The importance of high profile events such as Worlds, World championships and the Olympics was showcased on Saturday when Trinidad and Tobago played Barbados in a crucial 2015 rugby World qualifier at the St Mary’s College ground, St Clair. The match enjoyed excellent media coverage and was well attended. All of this would have been great for the game here since there was a high-profiled international rugby official present. It is an indisputable fact that since its first incarnation in 1987, the International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby World Cup (RWC) has become the third biggest event in global sport. The Rugby World Cup is far more than a game or a world class event; it is a key element in the development of rugby as a global game and a platform to increase participation and the competitiveness of the respective national teams that make up the IRB family.
Building on the RWC opportunities requires commitment, hard work, structure, organisation, execution and a shared vision and consensus. The challenge for rugby in T&T is striking a balance between the sport’s social and recreational culture and the demands of international level rugby where professionals dominate. It’s a whole new ball game which ardent armchair experts cannot seem to contextualise. Modern sport demands different and in some situations new tools and new approaches; in every sport including rugby there are historic cultural and social dimensions that require strategic change management. Resistance to change is natural because as human beings we seek comfort in what we know. Change can desecrate sacred cows. There are principles and values that are timeless such as respect, dignity, integrity, solidarity, passion and discipline. But tactical, technical, physical, physiological and psychological evolutions have taken place.
Modern rugby requires fitter, faster and stronger athletes. The demands of the modern day generation, their expectations and their needs have changed.
No matter how great the talent and potential without the right tools, mediocrity will reign. There is nothing more satisfying than having the right tools for the job. Even the needs and expectations of the social and recreational participants have evolved. Rugby, as all other sports, is now more than a game. Individuals and groups who have no desire to achieve excellence at the elite and international level can enjoy a nice sweat with good mates and a beer or two after. That having been said, there is a significant gulf between domestic and club excellence and international excellence. Excellence in one can very well mean mediocrity in the other. Local rugby and other team sports have a huge mountain to climb with many obstacles and battles to face. Achieving excellence in elite level team sport may be near impossible if traditional thinking and conversations continue to dominate the agenda.
Outside of football and cricket in every other team sport there is a smaller critical mass. Pathways and infrastructure are therefore mission critical. There needs to be a greater urgency to broaden the search for fresh new talent with the attributes required for modern day elite level sport. High performance systems and structures must be put in place that will produce better prepared players. But it is not a case of one without the other. The pathway has to provide for those who play for fun and enjoyment and those who seek fun and enjoyment in high performance aspirations and ambitions. Rugby, long considered a minor sport now has more opportunities but with these opportunities come more problems. The modern sport environment is a whole new ball game. As such the risk of being left behind is far greater.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By Brian Lewis