LAST night before the big screen behind the Eiffel Tower, tens of thousands of
English rugby fans died a slow, drunken death. South Africa stole the World
Cup from Jonny Wilkinson’s team of veteran brawlers in an ugly, deadlocked
game that broke the rugged tactics of the heroic but outclassed England
squad.
It could have been so different but for a disallowed try just after half time.
After that the Boks drained the life out of the game with their kicking and
even the sudden appearance of the aging, raging bull Lawrence Dallaglio was
not enough. The Boks won the game 15-6.
Yet the ticketless crowds in the Champ de Mars stayed hopeful to the last.
Reeling, patriotic, deliriously sentimental and bursting with Heineken and
Kronenbourg, they balled out the only two lines they knew of Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot to the final whistle. And then they flooded away to the bars
and cafes wildly elated. They were just so stunned and grateful to have been
here at all. Barely a single one would have bothered to book a Eurostar or
ferry ticket five weeks ago when English rugby seemed dead and buried after
a 36-0 trouncing by the same South Africans.
The air was thick with emotion and the French riot police were so hot for
action following an English defeat that they raided one bar, solely on the
basis of a waiter complaining that someone would not pay for a drink.
Sheepish, they stood around and were mocked by the strangely happy fans.
They fought to get here and, win or loose, they were going to live the moment.
They had seen their team rise, Lazarus like, from the dead, to defeat
Australia and France. The minute noble Jonny kicked us to victory in the
semi-final, they took sick leave, booked holidays and abandoned essays to
get to strikebound Paris.
Yet, by Friday, when I get there they are still outnumbered by the South
African fans. Many could barely get out of the gridlocked hell of the
Eurostar station at Gare du Nord. But I am lucky.
“Winston Churchill! Jonny Wilkinson! Deep Purple! Hermann Goering! The
Germans come and in two weeks — pah! — the French collapse. But the English,
they grip! They hold! You and me old hippies! We have best music.”
It’s Paris, still paralysed by a transport strike and the Rugby World Cup, and
my deranged old Anglophile hippie taxi driver seems to be heading for the
Alma tunnel. People die there. He sticks a Deep Purple CD into the stereo,
cranks up the volume and starts dancing at the wheel.
“You’re old hippie, you’re smart. Stupid people wait for taxi at Gare du Nord
but you walk and find me!”
I am beginning to wish I hadn’t. Even more so when he drops me, ears ringing,
half a mile from where I want to be.
“Rock on!”
Still, it is nice to meet an England supporter, even a French one. The
Eurostar train had been swamped by South Africans.
“Shall we have a few drinks, gentlemen?” I am surrounded by a management team
from SA’s First National Bank. Unwisely I agree to sink a few beers. Nine of
them have flown into London from Jo’burg and three more have gone ahead to
Paris via Lagos.
They are on vodka and whisky. They have a rule — when you say “cheers” you
have to look them straight in the eye or they make you buy and drink a
tequila. Parents passing down the train guard their children nervously. But
these are okay family guys, telling their filthy jokes in whispers.
The Lagos advance party have radioed in with news of final tickets available
at ¤800 (£560). New Zealand fans are big sellers.
The bankers have come from all over South Africa and I get vertigo as they
explain the logistics of their trip. It culminated in a rolling maul at the
French consulate in Jo’burg where they browbeat the bureaucrats into giving
them immediate visas — it normally takes two weeks. But they had done it
because this final counts in so many ways.
“After you beat us in 2003,” explains Wickus van der Walt, “we spent four
years preparing to beat you here.” And they did — 36-0. But then, with
freakish, Winston Churchill, Jonny Wilkinson, Deep Purple-like
determination, we bulldozed our way to the final to face the Springboks
again.
There is another reason why they had to come. It may never be this way again.
There are only six non-whites in the 30-man Springbok squad and only two
regular starters — Bryan Habana and
JP Pietersen. The South African government has passed a law pushing all
sporting bodies to increase their non-white quotas and the sports minister
has talked of “an element of coercion”. The boys from the bank think this
means the glory days are over. “It’s crazy,” says one
of Wickus’s pals, “the blacks play football and the whites play
rugby. They don’t want to play rugby. But they’ll make us take worse
players.”
Overwrought by nature and now feeling even more beleaguered, Africa’s white
tribe had descended on Paris to say one more — one last? — time: “We are a
people.”
Their first stop was to be Boktown. Once I had lugged my bags from where Deep
Purple had dropped me, I discover this is, more properly, called Rugby Town.
