Is a game of rugby a cultural event?

I certainly hope it is as I put that down as the reason I am taking my kids out of school for a couple of days to head to Chicago in November, for a couple of cultural events. Friday night is the NZ Maoris vs the USA Eagles – obviously a chance to appreciate the native people from my homeland (Turtle is really looking forward to the Haka) and then Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field the Irish take on the All Blacks in a incredibly culturally significant event as my Pop was Irish and I like beer.

A bit like looks, brains and other measurable things not everything is equal. When I ask if a game of rugby is a cultural event one might quickly concede that there are some games of rugby that are not as culturally significant as others. However, as I sit here pondering how I am going to fill out the required number of words to complete my contractual obligation, I realize that in most cases a game of rugby is actually a cultural event, most especially when it is played in the US of Sports That Are Essentially Stolen From The English Who Probably Stole Them From Someone Else By Using A Flag (so USSTAESFTEWPSTFSEBUAF – no wonder they abbreviated it to USA), and I can prove it.

Firstly let’s look at the big one, All Blacks vs the Irish. A couple of years ago the All Blacks came to the US to play the USA Eagles to fulfill some contractual requirement for one of their fiscal overlords. This was a year after the Maori All Blacks had been cheered on by Monkey and I in Phillie (and a few other people – interesting fact it was the biggest crowd ever at that venue and they had had the most popular English kicky round ball teams there previously) Rugby – it’s better than that kicky round ball stuff. Anyways, the boys in Black put the Eagles to the sword in front of a sell out crowd in Chicago and a packed back bar at Rally Point in Cary. The following year a bunch of convicts fully sold out a third (one whole third) of the same stadium, maybe their games are not as cultural an event or people were concerned their wallets and loaves of bread might go missing during the game.

This year the Boys in Black are back (thanks to the fiscal overlords at AIG) but this time it is against the Irish to provide a more competitive event and to heavily deplete the NY and Boston Police and Fire Departments for the weekend. As a cultural event it might not be of significant value to the Too-Many-Pads-Ball fans however to a Kiwi Dad living a long way from home it is a chance to share the greatest sport in the world with the most important people in his life. The night preceding the NZ Maoris will play the US Eagles and we will be at that game also.

Ok, so why is a game of rugby a cultural event – more especially when played in the US of (you know the rest and I really don’t want to have to type it out again).

Rugby is an international sport unlike Too-Many-Pads-Ball and just like Kicky Round Ball. I assist in coaching at a kids rugby club locally and we have Brits, Canadians, Argentineans, Americans and me in our small club. The larger local team most likely has at least one South African, someone from Wales and possibly a convict or 2. Actually there is a local jamboree in a couple of weeks so I will be able to confirm the presence of convicts if I see any Vegemite sandwiches being passed around. Any rugby game or event is likely to garner numerous immigrants to it, first, second and even third generations. There is a culture to the game they play in heaven that is strong in those that grew up with it. We appreciate the subtlety of Hugo Porta, the violence of Brian Lima, the beauty of Jonathan Davies, the flair of Philippe Sella and the incredible talent of the Paekakariki Express. To me rugby in the US is too often associated with drinking games and dipshit antics at Universities and currently back home associated with bad judgment by both the judiciary and those that decide a handicapped loo at the airport is the correct place for a quick pants down, knee trembler.

When I read the review for Field of Dreams years ago the reviewer said that Kiwi’s wouldn’t understand the movie as it was all about baseball, obviously the reviewer had never played sport. I personally cannot stand baseball but I absolutely love that movie, it is not about the game it is about the sport and the memories it evokes with people. Just the other day the smell of freshly cut wet grass took me back to a younger, skinnier version of me with ears taped back and a few butterflies in my stomach until the first hit. As much as it is great to support the greatest sporting team in the world playing the greatest sport there is, it is also great to have a commonality with a group of people from all corners of the planet that either grew up loving the sport or recently got excited about it. The reason a game of rugby is a cultural event is because there are always a few cultures at the game and if you want to learn something new about their culture you can. They may disagree on who the best center was, on which was the best World Cup final and whether the pass in Cardiff was forward (it was) but they will always agree that Jonah Lomu was the greatest, that the Garryowen was a bugger to catch with the old leather balls and that the sport that is rugby has changed them for the good, but maybe crippled them a little for the future J

I probably should have put a disclaimer at the start of this post to say it was about rugby and might not make sense to everyone, but that is too late now so I guess I should apologize to those who this confused, but I am not going to. As usual there was little to no thought put into this post and the proudest thing about it is the phrase pants down, knee trembler, which I have not heard in ages J I did not get the English Major to edit this weeks post as he was busy not wanting to do it so any issues with the syntax and spelling in this weeks post are purely his fault. Please direct any complaints to him via electronic carrier pigeon.

Work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration (and if you are in the US make sure to watch the All Blacks play the Boks on ESPN3 Saturday)

Happy Poets Day