When Will it End? Rugby Players just keep on Getting Bigger!

31 January 2015

Don't get me wrong here. I congratulate Uini Atonio for being selected in the French rugby team this northern season. Uini (pronounced 'Weeny') Atonio made his test debut before Christmas coming off the bench v Fiji in Paris and with all the attention then on the exploits of the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies in their tests in UK, Atonio's arrival and unique story kind of slipped under the main news.

But this week France announced its first test squad for the Six Nations championship and the name of Uini Atonio is there again.

On two accounts his is such an interesting story. Firstly he was born in Timaru, in the South Island of New Zealand. His parents are Samoan-born and like a considerable number of other Polynesians they arrived in New Zealand to look for work in Timaru where there are meat works, factory and farm work opportunities. The lad was born there and later went to school as a boarder at Wesley College in South Auckland. That's the school which has a fine rugby tradition, the most famous of its old boys being Jonah Lomu. Say no more.

From the school's famous First XV Uini was then snapped up by the local Counties Manukau Rugby Academy and by 2011 he played his first two games of representative rugby as a tighthead prop.

But other scouts were lurking and a Frenchman Patrice Collazo spied the young New Zealand giant. Collazo was a tough prop forward and in his new capacity as coach of the southern coastal French club of La Rochelle he was given carte blanche to find big forwards for the club.

So Atonio was approached and soon he left his New Zealand background and began playing in fully professionally in France. Such was his progress in the La Rochelle team that soon he was being talked about as one of the best props in the country.

To play for France he had to fulfill the required 3-years residency qualification. When that was achieved in 2014 he was straightaway elevated into the full French squad. Next week he will begin to play the game at the highest levels.

But Uini is unique in another matter, and it is one which actually makes me think about rugby's future.

On the announcement of the French squad he was listed as weighing 146 kilograms (23stone 6 pounds). This in itself made me blink with astonishment. When I read it, I then checked other French outlets. Amazingly, elsewhere, I found that this 24-year old was listed as weighing 155kgs (24st 6ilbs). From my knowledge such size must make him the biggest player ever to run onto a test match pitch.

Which leads me to the delicate balance of asking. While it is a 'bravo' to Atonio for reaching his new honour I still ask the question - "where will this end?"

We already know that collisions in rugby have grown to be a disturbing crunch of bone and muscle to a level which the toughest rugby guys of even a decade ago would probably shy away from. Concussion and safety from the often seen sickening collisions of ruck-smash and at the 'clean-out' in forward play have become the biggest talking point of rugby's current state. The game's very future as a safe game for kids to play is being discussed at the highest levels.

The question is; How can we reasonably expect players who weigh considerably less than 146 kgs in their weight to be able to tackle men of such mountainous size. I expect that as all men continue to get bigger, to sadly see more broken necks and serious injuries.

Look, none of this is 'Weeny' Atonio's fault. He is what he is. (And I saw him being interviewed on French TV while speaking impeccable French - so the lad from the tough streets of Timaru has done very well for himself) But what is next for rugby when men of his size are increasingly coming into the game?

TWO men of 145 kilograms colliding is not something I'd like to see from the game that I love.

I know what I'd do - I'd hope that given a choice (as most kids are) that my two grandsons might take up basketball, soccer, hockey - or anything else you can think of, instead of playing a game where a knockout is on the way to you at any moment on any Saturday you play.

[Footnote; Some told me Fiji's Billy Cavabati finished his test career weighing 165kgs. I seriously doubt that - but yes - Billy was a BONNY presence on the playing field!]

All this raises the point though that if we've got players now who are officially listed as 150-plus in kilograms and are a ball of muscle and sinew then we must expect even more 'collateral damge' from the game.

Much more in fact. - and I for one, do NOT want that.

...

Quote from Uini Atonio when he was picked to play for France; "Quand j’ai mis l’équipement de l’équipe de France, je me suis dit : ‘‘Regarde, je joue en France, je sais parler français, je suis Français’’

(Loose translation; 'When I put on the French team's playing kit, I say to myself; "Look, I am playing for France, I know how to speak French; therefore I am French!')

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Every day there is Rugby History 28 July 2014

Click to show South Africa ends great NZ sevens reign

New Zealand's sevens team had won four gold medals in a row from 1998-2010 but on this day at Glasgow in the final New Zealand fell to Kyle Brown's South Africam by 19-12. A great rugby era had ended.

A-Z of Rugby

Click to show FAMOUS PLAYERS (of the game)

FAMOUS PLAYERS

The game of Rugby Union has always been a possible game for everyman (or increasingly these days for every woman) who chooses it as their recreation or profession. But the game has also attracted famous people from other walks of life to enjoy rugby’s excitement and action;
[With thanks to Wes Clark’s Internet site, here is a selection from his list of “Famous Players”; with keithquinnrugby.com's additions]

British Royalty;
Prince William and Prince Harry; The two played while at Eton, William, rising to the 3rd XV at the famous school.
Prince Edward; played second XV of Jesus College, Cambridge.
Peter Phillips; the son of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, he is the grandson to Queen Elizabeth II. He was an open side flanker on the Scottish Schools team that toured South Africa in 1996. Captained Exeter University to win British University Sports association 2nd XV title.

