The aftermath of the Waratahs v. Cheetahs debacle has been very interesting to watch, as a few brave souls waded into the avalanche of criticism to try and stick up for the Tahs players. The issue of booing players has divided the rugby community, but some of the opinions expressed by a few in the media have provided a revealing insight into the way the rugby public is viewed in certain quarters.
One of the most impassioned responses came from former Wallaby and now Waratah kicking coach Matt Burke. His defence had a logical foundation — namely, that the players were trying their guts out but it just wasn’t happening, and to boo them is unfair in the extreme. I don’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but the logic of it is undoubtedly sound. However, Burke then went a step further in his analysis, shining the spotlight back on the fans themselves. It was here that he unleashed one of my most hated arguments — ‘if you haven’t done it yourself, you cannot comment on it’.
Burke’s article is headlined To the booing fans: Have you ever played at Super Rugby level? Instantly my spidey senses are tingling that what’s to come won’t please me. And in the second paragraph he drops the bomb:
I understand people pay to come and watch, and therefore expect a level of entertainment or competence. But I say this in the most humble way possible – until you have played at Super Rugby level you can’t comprehend what happens out on the field.
As much as he included the words ‘in the most humble way possible’, this argument smacks of arrogance and pig-headedness. The thing that makes the comment even harder to comprehend is that this isn’t even the focal point of his article; he just drops the line in almost offhandedly. In fact, the article is good apart that sentence. In the next paragraph Burke explains how the Cheetahs turned up to play, and how the wheels came off for the Waratahs. Then he goes on to preview the Brumbies game. It’s a good read.
So why did Burke make that statement? If he wanted to have a go at the fans he could have stated simply that booing the team you support is bad form, no matter how they’ve played. Or he could have talked up what was a great display of fighting rugby by the Cheetahs. Some would have disagreed, and that would have come down to a matter of opinion. But the dig he decided to make touched a nerve with the readers, and 134 mostly negative comments later Burke looks like a bit of a goose. (I wonder how his colleagues feel about the fact that under his logic, every member of the working rugby media can’t comprehend what goes on out on the field.)
This reminded me of a similar argument made by Djuro Sen, the former Waratah and Wallaby media man and now RuggaMatrix host, on a podcast late last year. It’s not related to fans booing, but Sen takes a very similar line in relation to fan commentry, online blogs and forums. What he said was:
You may be very well versed in rugby, you might have a great passion for the game, but you’ve really got to have some connection to the elite end to know what you’re talking about, and by that I mean either been in the industry a long time from a professional point of view, or be involved with a professional team. Because only then when you see it day-to-day that you really know what goes on week to week.
Both these media items have great relevance to G&GR. As much as it may shock you to read this, none of the regular writers on this site (other than Bob Dwyer) have played or coached at Super Rugby level. Nor do we have any connection with the ‘elite end’. We are essentially a fan-driven site — ‘by the fans, for the fans’ is how we put it. So going with the logic of Sen and Burke, our analysis of the game will always be limited, as we lack the understanding that comes with being a part of a professional rugby team — things like training, attending meetings and eating Nandos. Top-level rugby, they believe, is simply too complex for our mere mortal brains to handle. Where we see two teams of 15 playing a game of rugby, Zen rugby masters like Sen and Burke pick up hundreds of layers of subtlety that we cannot dream of deciphering… a sharp running line that mimics the hummingbird’s vector, the subtle raising of a player’s eyebrow to indicate his opinion of the coming play, the way the elite tie their shoelaces with knots known only to pros, and scratch their arses with a graceful economy of movement that takes years to master….
In all seriousness, the argument of Sen and Burke has merit in a few contexts. Discussing behind-the-scenes issues such as dressing room dynamics, leadership and coaching is one. I can understand that until you have played under Andy Friend, alongside Matt Giteau, and sat in the Brumbies boardroom, that you probably will not have a full understanding of why Friend was sacked. Adam Freier pointed this out on the most recent RuggaMatrix, and it was a good point well made.
But directly assessing the form and performance of players certainly is not in this basket. I have played rugby for most of my life at various levels, as have the other G&GR writers. I have coached and refereed the game as well. I know what a knock-on looks like, I can understand a backline move, I know when a player is having a belter, or a shocker. So do most Waratahs fans. So to make the statement that we can’t fully understand the game until we have played is one thing, but then to say as Burke did that we can’t boo because of this, is taking the argument a step too far. Hey, Matt — if we can’t boo, can we cheer? Surely if our miniscule heads can’t identify bad play, they can’t recognise good play either.
And there the wheels fall off totally for Burke, as they did for the Waratahs last week. Because the truth of the matter is you don’t need to be a rugby master to express an opinion on the match you’ve been watching, much like you don’t need to be a meteorologist to talk about the weather. I am sure Burke and Sen don’t think we are all idiots; however, you are entering dangerous territory when you belittle others’ knowledge of the game, whatever their backgrounds.
Next time, Matt, try accusing Waratahs fans of being a bunch of cranky old bastards who would rather beat the traffic out of the carpark than watch a thrilling finish to a game. That allegation has far more substance.