It’s a big marquee across the river from the Eiffel tower. Inside there are
a couple of attempts at proper restaurants, but they’re empty. Everybody is
dancing and singing, drinking lager and eating jaw-breaking baguettes. The
Boks are everywhere, cursing the French.
Two middle-aged mates from Bloemfontein have decided the city is “complete
shit”. You can’t ask a Parisian directions, they say, because they always
send you the wrong way. And: “Between you and me, their blacks smell
terrible.” Good grief. They are a people all right and this is still a
nation with issues.
“Of course race still matters,” John Robbie, a player turned TV chat show
host, had said. “For 12% of the population, race was all that mattered for
so many years. Race is still all that matters in South Africa for many
people, in business, politics and sport.”
But one calm voice tries to steady the ship of this troubled state. Nelson
Mandela sent a note to the Springboks, assuring them “the rainbow nation”
was at their side and telling them they were “a great cause for unity in
your country”. Maybe.
A group of flag-carrying English boys in rugby shirts from Bath University
have been in cars and on a ferry for 12 hours. That night they will sleep in
their cars.
The ferry landings had been quite something, another D-Day. The ship doors had
swung open to reveal cars draped in English flags and Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot blasting out from CD players. Several more divisions had come
through the tunnel with Eurostar clogged and slowed by the volume of
traffic. And, finally, air support had come from 28 rich kids on private
jets from London City airport.
On the road to Paris, the English mechanised infantry had been cheered by
tooting French car horns. They were on our side against the Boks.
Everywhere I go I hear the sacred name of Jonny Wilkinson, even on French
lips. The Queen’s good luck message to the team singled out Jonny. And now
there is a Tussauds waxwork of him on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Quite right, but make it bronze, make it last. Perhaps, for the French, it’s
the fact that he’s called Jonny, like a Spitfire pilot, a golden-haired
liberator.
This is the man who nearly killed me. I covered the World Cup in 2003 from an
Australian pub in Earls Court. It went into extra time and I was certain I
was close to cardiac arrest when Jonny won it for us with a drop goal. I
babbled and sobbed incoherently for hours afterwards.
Now, among his team-mates, he is known as Goldenballs, like David Beckham.
But, unlike Beckham, Jonny is unmarketable. He talks flatly, he does not
sell or brand himself. So much the better for Jonny. With Jonny what you see
is what you get. A rugby player. A scrapper and a kicker. A hero.
It’s all about character, you see, courage. Even Gordon Brown, for once, got
it right when he quoted Churchill in his message to the team: “Courage is
rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality that
guarantees all others.” Like war, rugby rewards courage — not skill, not
youth.
You see, we came from the deepest depths to get here. It’s what we, at our
best, do, we dig deep. Old Deep Purple, the crazy cabbie, was right —
“Winston Churchill, Jonny Wilkinson”, there’s a link. A team of awkward old
English bastards fought the world to a standstill. Like Tennyson’s Ulysses,
they were “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive,
to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Winston Churchill! Jonny Wilkinson! Deep Purple! We grip, we hold, but time
and fate weakens us all. The Boks deserve their trophy and England will rise
again.
It is a real shame that Mr Appleyard finds the need to play the 'race card' and play to the crowds of a defeated English public. In the last week I have had nothing but gracious words from English supporters and the press, for the most part, have been even handed in their coverage.
I doubt that any SA journalist will bother to make mention of BNP English football supporters' slurs should they fall to a shock defeat at the hands of Bafana Bafana in 2010.
Truly deplorable reporting!
Daniel Shaw, London, UK
I have met many people from South Africa working across Africa and the Middle East and despite considering many of them good friends, I am often offended by their racism, much of which I'm sure they don't even recognise in themselves.
What the forthcoming enforcment of colour based selection will acheive in a nation of inately suspicious whites is not going to be a positive thing.
The South Africans played well and despite the fans being ingracious in victory (example quote, " I'd say 'Unlucky' but you must admit you were heavily outplayed in every department"), the team did play well.
I also have to laugh at the Aussies claiming something from this because a "Southern Hemisphere" team won. No doubt Australia are therefore somehow behind the recent up swing in Argentina's fortunes also!
Rick , Dubai, UAE
I am shocked that an enlightened paper like the sunday times could print such gabbage I quote " Two middle-aged mates from Bloemfontein have decided the city is “complete shitâ€. You can’t ask a Parisian directions, they say, because they always send you the wrong way. And: “Between you and me, their blacks smell terrible.†Good grief.
What is this a throw back to the aparthied years?
