The English at sport

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

Wales beat Australia yesterday in a fine Rugby match and became the only home nation (not that I agree that it is a nation) to beat any of the Southern Hemisphere teams in this latest round of games. England were comprehensively beaten by New Zealand completing a hat trick of losses.

This is nothing new, you get just the same results in soccer, cricket, tennis, you name it, we've done it. And then there is the inconsistency. We can top of the world one week and then the same team gets thrashed the following week by a bunch of 12 year olds from up the road.

England are usually so dull as well when playing as a team. Footballers stand around like woodentops and when the ball lands at their feet, they do a full reconnaisance of the pitch before deciding where to kick it by which time of course, the opposition is on top of them. In contrast, in Rugby, win or lose, France and Ireland are almost invariably good to watch.

Yet, as Isaid in an earlier blog, the rest of the world gets a special joy out of beating the English at sport. Well if it pleases them, so be it but there is no need to feel cocky about it. I am well aware of our limitations.

We did quite well in the Olympics but much of that success came from individuals pursuing their own personal specialisms and a burning desire to win. And then of course we played as a united country.