World Cups That Runneth Over

I read a commentator, a man respected in his
playing days, who said with great invective – it
makes a mockery to have coaches run the game.
Think again he says, take a cue from cricketers
who won the Barbados world cup, cricketers
whose coach magnanimously aimed to render
players a favour by making himself redundant!

It is, he suggests, a worthy case, let the players
raise the stakes as decision makers. I’d go one
better, let’s get rid of IRB rules, all team officials
not being players, boards who claim to govern
the game in its best interests, chief executives
and presidents of rugby unions and all those
specious trophies awarded to their cupidity.

In one vast sweep we’ve levelled the playing
fields and the question arises, do we even need
spectators? Rugby’s past weeps with tales of
supporter’s angst, the wails of defeats, cheers
from the terraces where our heroes touched
hearts pure with admiration through their
sheer artistry. I think we still need them there.

But this world cup of cricketing infamy which he
cited, hoping to invite constructive debate was a
farce in the face of all sport’s history. Sure, take
away some of the mystery surrounding power
of rugby coaches, curb extraneous team officials,
accrediting only a minimum necessary, but please –
make an effort to find better performed referees.
© 7 May 2007, I.D. Carswell