Team effort
From the Headmaster’s Desk: 20th October 2023
Mr Hammond
Headmaster
It is a pleasant surprise to find England in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup. Scotland aside (apologies, Mr Hopwood), the team were the worst performing Home Nation in the group stages and did not look overly convincing in their quarter-final victory against Fiji.
Although I expect New Zealand to be up against South Africa in the grand final, there is much to be said about coming from a relative position of weakness. The tag of “underdog” is an unusual one – nobody expects you to win, or do well, but all of this opinion is external, a narrative offered by journalists and commentators. Surely what really matters is the belief of the players themselves, a belief that hard work is the cornerstone of success.
Like the hard-working pupil who doesn’t always get it right but keeps trying, there is much to admire about Steve Borthwick’s team. Borthwick had relatively few caps (57) for the full England side. Despite their obvious managerial talents, Pep Guardiola (to a lesser extent; he did play for Barcelona), Jürgen Klopp, Sarina Wiegman and Ange Postecoglou (for you, Miss Stewart) did not have the most stellar playing careers. Even when success did come, it took very little time for each of them to win more from the dugout than they ever did on the pitch.
The England team itself have been through a period of transition, with the sacking of Eddie Jones just before Christmas leaving only nine months to prepare for the World Cup. A squad of players who, perhaps, lack the quality of the likes of France’s DuPoint, New Zealand’s Savea or South Africa’s Lukhanyo Am, the England group are better than the sum of their parts. Each member of the XV or broader squad want to do well for the man next to him. The art of collaboration in any setting is nuanced and challenging to achieve, but rugby, football, netball and school are all team sports. We cannot achieve success alone – nobody is an island in any circumstances.
If Leicester can win the Premier League in 2016, Greece can win the 2004 Euros and Liverpool can come from 3-0 down to win the Champion League in 2005… maybe, just maybe Argentina will play England a week on Saturday. Then, it really will be anyone’s game and a triumph for endeavour above all else.
All the best for a relaxing half term, Mr Hammond
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