PERSONAL RESPONSE

THE GREAT WORLD OF RUGBY

Being a rugby player myself, I quite enjoyed reading about Atkinson's experiences with the game, and how much he's gone through to stick with it. What struck me most however, was that he still plays games.

Before I took up football and rugby in high school, I was always more of a runner, dabbling in racquet sports here and there. I wasn't very big, I wasn't particularly fast,  and like most of the other boys trying out for the team in Grade. 9, I had no idea what rugby was. I accidentally got shuffled in with the Forwards, and by the end of the day, I was ready to quit and take up something less terrifying and painful. However, a grade 12 overheard me discussing this with my friends and came over. He tapped me on the shoulder, and immediately got right to the point. I don't remember his exact words, but I got the message.

"It's not like anything else. Give it a chance, and you'll never want to stop."

Now, two years later, I still weigh 10 pounds less than most of the Backs on our team and yet, I wouldn't dream of living life without getting creamed every other day. When I read Atkinson's novel, I felt immediately like he was voicing my own experience with the sport, even though his story started with a cold day's match against a Nova Scotian team made up of coal miners, significantly different from the easy-going first day I had with my team at North Toronto. It occurred to me that it wasn't the location, the situation, or anything else about the environment in which rugby was introduced to Atkinson that brought up my nostalgia; it was something different. It was, as Atkinson said, like I was hooked. Atkinson and I experienced the same tug, and both of us were sucked into the sport, just like any other player on the pitch. If all goes well, I hope to be like Atkinson and never stop playing.

As Atkinson went on through the different states, teams and pitches he played on, the same feeling kept coming back to me. Whenever he talked about his buddies, the other teams, the things they said, and the things they did, I couldn't help but think of the buddies I played with on my own team, and the guys we played against. However, one memory in particular  kept coming to me. It was a tough match on our home turf, and one of our props, Anthony, made a great push through to the other team. One of our opponents grabbed onto the ball in Anthony's arms, and didn't let go. The ref blew the whistle, just as the other player ripped the ball from Anthony's hands. I know a lot of other guys in other sports who would've punched that guy's lights out. Instead, Anthony laughed. The other player looked up and laughed too, adding a "Thanks pal!" Jokingly. I slapped my buddy on the back and said "He's a very generous guy our Anthony!" In hindsight, it wasn't that funny, but at the time, surrounded by teammates and opponents alike, it seemed hilarious. Both teams were laughing and joking together as we lined up and waited for the play to start again.

This is one elements of rugby that Atkinson got across quite well. On the pitch, the competition is furious and fast-paced, enemies are enemies, and it's your only desire to drive the ball straight through them and into their touch zone. After the play is over however, you immediately become a bunch of boys once again, joking and laughing with each other. It's a trait you can find in almost any player. I'm not saying people play rugby because they're good guys, I'm saying they're good guys when they play rugby. It's something about the camaraderie of the sport that brings friend and foe alike closer together. This feeling, this culture, is one of the elements most present in Atkinson's book. It didn't matter whether it was both teams singing together in the bar after a match, or the entire school squad hijacking parties, every event Atkinson talked about painted a vivid and brilliant picture of the culture surrounding the sport. It's a culture of good buddies, good times, bad ideas, and insanity that runs rampant through the minds of rugby players.

If there's one thing I drew away from this book, it's that what I experienced and what I continue to feel with rugby is not just a strange quirk that affects only me, but in fact a core component of what makes rugby great, that I cannot put into words.