Elissalde’s sour grapes ‘whine’.
It seems that lately, or ever since the World Cup of 2007, teams, players, executives and fans have been less than pleased with the way certain teams choose to play rugby. This past Saturday on May 24th 2008, Munster defeated Toulose in a thrilling Heineken Cup Final 16-13. The Heinekin Cup is Europe’s most coveted prize among club rugby teams, a tournament that features the top European clubs that must qualify for the competition. This was Munster’s second Heineken Cup triumph in four tries with Toulose winningthe trophy 3 times. Despite a close match that saw several lead changes and with neither team ever being out of the match, it didn’t take long for the news media or namely Toulose fly half and French International Jean-Baptisde Elissalde to levy their complaints about HOW Munster won.
Elissalde had numerous gripes and complaints about Munster “dragging out the clock” in the final fifteen minutes of the match after Munster fly half Ronan O’Gara had put his club up 16-13 with a penalty kick at the 64th minute. Elissalde made some very odd and quite frankly, stupid comments to The Guradian newspaper regarding Munster’s win. Elissalde was quoted saying, “Munster desreved what they got because we weren’t very good but you can’t play rugby like that.” Further, “There were 15 minutes at the end of the game where we couldn’t get our hands on the ball without infringing.” I for one was very bothered by Elissaldes comments and his overall sore loser attitude. “You can’t play rugby like that”? Like what? Secure a lead and hold onto it for the win? It seems to me Elissalde was suggesting Munster should have continued playing as if they were down and needed to score, taking chances and whipping the ball around. What team in what sport once they have a lead in the final minutes of a game does that? The purpose of playing rugby and any other sport is to win. Sometimes it’s not going to be pretty but you don’t win championships with style points.
It sounds to me that Elissalde was more frustrated by his own forwards lack of inspired play rather than Munster’s ’safe’ playing. Fabien Pelous was yellow carded in the second half for a bone headed stomping penalty and overall, Toulose were unable to stop the Munster forwards. Elissalde commented, ” If we had got the lead, then the last five minutes wouldn’t have been pick-and-go, they couldn’t have done it forever. Le pick-and-go is meaningless, it’s not rugby.” Munster were runing pick-and-go ball most of the entire match and Toulose were unable to steal ball from them or put any kind of pressure on Munster to stop it. Based on Elissalde’s comments, I would only have to assume that if Toulose were winning, they would have been pressuring to score and not protecting the lead. Munster did nothing wrong and they did not break the laws of the game, they simply played good rugby and won.
Every team in every sport does the same thing. In an American football game, the team that has the lead by a narrow margin with little time left runs the ball over and over again, running down the clock so the other team cannot gain possesion and score. Basketball players in the closing minutes don’t shoot the ball until the shot clock is at 2 or 1 seconds when they are in the lead. What professional athletes in America DON’T do is complain about the manner in which their opponents win, something that seems to be a growing trend in rugby. Every team is trying to win and by any means necessary. To complain about it and trash another teams style of play is just poor class and quite juvenile. Elissalde should take a look at his own team to come up with answers as to why his team lost, not look at Munster’s style of play and actually blame them for not giving his team an opportunity to win.
Toulose scrum half and former All Black Byron Kelleher commented, “Munster know how to be smart, they certainly know how to close out a game. It was similar to the World Cup, wher teams went into a nutshell and played safe and boring rugby to win the game.” I’m just having a really hard time understanding where these players are coming from. What are teams supposed to do? They’re playing to win, not to impress. I find it very dissapointing that someone like Elissalde would stoop to that level and berate a team for their style of play. I’m not saying he has to be happy about the loss, but to try and take away from a another team’s win is apalling to me. I think Munster lock Donncha O’Callaghan had the perfect response for anyone who had something to say about Munster’s win, “It may be boring, but who cares. I’ve got a medal in my pocket.”
Even writers on the Heinekin Cup could not resist taking a jab at Munster’s win. Toulose were unable to gain possesion, in large part due to Munster controlling the ball. Scrum.com’s Huw Richards had this to say regarding Munster keeping ball from Toulose:
“When they had the ball…but that was the problem.
Most of the time they did not, particularly in the last 10 minutes when Munster simply shut them out. No blame attaches to them for doing it, but if rugby’s rulers really want to create a more attractive game they need to find some way to stop teams running down the clock in this manner.”
Perhaps once the ELV’s arrive in the Northern Hemisphere, pick-and-go play and other so called boring methods of playing will be eliminated when hands in the ruck will be allowed, something that will surely stop teams from running forward ball over and over again to run out the clock. It’s comments like Elissalde’s that have brought the ELV’s upon us, so hopefully all of this whining about certain teams style of play will desist. I think it’s unlikely because people always manage to find something to complain about and as long as the French are around…..
(On May 27th, 2008 at 10:53 am)
I think the frustration by the players is by product of the professional era. Winning and losing means so much more now than it did 20 years ago. Emotions are high, the stakes are large, and winning is everything (forget how the game is played).
Elissalde is certainly showing bad sportsmanship (and setting a bad example for the youth) but I agree with him. Watching 15 minutes of pick-and-go is painful. Similar reasons prevent me from watching live, televised sports in America.
However, the correct response to the situation is to find and train players who are better are producing turn overs like Phil Waugh and Ritchie McCaw. Forget the ELVs, change the strategy and win the trophy next year.
(On May 27th, 2008 at 11:00 am)
You’re right, it is boring and I would be just as frustrated if I was playing in the match. But when watching the match and the score is that close, you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to see if the ball will be turned over or somethign else will happen. So for the spectator, I disagree that it’s boring.
I’m surprised you agree with him because think about what you and your team would have done if you were up 3 points.
Toulose just weren’t that good and like you said, McCaw would have torn that ball out of someone’s hands.
(On Jun 10th, 2008 at 5:22 am)
Absolutely nothing wrong with the tactic and changing the laws is certainly not the answer to any perceived problem - but the IRB got it right (for once) when they issued an edict last week to referees to ensure that players going to ground to "seal off" the ball at the ruck should be penalised in accordance with current laws. If breakdowns are refereed correctly then the continuous pick and go tactic becomes so much more difficult to execute.
(On Jun 24th, 2008 at 6:06 pm)
I love watching French rugby and have been following the Top 14 there for a couple of seasons. It’s fast, loose, hot-headed, and cheaper than watching English club rugby on Sky.
I’m sure France have used the pick-and-go to run down the clock before - it’s not pretty but it works. Didn’t they do it against NZ at the World Cup? So it’s a bit rich for JBE to complain, frustrating as it must have been.
There’s a strong philosophy in France that how you win matters, and it’s a point of moral and/or aesthetic principle that the beautiful game (le rugby champagne, le french flair, whatever) should win over…well, they’d probably say over Anglo-Saxon pragmatism.
Having often been bored rigid watching England play, I tend to agree, although maybe that’s just the Welsh branch of the family tree twitching (I’ve heard French rugby pundits describe the Welsh as "the most Latin of the British teams"; meant as a compliment, in case you wondered).
It’s certainly the Toulouse mentality: "jeu de mains, jeu de toulousain". I remember reading an interview with a Toulouse player (I think Clement Poitrenaud) who said that the Toulouse fans would give the team a standing ovation when they lost 35-34 but would whistle them off the pitch when they won 9-8!