These last two posts are a bit off the beaten path for Your Scrumhalf Connection but I found them passionate and full of truth. They are worth a read and further discussion.

The Importance of Rugby Culture - Part 2
(Part 1 can be found here)

Truth
There is truth in this game. As in no other place I know, there is truth to be witnessed in this sport. Sport has always attracted our attention for its entertainment but also because of its truth. We are drawn to the truth of a competition which declares a clear winner. No grey areas, please, just truth and winners. The participants are showing us what they are made of by showing us how willing they are to give it all. It is impossible to fake giving it all. It is impossible to fake the look one gets in the eyes and jaws when the moment (now) is worth the rest of their breaths. You can see it in the underdogs eyes just before they win. The Cinderella teams are
irresistible because we crave the truth that possibilities come from the heart... and not the budget. We all wish in the pit of our soul that the underdog can do it. We want the truth to be the Olympic Hockey Miracle. Therein is the truth that we see in this game of Rugby. It is a sport where if all things are equal in fitness, skill, and fortune...the decider will be determination.

Determination is the truth of willingness. Determination is the truth of belief. Determination is confidence transformed into example and leadership. Determination is the pure truth of focusing on perfection completely without blinking. We ride the swing of momentum by a confidence rope tied to the tall branches by a determination knot. Slip knots are killers!

The knuckles on the slippery rope of confidence beg hard questions. Can you be perfect longer than the opposite number? Can you focus your every fiber, movement, and thought to the task? Will you waver or loosen your grip? Can you stay a split second ahead of everyone else? If so, then you lead the action that everyone else responds to. It is your game to play. As the one in the Zone, setting the pace one blink before your surroundings, the rest of us follow you wherever you go. It is always flawless when you chase what will happen instead of what has happened.

We watch because it is truth like none other that we know. It is beautiful truth to see a performance given spontaneously and perfectly. The beauty is the shine from the spirit of the player. We see it for what it is, without the help of special glasses or replays. Truth has a Quality that you recognize when you see it. Some players have it, some wish they did, some pretend they do. Our eyes tell the truth. It’s the truth we came to see.

Our weekdays steal the strength of our optimism. We crave a torrent of determination and truth. These are what we long to see after a boring week of living the wage grinder. In deed, and effort, there is truth in this game. When players fuse together and refuse to give in; that cannot be faked. It is truth. It is difficult to lie, deceive, manipulate, or fake it on the field. You can’t get credit for someone else’s work. The cheats are whistled, the lazy are found out, and the hard workers are watched and appreciated. It is the way we wish it were so on the job.

Truth is demanded by the expectations of the game. We expect a certain level of truth from the participants. It is disrespectful and deceitful to posture, prance, jive talk and walk, or taunt. We all agree that it is unsportsmanlike and worth a penalty because it is a lie told in public. It ought to be a red card. Ones boasts must be followed with the action as advertised. Without fail they will be found out as what they are.... for all to see. There is just no place to hide. If you are too soft to tackle you better be a points scorer and kicker. The game demands these truths.

Truth is the reflection of the performance. Video forces the truth to be swallowed. Its one of the main needs of the game and yet it is seen as a convenience. It is the truth of the day for all to see.
Forcing players to watch themselves perform poorly, and lazily after they have talked the big game is humiliating. A student of this game will change one or the other.... less talk, or more and better action. Either way, the game wins, the team gets better, and the player has a genuine reason to be confident. There is just no place to hide.

We see from the sideline more than the player can imagine. The player thinks maybe no one noticed, but in truth we saw it all. We will wonder if it was due to weak mind or body, but we noticed. This is the truth we came to see.

The great players I have known never tried to hide. They came to this game hard and willing. That is the way they played and lived. They were easy to love for their truth.

Truth is still what I look for.

Native
I am watching the New Zealand culture embrace their Maori in sport. I see proud fathers watching. There are sisters and brothers in the stands cheering. Grandmother made the match to watch her strong, handsome “brown boy”. I see the white pakeha cheering the dark Maori.

Away from the fields there will be political positioning and racial leverage, but game day is quite different. The sport is more important than the politics. The sport is more important than the color. There is room for both here.

I see a nation embracing a minority as its hero on the field of play with four million fans. They are called the “All Black’s”, and the color reference is not, and was not, an accident. In these All Blacks there resides the pride of mainstream culture, national sport, and the hero’s of every kid boy and girl. The captain of their national team is Maori.

I wish the Native American tribes could have embraced this game so long ago. It is evident the great contribution that Rugby has made to the Maori people of New Zealand. Each of the Native American nations could use much of what has been grown here. It starts with the traditional Haka, a war cry in the native language. It is a source of immense National pride and identity. What is the war cry, chant, or dance from the Americas that we should begin our games with? Would those nations lend their heritage?

The Maori preserves its heritage by being popular from Rugby and Tourism. In the States, neither rugby nor tourism is on the side of our proud Native Americans. After waiting for two hundred years is it too late to embrace the game at the tribal level?

I used to rave about getting the support of the Cherokee or Osage or others and establish National teams so we could go to the World Cups and International events like the Hong Kong sevens. Back then I was too irresponsible to gain anyone’s financial trust, but I still wonder
if it could be a small solution to the big problems.

From my perspective the value of this game is far more important than just as a sport. It is very clearly socially and culturally important. The Maori of NZ would be much worse off with out this
game.

Maori and whites share the same reasons for needing rugby. It is our common ground. Through this game they can still be proud, and athletic, and revered, and tribal.

We all need a tribe.

The Problem
It only takes one guy to ruin a drill, lose a game, or weaken a Club. Just one.

