The spirit of Rugby

[Burgs]

Jeez I wish Union was the main sport around country WA

Nice little story by Fitzy:

Head west for spirit of rugby

Peter FitzSimons
August 18, 2007

YOU be the judge.

If we are to assume that there is such a thing as the "spirit of rugby" - that thing that warms the cockles of our soul, as the days grow cold, and we grow old - the question before us is, where is it most likely to be found?

Is it in the hotel room with Lotsa Tequilas and Matt Dunning pissing on through the night, just a fortnight before the Wallabies leave for the World Cup, or is it to be found up Dubbo way, last weekend, as the Cowra Eagles took on the Dubbo Kangaroos?

See, the Cowra Guardian reports that with just a minute remaining in the game, the Eagles are losing 84-3, but still giving it their very best.

They make them tough in Cowra, and the Eagles are unbowed, still looking for an elusive try that the roaring Dubbo locals might remember them by …

Now watch them go!

As one, the Eagles crash against the Kangaroos line, putting together phase after phase of football, and nary making a mistake.

Col Kilby takes it up like a runaway locomotive, then the ball comes back to Mattie Rush, who whistles it out to Dave Moodie moonlighting at five-eighth.

Dave's quick thinking finds a marauding Mark Hubber.

"Big Hub" tucks the ball under his left arm and he proceeds to put Dubbo's biggest forward flat on his back as he barges over for a fantastic try in the north-east corner.

It was truly inspiring to watch Hub slam that try down in what may be his last game for the Eagles.

To the home club's credit, their supporters are vocal in recognising the effort from a soundly beaten team in scoring in the last 20 seconds of the game.

The Guardian takes up the story…

"With kicker Mick Sheehy having just left the field with a suspected fractured forearm, the kicking duties fell to big Col Kilby.

Col took his time, stretched his hamstring, had a yarn with ref Stacey Irvine, gave the Dubbo bench a bit of lip, took a $20 bet on his pending kick, and then calmly knocked it over the black dot from the sideline.

The feeling amongst the whole team was one of club pride as Dubbo supporters applauded the efforts as our boys as they were clapped from the field by the Roos."

And that, my friends, is rugby.

Bravo both teams.

[JediKnight]

And that's what we love about it. It never leaves us.

[.X.]

That Peter Fitzsimons can sure write a good yarn.

[jargan83]

He sure can, but he hit the nail on the head. I havent been down to watch a "grassroots" game of rugby for a while, but its what we love about the game. Made me think of the interview with tana umanga after the force vs hurricanes game this yeas

[frontrow]

Fitzy is a great writer and a great bloke to boot...Excellent story, and reminds me of an old story i posted eons ago regarding "your greatest rugby memory", i may troll back through the archives and re birth it, t'was all about the real meaning of rugby, and me scoring my first rugby union try, now where did i put that article...

[shasta]

That Peter Fitzsimons can sure write a good yarn.

Yep he's not too shabby. But the best yarn I've EVER read regarding the spirit of rugby and what makes a rugby club tick was written by our own resident legal eagle FS.

For anyone who missed this little gem, it starts here..............

http://thewholeforce.com/showthread.php?t=6563

and it's well worth the read.