I recently read this quote by Brian Moore, the former England rugby hooker: "I love the French. This least likely of statements is not said in jest; it is borne out of a continuing realisation that in many facets of life, such as health, education, food, social cohesion, work-life balance and so on, I find myself admitting that they have got it right and the rest of the world, which they resolutely refuse to follow, has got it wrong." He then related this to the attitude of the French - the gallic shrug - in rugby. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Moore's sentiments - not just because I have a French wife - and fully intend being part of all that when I retire to that part of the world. The non-conformist side of things has been witnessed this week with the French football team and in that amazing world record tennis match. Nicolas Mahut didn't come out with the usual sound bites that modern sportsmen are sadly programmed to utter, but merely stated what he really thought about things (basically he was cheesed off to have lost, hardly surprising when you've successfully served to stay in the match 64 times - all that effort for nothing). He also appeared totally underwhelmed afterwards by the presentation of a momento to celebrate the match. I hate it when modern football/rugby/cricket players are wheeled out to give the party line on the state of play. Thankfully the trackside interviews in athletics, usually mundane in the extreme and always far too soon after the event, sometimes throw up some cracking banter - the 110m hurdler after last year's world champs immediately springs to mind, as does any interview with Dean Macey - and I like nothing better than an interviewer to say what a great race it was and the athlete replying that he thought it was crap! The new UK chief of athletics, Van Commence, is like that and it's a breath of fresh air: BBC man, 'the plucky Brit did really well to finish 4th, you must be very happy' ... VC, 'no, she got the pace completely wrong in the first lap, was boxed in and ran out of options. This makes me angry.' Love it.
Observations on the football? Well, I'm afraid it's a game I no longer enjoy watching and the xenophobia that accompanies world cups completely turns me off. Watching the delightful passing, changes in pace, vision and pure natural ball skills of the South Americans makes it worth watching but I can't get excited beyond that. England appear to be throttled by the fear of error based on the ridiculous expectation heaped on the team. One thought, which doesn't appear to have been mentioned at all: why is David Beckham sitting in the dugout looking like a tailor's dummy in his awful three piece M&S suit? What possible use is he with the squad, other than a diversion?
July promises to be a busy month for me with trips lined up to Ireland (my sister's house on the remote but beautiful south coast of Co. Cork); Paris, to see Natalie and take in the Diamond League athletics meeting, and Barcelona for the European Athletics Champs where it will be too hot for marathon running!
No blogstar this time but instead just a few words about the passing of a great sportsman. Andy Ripley sadly died at the age of 62 last week. That's no age these days but boy did he pack a lot into those years: international rugby player, athlete & rower; excelled also at sailing, triathlon, basketball, tennis & water skiing; qualified canoe instructor; won the BBC Superstars; fluent linguist; gained a MPhil from Cambridge University at 50 (an age when he narrowly missed selection for the University boat race) and even had time to make a fortune in the City. He enjoyed life and sport to the full, something that the professional sporting world has sadly but inevitably lost. With his long hair and rugged face he resembled the great French film actor Gerard Depardieu - perhaps GD will play him in what surely must be the inevitable film of Ripley's life. RIP Andy, you were the last of the great true all round amateur sportsmen.
