Loyalty - are you in it for the long haul?

Olden days.........
By Abbers
January 20 2004

Winning the World Cup was, as we all know, an absolutely tremendous achievement. To be the first northern hemisphere side to lift the Webb Ellis trophy, and in the Aussie’s back yard to boot, took a monumental effort from Sir Clive and the boys and the commitment of all involved cannot be faulted.

Martin Johnson’s subsequent retirement from the international arena was widely anticipated and he deserves to go out on the very top of the global game, free to focus on his next challenge which is attempting to shore up a creaking Tigers outfit. He, and others lucky and talented enough to represent their countries, will always have a national loyalty and passion, playing for the nation of their birth or of their ancestors. It can’t fail to motivate them when they know who and what they are playing for, representing everyone else who shares that same nationalistic fervour, uniting club opponents and team mates alike in a higher focus.

That level of commitment and passion will never be diluted, but is the same purity of purpose true in the Premiership when confronted with the weekly grind of the club game? As players, those who get to wear the jerseys on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon obviously want to win. They are professional sportsmen, it is their job and it is, after all, what they are paid to do. Everyone who ever played sport, be it professionally or purely for recreational fun and camaraderie, has wanted to win. It can mean a difference to their careers, possibly being picked for national selection if their performances are good enough, or being released by their club if they aren’t up to scratch. And it certainly makes a difference to their bank balances.

But while the will to win can’t be questioned, is there still that unshakable belief in the cause, that unanimity of purpose, passion and drive? The advent of the professional game has made it much more common for players to move between clubs and even play in multiple countries. These options are open to the players and I for one don’t begrudge them making the most of their short playing careers when opportunities present themselves. Does a player who grew up watching Gloucester, playing for their junior sides but who ends up running out in the colours of, for argument’s sake, Toulouse, have the same ‘at all costs’ attitude to winning as Johnson and co in their national shirts? Does the journeyman pro at his third club care as much about achieving success for the badge on his chest as the home grown player next to him who has a decade of service playing for the club he loved as a boy?

And does he care as much as the crowd, some of whom live for Saturday afternoons and who have supported their club since before the current players were born? Players come and go, successful seasons blend with the mediocre, but the fans still come back to the club they love. Will the players keep coming back when their professional rugby lives are over to cheer on the new breed? Some doubtless will. Others, who don’t share the deep-seated passion for the team, probably won’t.

The average supporter wants his or her team to win, just as the players do; they’re in it for the long haul, for life. They don’t have the option of changing to another club if relegation hits, or if a more lucrative contract is available elsewhere. So does it matter where the players they watch come from, as long as they play for each other and the team and win? I would suggest not. Success is, after all, the bottom line for all involved.

But isn’t it a good feeling to know that the boys in gold, black & green share that pride in the shirt, share the belief of the club and share the passion of the crowd? Roll on the weekend – and another emotional 80 minutes for all involved.




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