last.
Sure he hired in some genuine rugby players but Matt Damon as the legendary Francois Pienaar made about as much sense as his nomination of The Martian as a comedy performance. The scale of the rugby scenes was like the forced perspective of The Hobbit: everything in it seemed diminished.
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The tackles and the scrums sounded more like an arthouse erotic movie. Key rugby moments were hastily put together, as Eastwood was more focused on Pienaar laying down the law in the team huddle. But even that came off as hollow. It sounded like actors rehearsing in front of a blue screen.
Last of all, Nelson Mandela, Francois Pienaar and rugby deserved something better to capture that magical moment. It needed a watershed moment that tied in what those players were fighting for out on that rugby field. Perhaps it did come but I doubt it very much.
Say what you like about the film Any Given Sunday, but to me Oliver Stone’s depiction of American football did a lot more justice to that particular sport than Eastwood’s indifferent portrayal of rugby.
You got a sense of what it was like for those players out on the field. You felt the hits and you felt the pressure of the situation. This was heightened for the audience by knowing the team’s imperfections. But most of all, it revealed a profound insight into life that can only be discovered when you’ve experienced loss.
The climactic speech, delivered by Al Pacino, summed up not only the match in question but also the entire movie. Even life itself. And upon watching the Rebels succumb so meekly to the Crusaders in the second half, I instantly felt that the Rebels needed a Tony D’Amato in the changing shed to inspire them instead of whatever Wessels served up.
I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives.
It all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re going to crumble.
Inch by inch, play by play. Until we’re finished.
We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the s**t kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell… one inch at a time.
Now I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think… I mean, I’ve made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I’ve pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.
You know, when you get old, in life, things get taken from you. I mean, that’s a part of life. But you only learn that when you start losin’ stuff.
You find out life’s this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game – life or football – the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
On this team we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches, that’s going to make the f***ing difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying!
I’ll tell you this, in any fight it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s going to win that inch. And I know, if I’m going to have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willing to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what living is: the six inches in front of your face.
Now I can’t make you do it. You’ve got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes. Now I think you’re going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. You’re going to see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team. Because he knows when it comes down to it, you’re going to do the same for him.
That’s a team, gentlemen. And either we heal now as a team or we will die as individuals. That’s football guys, that’s all it is. Now, what are you going to do?
It feels very much like Australian rugby’s in hell right now. But instead of clawing their way out inch by inch, the players appear to be sinking further and further into the rugby abyss.
The Rebels should’ve approached that second half thinking they were capable of coming away with a victory. But instead, they failed to fire another attacking shot in anger. They laid down their arms and meekly surrendered.
It was hard to watch. Wyatt Crockett appeared to be in slow motion when he put his head down and went for the line. Damon in a space suit could’ve made a better job of defending the line. That one action for me summed up the lack of heart in the Rebels.
In contrast, the Crusaders made their tackles and then got up looking for more work. They didn’t play convincingly, with more dropped balls than an all-male choir. David Havili and Mitchell Drummond, for example, have regressed noticeably this season and seem like Australian rugby players: short on confidence.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
But when the chips are down, it’s attitude that counts. When things aren’t going your way and you still try your heart out, that’s character. That wasn’t on display in that second half.
The Rebels needed to go looking for those inches and earn them. Because sure enough, before you know it, those inches do indeed start to add up.
The Reds are by no means playing good football, particularly on attack. Their defence is equally nowhere near perfect but they do appear to be the best of the Aussie teams at the moment because of their attitude as a team. That’s the influence of Brad Thorn coming through but the other teams need to recognise that grit and determination can often overcome panache. That’s what the Force did on more than a few occasions last year to better opponents.
The Aussie teams need to heal as a team if they’re ever going to climb out out of this rugby hell. And they need to own up to the fact it’s only going to happen inch by inch.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.