Rugby is a game of inches

“A thug’s sport played by gentlemen.” That’s the slogan that was drilled into us during years spent in mini-rugby, as part of the ever-prominent war against the rival game, football. 

Being brought up in a middle class Irish household and going to a private school with a rugby squad sponsored by the Irish Rugby Football Union, had its advantages. It wasn't until the age of 9 or 10 that this young boy started to grasp the game and play at a level worthy of a starting position on the 'A' team for our age group.

Entering youth rugby, Campbell College Belfast showed no signs of leaning back and letting the boys enjoying the game.

One month after the 1^st day of secondary school, the trails began and from then on, rugby was a sport to be taken seriously. The head boy each year was, without fail, the captain of the senior 1^st IX.

The ideology was that the rugby team was an advertisement for the school, it was the one thing that the whole country could see, and they wanted everyone to bask in their ambience.

It’s not supervising, therefore, that each lunchtime the senior squad would have lineout practice in the sports hall.

“Rugby is a game of inches,” Mr. McKinney would proclaim. ‘Each phase matters and at no point should you disregard the importance of that extra yard, foot or inch wherever you are on the pitch’ or words to that effect.

It’s amazing to watch a team like the New Zealand All Blacks. Their character, intensity and devotion to the shirt. On December 1^st 2012, the greatest team in the world took the field at Twickenham Stadium to face a new, young England side. Despite being dominated on the scoreboard and eventually beaten, the men in black would, every now and then, show a bit of class, just to remind their opposition that they can’t switch off just because they’re winning.

At no point did New Zealand stop fighting for those extra inches. The clock went red at the end of the game and they were seventeen points behind. The game was lost and you would have thought Dan Carter would just get the ball into touch, but they fought and fought to get the last word in the game.

It takes character to show this kind of dedecation, and despite the score line that day, everyone was left in no doubt as to who is the best rugby squad in the world.

Rugby is a game of character, a game of mental and physical strength. To win at the end of the game, you must first conquer your opposite number in every ruck, maul, scrum and tackle. Rugby is a game of inches!