Comments on Minter Dialogue Blog: Rugby as a (role) model for competing

@ wadard: two great and different rugby nations an...

2007-11-02T10:22:00.000+01:00

@ wadard: two great and different rugby nations and yet we find the same values.

@ AEB, there is a dictum that says that the wars of England are won on the playing fields of Eton... there has always been a connection somewhere!

In the Southwest of France, they customarily create a zone at the stadiums for families...personally, I feel safe in among the "gang" at rugby matches because, as you say Nick, they are generally collegial and well behaved.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed playing rugby wa...

2007-11-02T10:17:00.000+01:00

One of the reasons that I enjoyed playing rugby was the concept of sportsmanship. Even if you were beating the hell out of each other on the field, you could still shake hands at the end of the match, have some beers, and then sing some of the funniest songs into the night. Maybe instead of world armies, we should have world rugby teams indeed.

I had a double shot of love for rugby growing up i...

2007-10-28T14:42:00.000+01:00

I had a double shot of love for rugby growing up in South Africa and emigrating to Australia. I can tell you that, right now, rugby is bringing the whole of South Africa together. They extended the ticker tape parade through Soweto (more known for it's love of soccer) by popular demand.

And look what it has done for the self-esteem of the minnow nations?

My two observations about rugby are that the crowds are well behaved (say compared to soccer) and it's a game that accommodates the range of body shapes and sizes.

it's very true, rugby is an extremely collegial ga...

2007-10-15T17:00:00.000+02:00

it's very true, rugby is an extremely collegial game, at least at the moment. The fact that you can have two hundred rabid fans packed into a bar meant to hold one hundred, a third French, a third English and a third Irish, the latter group not known for their affection for the English, and not have one bit of agro is testament to the veracity of your observations.

On the other hand, it seems that whatever good spo...

2007-10-10T09:23:00.000+02:00

On the other hand, it seems that whatever good sportsmanship we saw on the pitch, the recriminations in New Zealand are harsh indeed. For example, what about the death threats the referee has been receiving?

http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/09102007/1/mondial-de-rugby-l-irb-prend-la-defense-de-wayne.html

Nice piece about rugby. Interesting perspective on...

2007-10-10T06:36:00.000+02:00

Nice piece about rugby. Interesting perspective on the influence of money on sportsmanship.

Very interesting that it is the sports that have t...

2007-10-09T11:01:00.000+02:00

Very interesting that it is the sports that have the least money and that are the most physically dangerous, that seem to produce the best sportsmanship, camaraderie and 'life skills'.

There's a moral there somewhere...

I noticed the same phenomenon of good sportsmanshi...

2007-10-08T22:18:00.000+02:00

I noticed the same phenomenon of good sportsmanship. After the France-New Zealand match, the (obviously gutted) Kiwi head coach congratulated the French as having been the better team, and I didn't see anything mean-spirited about the French celebration. My own favorite sports, alas, American football and baseball, can't claim such good etiquette. Maybe cricket?