Politicians

George W. Bush; US President. Played rugby while at Yale University. Played in the team which famously beat Harvard University in 1968.
Bill Clinton; The USA President; was a second row forward for Oxford University, rising to be in the University’s second XV.
Yoshio Mori; former Japanese Prime Minister, who was a rugby player all his life. He played Golden Oldies rugby well into his 60s. He also revealed he toured to New Zealand with a supporters tour to watch Tri Nations rugby.

George Brown; British Prime Minister 2007-2010. When playing for the Kirkaldy first XV as a 15 year old he suffered a detached retina which led to the permanent loss on the sight in one eye.
Jacques Chirac; The cformer President of France. He played for the Youth team of the Brive Club and later at University.
Winston Churchill; It is known he ‘hated’ playing rugby at Sandhurst Military College.
Idi Amin; dictator of Uganda 1971-79. He was good enough to make the East Africa XV in Nairobi. Played mostly as a lock forward. He was reserve in the East Africa XV v the 1955 British Isles touring team on its way home from South Africa.
Roh Tae Woo; former President of South Korea was an enthusiastic club player.
Donal Spring; Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland. Seven caps for Ireland as a lock forward 1978-81.
Keith Holyoake; former New Zealand Prime Minister who played first class rugby. A hooker for five seasons of first-class rugby for the Golden Bay- Motueka Rugby Union (1925-29).
Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevera; Marxist guerilla legend in Cuba. Played rugby in his teenage days in Argentina. When he lived in Cordoba his club was Estudiantest. He was so enamored with the game he, and his friends, launched a magazine called ‘Tackle’.

From the film world

Richard Harris; Played in Ireland in two Munster School's trials and represented Munster Under-20s. He loved the game so much he claimed he would give away all of the honours and accolades he won as an actor to have worn the Irish jersey just once. In keeping with his wishes he was buried in his Munster Junior playing jersey.
Richard Burton; Played representative rugby as a youth in Wales; playing at school, University and in the RAF as a flanker. Once on stage doing Shakespeare in a Saturday afternoon matinee, and hoping to learn of the score of a Welsh international match being played at the same time, he demanded of an actor who arrived on stage ‘what news does't thou bring me, good news I hope.’ The other actor apparently mouthed a reply which contained, in a Shakespearean manner, whether Wales had won or lost.
Gerard Depardieu; played a rugby coach in the film “Le Placard” and is a part owner of a Division 1 rugby club in France.
Russell Crowe; New Zealand-born actor who lost one of his front teeth when he was playing rugby as a boy.
Charlie Chaplin; played rugby while at school in England

Hugh Jackman; When attending school in Sydney at Knox Grammar School he was a regular rugby player.

Javier Bardem: He was outstanding rugby prospect in his teenage years in Madrid, Spain. He made the Spanish international teams at Under-16 and under-18 levels as a flanker or prop forward.

Others;

Jacques Rogge; President of the International Olympic Committee. A Belgian international player. He sometimes down-played his playing ability, once saying 'if you stay by your telephone long enough it will eventually rinmg and you will be invited to play for Belgium!'
Owen Hart; The famous WWF wrestler who fell to his death in Kansas City in 1999. He played rugby for Western Canada High School, and he met his wife at a rugby match.
Matthew Pinsett; multi-Olympic rowing gold medallist. He was a regular lock for a number of seasons at the English club, Henley. And also at Eton.
Meat Loaf; the singer apparently played rugby at college in the Northwest of USA.
P.G.Wodehouse; Quoted as ‘one of the leading lights of rugby at Dulwich College, London, around the turn of the century. The school still has copies of some of the match reports he used to write for the school.’
James Joyce; played at Belvedere in Dublin.
Sir Edmund Hillary; the New Zealand mountaineer who conquered Mt Everest in 1953. He played rugby at Auckland Grammar School in the 1930s.
Bolger, Jim. The former New Zealand Prime Minister was a senior club prop forward in the King Country rugby union.
Tony O’Reilly; Irish businessman who was once called by some as one of the world’s richest men. He was an outstanding player who played for the British and Irish Lions and for Ireland. In total he played 29 internationals for Ireland and ten tests for the British Isles (in 1955-59)
Warren Zevon; rock singer of ‘Werewolves of London’ fame. Enjoyed rugby so much he acknowledged the Atlanta Renegades club on the liner notes for one of his albums.
David Tua; fought Lennox Lewis for the World Heavyweight boxing title. Tua once played wing three-quarter at school and in club play in Auckland, New Zealand.
Eric Liddell. A Scottish rugby international and Olympic track gold medallist. His life was depicted in the famous film ‘Chariots of Fire.’
Tony Abbott. The Australia Prime Minister was a First Grade player for Sydney University.