Why do you suppose that we have difficulty getting and keeping good quality people into this great game? If you can’t find a good coach; it’s probably because they have been run off. If you can’t find a good referee; it’s probably because they have been run off.

This is a community of volunteers. Since we are not getting paid, there is no leverage to keep us doing the work. Treating a volunteer poorly is a recipe for losing your volunteer. Treating your volunteer well is a recipe for keeping the volunteer. It is not a complicated equation, yet we have big dumb animals (BDA’s) who do not get it. For the same reasons; we don’t get new people who want to be a coach, be a ref, or be an officer. It’s a hard job and there are just a few guys who make it miserable on everyone. So at the end of the day we are forced to take whatever we can get. Is there a way to fix the problem? Yes, and we all know its long overdue.

The Cancer
The cancer in a group destroys the group by distraction, greed, mediocrity, and a loss of progress and momentum. I have sadly watched teams weaken and disband for this one reason. The cancer spreads by attracting new cancer, and then who can blame a good athlete for not
joining the club when it is full of poison? How do we get rid of the cancerous people in our group? Maybe, we should instead ask, how do we salvage these weak links that hold us back? Call it a last chance for the bed wetter. In travelling to New Zealand I had hoped to learn something to answer this question that has slipped my best efforts to tackle them.

How is it done in New Zealand?
The people who are involved with this game have respect and show it. It is a “Culture of Respect”. Respect for the ‘Old Boys’ who are always active in the Club. Respect for the coaches. Respect for the officials. Respect for the game; the past, the present, and the future.
The past is legend (Tell those old stories).
The present is heroes and role models (making new, hopefully greater stories).
The future is the next great hero and legend (watching the little ones grow skilled).
It’s all connected.

Respect, Freedom and Support...in that order
In businesses, relationships, and rugby clubs, when people work well together you will find respect, freedom, and support... in that order. This lesson was expensive to learn for me. Without respect there can be no Freedom. Without Freedom there can be no Support. Without support your playing alone. Show me a man who does not show respect...and I will show you a man who does not deserve my support. Look around...they are easy to spot.

The Example
We went to Fielding for a Women’s NPC semifinal match between Auckland and the local team, Manawatu. After the match I went into the clubhouse (one of three clubhouses on site) and immediately spotted the Coat of Arms for the Fielding Rugby Club- established 1874. This
is a 131 year old club. The dedication to the building was August 11, 1962. It was a modern building with kitchen, bar, bandstand, etc. in approximately 10,000 square feet of floor space. Locker rooms and showers were underneath the stadium, which seats about one thousand.
Remember this is a tiny town out in a farming community (Population~ 10,000). There were men in their 70’s who walked in with the aid of a cane. Others had to be wheelchaired in. THIS IS THEIR CLUB. They will not miss a match while they are alive. These are the stones of a
strong foundation; these old timers. This guy is 70 years old and he played for this club. His father played for this club. His grandfather played with this club. His whole family is here;
daughters, sons, and grandkids. Who would disrespect this faithful fan and his family by behaving like a jackass on the field or on the sidelines? The respect is expected by tradition.
Not that “anyone” would consider disrespecting such a sacred group by being a loud vexating jackass, showing up late, not showing effort, disrespecting the coaches, the club, or game, but if they did... they would be met with a rapid reminder from a great many people to: do
better now... or else.

The behavior of the individual is controlled by the culture, not the COACH. If a player is bad for the group, they (the Group) get rid of “it”. We protect what is important to us, especially if we have help.

So what have I seen that explains all those questions I had before I came over?

Build something to be proud of
In the U.S., we cannot see enough of the past to see our place in the future. We cannot see our tradition yet, and thus we don’t do enough to defend it. The clubs are new; only a few decades old. In those few decades we have made progress on and off the field. In the process of being inclusive to ‘develop’ our sport we have accepted mediocrity among our ranks. We have allowed the cancerous people to stay in our sport. We should have run them out, but we did not. Maybe we needed them? We do not need them now.

If they knew that their days were numbered what would they do? Would they leave... or change? Would the bad apples change their behavior if they could see the damage they do to the short and long term success of the team?

Would they still disrespect the game, its players, coaches, and officials? Would they continue to destroy the game by the disrespect they spread? Would they continue to run off the referees? Would they still run off the rookies with abuse and disrespect?

Would they still lie to, and steal from their teammates? Would they still miss the trainings and away games for the same reasons? Would they still be too busy?

Would they refuse to start new clubs for youth? Would they refuse to referee or coach with so much need around us? Would they take from the game and give nothing back?

If they still do not change, after being asked nicely, reminded, and re-reminded: Can we feed them to starving pigs? Can we please force them out of the game? Can we clean the dog shit out of our own yard?

One Answer
I used to believe that one good leader could get the job done, but I was wrong. It takes the whole team to correct behavior. It takes the whole community like back in Fielding with the old men and ‘defending your tradition’. As a group, we need to demand more from those in the group, not less. Expectations can only go so low...you know.

To grow the club you will need bigger and better organization, funding, youth programs, tournaments, tours, facilities, coaches, players and employers. You will need all the help you can get, from all the sources you can get it. You cannot afford to let a few “hollow heads” continue to run off the help you need for the future.

If a group of wolves agrees to cull out the weak and sick from their pack, then the weak and sick are on notice to hustle out of sight or be torn to bits.

The Challenge
Where are you going as a team? These are decisions that must be made before, far in advance of, acquiring these dreams of Championships. Championships come to those who cannot be divided. Champions live by strength and unity, as an undivided group who would go thru the Gates
of Hell for each other.

If you knew you would lose the Championship game because of a weak link; what would you do to prevent it? What would you do before its too late?

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