Addy Olubajo, Herts , UK
we as a nation are far to qucik to point blame when we lose,as a nation, in sport. the game last night was probably the best game, out of all of the games played in the cup. yes there was a question over the possiblity of us getting the try in the first half but we still played a good game. south africa did deserve to win last night and well done to everyone who played the game. leave the england team to rest, recover and prepare for the next cup. as you can see they probably are just as dissapointed, maybe more, than the england fans.
p.s at least we went out with a full throtle bang.
zara, southampton, uk
Why all the hatred?
it has been a glorious competition, some outstanding rugby, and the best team won on the night. SA have been worthy of taking the trophy, with England likely to be remembered equally for their phenomenal comeback over the tournament.
Less whining from those inferior sides who went out earlier on, please. The winners and runners-up have been gracious, let's have none of your vitriol to spoil SA and England's moment.
Roy Ellor, Salford, UK
'World Cup dream ends for England
Last night before the big screen behind the Eiffel Tower, tens of thousands of English rugby fans died a slow, drunken death as France beat England 15 to 6'
I wasnt aware that France made it to the final, all along there I thought it was South Africa.
Racism is still very much alive in South Africa. Such ingrained attitudes do not change because of 12 years of majority rule. And its disingenuous for anyone to claim otherwise. It would be interesting to find out if Rian is in fact white himself, writing as he does from one of SA's bastions of whiteness, Stellenbosch.
Eleanor Rufaro Madziva, Tokyo , Japan
I knew Gordon Broon would be a jinx. He should stay away from all things English in future. Having said that, well done to all concerned. It was a great tournament and South Africa deserved it on the day. There was no shame for the English, we fought well, the Springbok were just a better team. Here's to the next time!
Judy , Liverpool, england
Moral of the story: Communal singing of obscure American slaves songs doesn't win world cups. The reign of boredom is over!
James, Auckland, NZ
Someone check the headline - it wasn't France that beat us!!!!
David, Brussels,
I agree with Tries Only Please Hong Kong. The World Cup Rugby Final was one long penalty shoot out, with periods of play in between.
Chris Sugden, Oxford,
We can feel proud of them when at the start we were all dismissing them. These guys fought like hell and should hold their heads up proud for what they achieved, being so far away in Poland it brought a tear to my eye seeing them play so well and getting so close. Four years time here we come.
Colin Walker British expat, Pulawy , Poland
Well done the Boks, but what an easy, easy ride to the final ! No titanic battles with Australia in the quarters, no overcoming the favourites and hosts on their own ground in the semis. England have fought and scrapped and stared down sides spurred to superhuman efforts by entire nations almost hysterical with anti-English paranoia, and still retained a dignity and modesty unobtainable by most Northern hemishpere nations and completely beyond the comprehension of any in the Southern.
We are proud of you, boys - the true embodiment of the English spirit.
Victoria Cody, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Tries Only Please, Hong Kong, et al:
If you want to see tries, go and watch 7's or if you want to see how to evolve the game of union into a game with more "tries", go and watch league. Because that is what you are proposing with up-coming rule changes and tactical bleating in favour of more "running rugby". In fact I don't understand why, when you have 7's and league to support, you are even bothering to comment on a Union story. That's like me preferring Lacrosse and going to a Hockey forum to complain about how you aren't allowed to launch the ball through the air ("how dull!"). No really, if you don't like Union, which has traditionally been forward dominated and a game of kicking and territory, then what are you doing posting about it here?
Robinson, London, UK
Most of the World Cup matches seem to have been marred by the referees and linesmen. How sad for the England side after all their other achievements in the World Cup series. What a brave side they were, trying hard to the end. Not all the rules of the game I have to say it seemed a pity that the much talked about try had to be decided by way of a video! Has the world gone www mad? There is hardly anything that can't be decided by the rules and a good eye for the game itself, Perhaps refs and linesmen need to be properly trained in the job and interfer less with the players? Just a spectators view.
Lynne Morgan, Yzeures sur Creuse, France
Tries Only Please - you should watch Rugby League. Plenty of hard won , spectacular tries, with lots of good stuff in between like passing, handling, running, and real tackling. You can understand why most of the kickathon union brigade aren't man enough to play it
Grant, Bicester, UK
"Tears for the English fans"? Something is seriously wrong with sport if people start shedding tears over a lost rugby match, World Cup or not.
