Friday, May 25, 2007

Say what you mean, mean what you say.


Former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick called the current England rugby team "a bunch of fatties." Now Fitzy was never a skinny player himself (as career front row players are not wont to be), and neither are the current England bunch. However I think he's confusing the point. The problem is not girth, the problem is fitness. If you look at the front row players selected for this weekend's test Nick Wood, Mark Regan, and Stu Turner, only Turner appears softer than Fitzpatrick was during his career (and as a Tight-Head prop he should be the biggest man on the pitch). Fitzy is an icon in the world of rugby. He was arguably one of the most successful captains in the modern game, and may have been the best player at his position (either him or Keith Wood). He's one of the two players early in my career that I wanted to emulate (Richard Loe being the other.. which may explain a few things to folks I played with and against) He's an honest pundit of the game, and I respect his opinion, but say what you mean, and express it like a grown man. They are unfit, they can't get around the field is what you mean."They're a bunch of fatties" is not. That's just not how a sporting icon should speak, besides, I don't recall him calling out Os Du-Randt's physique after South Africa beat Fitzy's All-Blacks in the world cup final in '95.

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