Triumph and Disaster

Ladies and Gentlemen

I have neglected the Blog for too, too long and for that you have my apologies. Now that I'm back in the digital saddle, it feels good and I wonder why I couldn't find time to speak to the Blog's 231 unique users (at the last count) since November 20. To tell the truth, the last month has been a trifle frantic for all kinds of reasons. But we're here to talk about rugby and that is what I would like to do. If you'll honour me with your attention, I would like to share a few thoughts about the season so far and what we have to look forward to in 2009.

Golden Browne

Appropos of nothing, I would also like to share this delightful image of that tireless man of action, Daniel Browne, Esq, pictured as he psyched himself up for Select's first ever international in Macau by dreaming about pies and ponies on the ferry. All together, aaaaah.

Two Impostors

Moving on rather, the great Rudyard Kipling famously wrote in If that: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same," as well as managing a lot of other difficult-sounding acts of Victorian fortitude and forbearance, then "Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it / And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

That's enough poetry for this afternoon, but I do want to tackle this question of meeting triumph and disaster and treating them the same. I'm all for stoicism, but treating triumph and disaster just the same is a nice ideal but clearly a nonsense. If we didn't respond to our setbacks by feeling pain and stepping up our efforts, or to our triumphs by feeling some sense of satisfaction, we'd hardly be human.

Dig for Victory

To go further, I would say we are challenged to respond differently to adversity and success. And this is the situation we as a Club face at the turn of the season. For all our numbers and the unquestionable talent that exists within the section, we have been outplayed by our ancient rivals Valley across our top three teams this year, with Scorps in particular conspiring to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a manner that would make Kevin Pietersen and the England cricket team proud.

Being bested by Valley is an uncomfortable fact, but one that we have to confront as a section. There is no point in pretending otherwise, and treating triumph and disaster just the same will do us no good here - we have to respond to this with urgency, with unity and with a relentless sense of purpose. If we had trounced them, pats on the back and pints of bitter might have been in order instead. But we didn't.

The first half of the 2008-09 season should have shaken us out of a sense of entitlement that may have followed our victories last season and the arrival of so many high calibre players before this one. Now we have been reminded that you have to fight like hell to get to the top of any league at any level where the teams are fairly well-matched - and we have to take the lesson to heart.

Renaissance and Rediscovery

I've embarked on a similar rant in the January edition of the Club Magazine so there is no need to inflict any more of this on you here. In any case, I am feeling considerably more upbeat after last weekend. Somehow transformed, in fact.

Scorps beat the PLA 31-19 with some outstanding tries (Chris Howard's and Gavin Bowring's in particular). But this was more than just a fairly convincing victory against a decent second grade team by a Scorps side with more than its fair share of Drags and a smattering of Club players (Tom Bolland was outstanding, by the way, especially in the loose).

From my own perspective, this match was two other things. Firstly, it was a big rallying point for all the boys playing second grade. Both Drags and Scorps have suffered at the hands of Valley and PLA so far and this was the kind of confidence-boosting performance that they can use as the platform for a turnaround.

Secondly, it was the most fun I have had playing this year. It was one of those glorious games that you play with a smile on your face and an extra helping of energy because it's so enjoyable. The first half was very close and I thought it could be a tough old afternoon's work. But when Nick James showed some pure Welsh cheeky genius, throwing not one but two outrageous dummies before offloading to Danny Browne, who put Gav Bowring in to score, I was jumping for joy, grinning like an idiot and fully confident we could do this, and in style.

As that game unfolded, I remembered that rugby can be- and should be - exciting and spontaneous as well as organised and disciplined. But there was more. I felt like we shed the losses and the disappointment we have suffered this season because we were coming back from them in the best possible way. We felt like a team that was hungry for victory and which knew how to win, and that was pretty damn fine, I can tell you.

And when you have that spirit, people feed off it and exceptional things happen. Danny Browne, who was surely built for power rather than speed, joins a 50-yard break and makes a scoring pass. Chris Howard, in his "early 30s", takes a difficult ball and then goes over at full stretch in the corner like Bryan Habana. David Guthrie tackles...

It wasn't that the game became easy and it was very far from perfect - if Scorps had held on to the ball better in the second half in particular, they would have made life a lot easier for themselves. And I know Club have more daunting challenges than the PLA and that the first grade requires you to prepare and play with near-professional focus, but I hope they find that joyous edge of fun that I think we all did in that match. I don't think it means you have to play a loose game; I think it allows you to infuse a structured game with a special dynamism and vitality. And that has to be good for any team at any level.

In with the New

Anyhow, here's to 2009 - more triumph and less disaster.

While we are looking ahead, I have taken the liberty of offering five players to watch in 2009. I have omitted regular Club players, but I think these five guys will make a big impression next year and beyond. This is just a personal view - I'm not trying to influence any selection and I'm aware there are plenty more great players in the section who will impress in the future! Any comments of a non-physically threatening nature would be most welcome as ever.

FIVE FOR 2009

In no particular order:

Hayden Giordine (Dragons): Hugely impressive in the Drags back row since arriving this season. Strength, aggression, a great engine and rugby savvy to spare. Straight from the R. McCaw school of Kiwi flankers. Also the star of the Allen & Overy Professions 7s side. Well, much better than the "ringer" in any case...

Gavin Bowring (Scorpions): Proper pace, heaps of confidence and an intuitive ability to get on to the end of a scoring pass. I expect this chap to grow in composure and terrorise defences for years to come. And he's AQ...

Bobby Dimatteo (Bulls): Ex-gridiron full-back Dimatteo (pictured below) has the physique of a small tank, the strength of an ox and a combative, contact-seeking style. Currently scaring the wits out of the Bulls' opponents as a back row and kick-off return specialist, I have a suspicion his real vocation is at hooker. This is the Bobcat's first year playing the game, though, so he has plenty of time to find his preferred position and learn the subtler arts of rugby union.

David Price (Dragons): Imaginitively-nicknamed Pricey has spent time lurking in the backs but should really stick to 6 or 7, where his speed, tenacity and strong tackling will be most valuable. Pricey has only just been prised away from university but shows a willingness to listen and the origins of a rugby brain. Should spend time observing Hayden.

Rob Toresco (Scorpions): Ex-Princeton football player "Heart Throb" Rob Toresco could become a truly fearsome rugby winger. Like Dimatteo, this is his first season in the game. But a Jason Robinson-esque strength-to-size ratio, tremendous acceleration and good hands mean he has all the DNA of a top quality winger. Check out the Heart Throb's American football skills - can't believe the crowds at these games!

I now expect great swathes of abuse, but that's what your noble pundit has to deal with in life.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Harps