Stephen Clifford Wilson, Rome, Italy
Mr A Thorn. SA the country is barely 100 years old. Why would it have produced classical literature and music? unless you're talking of people like jm coetzee who won his share of literary awards. And how nice of you to remind us about the politics. thanks. of course the english have never ever been a racist nation have they. Keep it about the rugby
S Butler, London,
South Africans only ever have two topics of conversation.
1. Sport
2. The political/racial situation in S.A.
This is unlikely to change for at least four years.
Meanwhile the english prefer cryptic Sunday crossword clues like this one:
"Rhymes with 'ugger' and its not 'rugger'."
Ying Yang-Yong, Oxford,
Just what is going on here? England were beaten by a better team on the night, and here we have a load of rubbish about ancient battles, racism and insults. This is simply dreadful! Rugby is about being magnanimous in victory and graceful in defeat. John Smith had the personal grace to say the game could have gone either way, and Ashton and Vickery complimented the Boks on thier performance. And what do we get from the Australians and the New Zealanders? Bleats about the best sides not being in the final, bludging of the referee with death threats for the young man Barnes, and the head man in the Australian RFU saying 'we hate the English'.
All this has nothing to do with rugby. Its hysterical nonsense that has no part of our game. So let's just stop it shall we, and try and get back to the idealism that our game used to represent.
Nick, London, UK
My dear England, you still don't get it! Welcome in the 21st century. Sports is not war, whatever your parents, teachers, coaches, journalists and politicians may have told you. You've lost a Rugby final after an amazing comeback against Australia and France. Fair play to you but that's it. No connection to Churchill and Goering necessary...unless you are obsessed with war and the old Britsh Empire that has ceased to exist long time ago.
Ben, Dublin, Ireland
Wow - A. Thorn - "...as I said to the BOK who served me beer all night....SA is a country built on sporting prowess, a history of government sponsered racism and little else..."
and as I said to the English person who cleans my toilet - "you missed a spot". What has the fact that your barman was a young South African working in a bar got to do with anything?
Most English rugby supporters have been very gracious in defeat, and I think the English team played and defended brilliantly yesterday. I can only assume you are a football supporter that has come to rugby union in the last week- and after losing feel that jingo-istic slurs are a way for you to feel better - pull yourself together - and try to get into the spirit of real rubgy supporters.
John Smithies, London,
I think the convict Glenn is still a little bitter about his side's earlier loss to us. Glenn. you come from a great nation too, with many achievments (none of which I can actually remember) and have no reason to be so insecure. I love all you Australians.
p.s. my flag is on your flag
Alex, London,
It amuses me the way you english use propaganda to turn defeat into a "victory" of sorts.Don't prattle on about courage and winston churchill and an historically illiterate French taxi driver.Instead,perhaps you should remind us of neville chamberlain,his toadying to hitler at munich and the way the british army fled for their lives at Dunkerque.Oh.and we won't mention the surrender of a quarter of a million soldiers at singapore.You lost.Get over it!
glenn, Perth, west australia
When I first played rugby at school the teacher said the method by which you win at rugby is to score more tries than the opposition. When teams can beat other treams without ever crossing the line and, even worse, a rugby final can be decided by two men kicking their team's points, surely it's time to review the use of the penalty and the drop goal. Since punters don't pay to watch kickers it's time to abolish field goals and kick penalties all together. As a concession, the drop kick might be allowed as a 1 point score only if a team has first scored a try and if a team within the 22 gives away 3 consecutive penalties then a penalty try would be awarded automatically. That way dirty play won't go unpunished but never again will Wilkinson J and Montgomery P be allowed to bore us all to death with their obsession.
Tries Only Please, Hong Kong,
The Boks and the TMO!
Oh well, as Isaid to the BOK who served me beer all night, another packet of cheese and onion please.
SA is a country built on sporting prowess, a history of government sponsered racism and little else, and unless you can point me in the direction of classical literature, music, dance, philosophy, etc etc etc.........well, make your own conclusions.
A Thorn, London,
It's a huge win for our country. The best team were picked as proud South Africans, that's how it should be in the future.
Anthony, Johannesburg, RSA
Despite all the NH bravado at the quarter final stages - in the end - another SH team regins supreme! And they're only the 2nd best team at that! LOL.
Slaine, Sunshine Coast, Australia / Q
The win has united South Africa. Your repeorter is highlighting non-existent racial issues. The Boks have done us proud and our country is conglomerating to provide our planet with a great example of love, peace and hope. Just because the English are carrying a sour loss under the arm doesnt mean that our contry is in tatters. Go the Boks. South Africa 4 Ever!
Rian Crous, Stellenbosch University, RSA