Was it just very unlucky? Was it the now imfamous pitch? Seemed completely random but the injury seems severe. Very sad as I was really looking forward to him coming through (even more) this coming season but that looks like a 6-9 monther at best. Any doc's etc can speak to what happened?
Some context first: I'm originally from South Africa but I've been here 23 years now, so I consider myself British, just with some South African heritage. And I want to be clear up front I think the UK is a genuinely amazing place, full of opportunity and most of the time I sit in wonder at how much it has going for it especially compared to most of the rest of the world. I'm pretty engaged with both British society and politics. But there are a few things I still can't quite make sense of
Why does political discourse have to be so oppositional
What I can't work out is why almost everything in politics has to be framed as one side against the other. When something good happens for Britain like today's inflation figures, say why does there always have to be a defensible position and an opposing one? Is there never room to just say "well done, Britain got this right, and here's how we'd do even better"? We can hold different ideas and ideologies while still agreeing we're all on the same side, but that rarely seems to be how it plays out. Is that a feature of the system, something cultural, or am I misreading what's actually going on? Not saying anywhere is any better at this.
Where does global context fit into the conversation?
This is the one I'm least sure I've got right, so push back if I'm wrong. When something like inflation or the Strait of Hormuz comes up, things driven largely by global forces, the discussion often seems to treat Britain's outcome as if it should be judged in isolation, rather than against how comparable countries are faring with the same pressures. I'm not saying "context excuses everything" wanting Britain to outperform its peers is completely reasonable. But why does that comparative context show up so rarely in the discourse, even when it's the dominant factor? Is it actually absent, or am I just not seeing where it happens?
The eternal optimism about summer. (bit of a joke)
Why does everyone seem to expect a good summer every year? Some are genuinely brilliant, sure. But this is a rainy country, and most years play out roughly the same and yet the disappointment each time feels fresh. I find it oddly endearing, but I don't understand it. Is it hope, collective amnesia, or something else?
I think we all just need to take a bit of stock of where we are.
I'll be the first to admit I can get as passionate and irate during a game as anyone — and honestly, that's the joy of rugby. You lose all sense of civility and normalcy when you're in it. But after the final whistle, it's probably a good idea to take a step back, appreciate what players and teams achieve, and maybe more importantly, what they actually put in on the field. No player or team goes out there wanting to lose, and all you can really ask of them is that they put in everything they've got.
With that said — even though I'd agree with some of the rugby-based criticisms of certain players this season — I think it's grossly unfair for any of the so-called supporters to chastise or criticise players for not putting in the effort, or for somehow falling below their own bizarre standards.
So I just wanted to throw a bit of appreciation to some of this season's "underperformers."
Warrick Gelant. Look, I'm someone who wants a low error rate as much as anyone, but the stuff he pulls off makes me think back to Willie le Roux in the 2019 World Cup, where Rassie pointed out just how integral he was to the way that team played. If you look at his previous seasons — and even some of what he's done this season — we completely gloss over the great stuff. I do think the team, especially heading into this critical no-mistakes part of the season, is probably better balanced without him right now. But I refuse to believe he ever puts in less than 1000%. And for a province that prides itself on creativity and running rugby, I don't think we get to suddenly decide that a magician isn't worth our time.
Stefan Ungerer. Again — he's a really strong strategic scrumhalf. He's not going to give you blistering speed like some of the others, but his tactical awareness, his kicking, and particularly his pairing with Jurie Matthee in the early part of the season was genuinely brilliant. Obviously when Sacha and Damian came back, they took a step into the background, but we shouldn't just write off what those two did at the start of the year. I remember watching that Leinster game and just thinking wow — what an incredible combination they'd built against the champion side.
Jurie Matthee. I genuinely don't understand how dismissive people are of him. Yes, he's playing in Sacha's shadow at times, and that can make you want something different — but this is the same province that has lauded the likes of Braam van Straaten and other kicking aces and strategic playmakers. And on top of all of that, Matthee has scored some absolutely beautiful running rugby tries this season. I don't get where the hate from "so-called fans" is coming from.
Salmaan Moerat. From everything I've seen, the man puts in 100% every single time he pulls on the jersey. He's a local legend, and the way his Springbok teammates and coaches speak about him tells you everything you need to know about his character and what he brings to a squad. So it's genuinely bizarre to me that we keep trying to tear him down. I can almost guarantee you he's going to set the world on fire the moment he leaves, and we'll all be sitting there going "why didn't we see it?" — when the truth is we just refused to appreciate what was right in front of us. The only fair caveat I'd add is that injuries have robbed us of a lot of his playing time, but that's just rugby.
All I'm trying to say is this: we're top of the log. Dobbo has already led us to a championship in his time, and we're looking sharp again this year. Let's all take a step back, appreciate just how incredible this team has been despite not necessarily looking great on paper coming into the season, and enjoy the rest of the run-in for what it is and what this season has already been.