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 17/9/07
This Rugby World Cup needs something fierce
and unpredictable to bring it alive. With
luck, Samoa and Tonga might have sparked the
tournament to life overnight.
To date, the only unexpected result was
Argentina's opening win over France. Even
there, the world No 6 team beating the world
No 3 team is hardly momentous.
Georgia, who play with the elegance of the
Russian tractors their scrum used to train
against, were valiant and almost victorious
against a badly over-rated Irish side
yesterday.
Georgia were roared on by a brilliant crowd
as they smashed at the Irish line in the
final minutes. The Georgians also won
hearts, with their hulking players speaking
humbly in broken English afterwards.
But already much of the cup is leaving me
numbed, as if slapped around endlessly by a
feather. Great stadiums, great crowds and
drab mismatches.
The TV3 commentary hasn't ruined the cup so
far, but it hasn't lifted it either. As a
unit, comments men Grant Fox and Alan
Whetton are adequate but seem a little
preoccupied with their own careers, with too
many references to their days of "pies and
chips".
Confession time. I'm missing Murray Mexted,
and John Drake was always going to be
missed. Sky leads Tony Johnson (when he's
not blathering on about the rules) and Grant
Nisbett are familiar purveyors of major
rugby and it feels a little odd when they
aren't there. I am missing Johnson and
Nisbett's authority.
What of TV3's hired help? Frank Bunce is
being Frank Bunce, stating the blindingly
obvious or nothing at all. It's way too
early in James Ryan's career, or life, for
him to be a studio star. Andrew Mehrtens is
not sure if he is clown or wise counsel and
we are not familiar enough with his
commentary work to accept the mixture.
Then again, the All Blacks versus Italy and
Portugal are difficult games from which to
bring World Cup drama into our lounges.
After watching the muscle-bound pensioners
of England disgrace themselves against South
Africa on Saturday morning, the thought
immediately turned to Samoa's match against
the fast-falling world champions in Nantes
this Sunday.
If ever there was a momentous World Cup
event in store, it is here. Imagine, just
imagine, if Samoa could lower England's
colourless game and progress at their
expense into the quarterfinals. Will Samoa
have the right balance of rough and ready?
Wouldn't a Samoan victory, and a similar
serve a week later by Tonga, be brilliant,
especially as England deserve to lose.
Absolutely.
I'm not one to bag English rugby out of
hand. I had a brief but highly enjoyable
stint with a low-level club in north London
many years ago which removed the notion that
the English game is infested with nobs who
can look down their noses and drink a port
and brandy at the same time. The English
rugby mob may have the odd unlovely trait
and include a few nobs, but then again, so
do we and on both scores.
But England deserve to be humiliated in this
cup because they are a lumbering and
mega-rich mess, an ill-prepared outfit who
have stupidly rested on their laurels. Yes,
a variance in styles make for good in all
sport, but England offer nothing in
entertainment. Their game isn't a style,
it's a method of running up the white flag
as slowly as possible.
The only thing that stops you wanting to
kick them on the way down is the sight of
their coach Brian Ashton, because he looks
like a kindly old granddad whom you simply
can't admonish, even though he keeps burning
the dinner.
Let's hope Tonga and Samoa haven't knocked
too many lumps off each other so that
Michael Jones' side is left in good fettle
for Nantes.
The Samoans have been absolutely betrayed by
a draw designed to give England the edge in
qualifying for the quarterfinals.
England versus Samoa was always the crucial
game in Pool A. England will go into the
Nantes game on eight days' rest, while Samoa
get six. This IRB case of charity for the
rich and disrespect for the poor, a belief
almost that the world champions' progress to
the playoffs is a fait accompli, is
appalling.
Jones should use all of his standing in
world rugby, and his name is still talked
about with reverence in the highest halls,
to savage this abomination. If the IRB wants
to stage a respected and proper World Cup,
this foul business must come to an end. The
island nations, and many others, face enough
other obstacles.
Samoa versus Tonga always reminds me of a
sunny Auckland day at Carlaw Park many moons
ago. The dilapidated stadium had an
extraordinary atmosphere for what was a
tough Pacific Cup league final which a
heavily favoured Samoan team just won.
The woman next to me on the old concrete
terraces was screaming so loudly for Samoa
that I just had to ask if she was close to
their team.
She was from Tokelau, she replied, before
relaying a brief Pacific history lesson to
explain why she was pro-Samoan, and
anti-Tongan.
I won't say that my lack of understanding of
Pacific Island history is embarrassing. That
would be an overstatement, and patronising.
But it is still perplexing, and I wonder why
more hasn't filtered through over the years.
Life in these isles might be enriched if we
all knew at least a little more.
Our races are entwined, in Auckland
especially, and no more so than in sport. It
is important to retain cultural identities
yet maybe we exist too much in parallel
universes. From a media side of things, a
European-dominated press pack struggles to
really pierce through to the true identity
of the many island-heritage players.
Conversely, the island players are
comfortable keeping it that way. Both camps
often find a comfort in cliches.
Samoa and Tonga will have been at it hammer
and tongs early today, fired perhaps by a
history of which most of us know very
little. Or is that a cliche? Maybe it is a
simple sporting rivalry between neighbours.
Whatever, I just hope Samoa have enough left
in the tank for a decent shot at England on
Sunday.
CHRIS RATTUE |
The NZ Herald | Monday, 17 September ,
2007 |
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