Fitzy Has a Fit
Former All Black captain Sean “I’ve Got A Whistle” Fitzpatrick caused a furore at the weekend with his comments about the relative strength of the rugby.
Notwithstanding the fact he is a living AB legend, Sean had a crack at NZ rugby
The guts of it is this according to Fitzy:
“In terms of what I am seeing in Super 14 compared to the Premiership and Heineken Cup, it is quite clear one game is better than the other.
“What’s happening in Super 14 is lacking structure. The teams that are doing well the Bulls and Chiefs are the teams that are playing with structure. Unfortunately with the short-arm penalty, it encourages teams and players … to cheat.”
I think he’s right – at least to the point that the Super14 is missing something. The games seem to lack sparkle and aren’t the compelling spectator-magnets they once were. Blame the player drain, the ELV’s, or El Nino, something is missing.
In fairness, it’s not a great comparison as the Super14 restricts players while the Northern Hemisphere has effectively become the EPL of rugby – the best rugby your cheque book can afford.
He then goes on to have a dig about the international game:
Fitzpatrick said he wasn’t surprised and had a pop at the country’s obsession with free-flowing play, which he reckons would eventually undermine the All Blacks’ supremacy.
Fitzpatrick also slammed the ELVs, saying: “The ELVs and some coaches are encouraging our younger guys to play this helter skelter rugby which is fantastic at schoolboy and club level but against the big boys in international rugby it won’t wash.”
The irony is rich.
For the damage that the ELVs may have done to NZ, for all the players who’ve gone North, the All Blacks now expect to beat all the Six Nations at any time on any ground (except of course in a World Cup year).
Perhaps the lasting success of the ABs has more to do with skill and passion rather than laws, tactics and cheque books.
