Growing importance of rugby culture highlighted by Marland Yarde saga and Howe of Fife initiation shame
Stuart Lancaster was a big believer in breeding a positive culture, and after the week that rugby has experienced, maybe the former England coach was on to something
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Much talk of culture in rugby this week. Two years after Stuart Lancaster was sacked as England coach for effectively prioritising how well his squad behaved over how well they played, rugby’s relationship with behaviour, respect and mutual trust is once again a hot topic.
Marland Yarde is ostensibly to blame – sacked by Harlequins for repeatedly failing to turn up for training and given a rare old send off by Chris Robshaw as he packed his bags for Sale – raising questions about what is and isn’t tolerable within a professional rugby club.
Talk of culture doesn’t always sit well with old school rugby folk. Just ask Lancaster. It’s viewed as an intangible, almost David Brentish reference to what it means to be part of a squad often followed by phrases like “buy ins” and “work ons”. In a good culture, players do their extras.
But, to paraphrase General Melchett; “Culture isn’t a dirty word, Blackadder. Crevice is dirty word, but culture isn’t.”
Perhaps it’s time for those of us outside professional rugby squads to stop sneering at talk of culture and re-examine our attitude to it. Last week RFU chief executive Steve Brown argued the sport’s reputation – at universities especially – for a loutish culture is the sport’s biggest threat to participation.
He may or may not be right, but when you hear stories about 14 Howe of Fife rugby players being suspended this week after an initiation ceremony on a bus trip home from Jed Forest in September left one young player suffering ‘internal injuries’ it would be a fool who denied the sport has an issue.
“The behaviour of those involved in this incident, including several individuals in positions of authority at the club, was completely unacceptable,” said Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson.
“Scottish Rugby has been proactive to ensure a full, independent disciplinary process was conducted and that measures are put in place to deliver a change of culture at the club. The actions of those involved have absolutely no place in our sport.”
Yarde’s poor time keeping is not on the same Richter scale, although because of his profile you may be tricked into thinking it is, but the point is that the worst excesses can and will occur if you allow standards to slip. If you don’t fight tenaciously to protect what you have at the start, you can quickly find yourself on a slippery slope. It’s a long way back for Howe of Fife RFC.
Martin Johnson was old school. He sneered at talk of culture and look what happened. The team dynamic became dysfunctional as Johnson failed to adequately discipline senior members of his squad for clear breeches of acceptable behaviour.
“When I turned up at Scarlets three years ago the club was a complete mess,’ Scarlets director of rugby Wayne Pivac told me recently.
“There was one rule for certain players and another rule for others. It was poisonous and totally destructive to team morale and unity. The culture was all wrong. My priority was to change it.”
Players were sacked, new standards of behaviour were introduced. Team codes enforced by players.
Two years later, Scarlets won the Pro12.
If Mike Tindall had been sent packing instead after his Queenstown excess, who knows how England’s 2011 World Cup campaign would have unfolded?
I think he's run out of lives and we'll be in a better place for it
Yarde’s crime was to threaten Harlequins culture which has been built on mutual trust, respect and professionalism. He challenged it by repeatedly letting his standards slip and paid the ultimate price. If the same standards had not been applied to a player with 13 England caps and a salary of £250,000 a year as they would have been to an unknown academy player, team unity could have collapsed with catastrophic consequences. The squad would seize to function. The coach would lose the dressing room. Kingston took the only option available to him.
"It's a massive shame for the club because Marland's a talented player, but (Harlequins director of rugby) John Kingston has made a great stance.
"I think he's run out of lives and we'll be in a better place for it." Ouch.
The most successful club of all in the professional era, Saracens, have spent years focusing on culture. It seems to be working for them.
Director of rugby Mark McCall has tried to foster a culture where young players can speak freely in team meetings without fear of being mocked by senior players. ‘Laddishness’ is frowned upon.
“You cannot get a positive learning environment where players are scared to say what they think,” he said.
Perhaps rugby is growing up. Perhaps talk of culture shouldn’t be sneered at. Perhaps Stuart Lancaster was onto something after all. Perhaps culture isn’t a dirty word after all.
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