Everybody’s Game

[Epaminondas Pules]

If you’ve not watched it then get on Amazon Prime and watch. Superb documentary from Beno Obano! Well worth a watch and also to share and talk about!

[twitchy]

This is already making some people very angry.

[Which Tyler]

I'm looking forward to watching this

[Mr Mwenda]

Looks ace.

[Epaminondas Pules]

This is already making some people very angry.

Sadly, that doesn't surprise me.

[Epaminondas Pules]

I'm looking forward to watching this

It is very good. Very open and honest in positives and negatives, but very much a positive story of enablement.

[Banquo]

This is already making some people very angry.

Why? Not yet seen it, what’s the gist?

[Puja]

This is already making some people very angry.

Why? Not yet seen it, what’s the gist?

Black people talking about race and racism in measured and reasonable tones. Or "political correctness gone mad" as I believe it's known.

Puja

[Raggs]

Watched half of it so far, really enjoying it.

[Epaminondas Pules]

This is already making some people very angry.

Why? Not yet seen it, what’s the gist?

It is a mix of player perspectives growing up and falling into the game, the notion of elitism, role models, how the game has, is and still needs to change, accessibility. It is a really good watch. Thought provoking and insightful.

Perspectives from people of colour, class, environment.

One thing that really stood out was the confidence, and lack of, of being themselves. Their true personalities. It is really well done.

[Banquo]

This is already making some people very angry.

Why? Not yet seen it, what’s the gist?

It is a mix of player perspectives growing up and falling into the game, the notion of elitism, role models, how the game has, is and still needs to change, accessibility. It is a really good watch. Thought provoking and insightful.

Perspectives from people of colour, class, environment.

One thing that really stood out was the confidence, and lack of, of being themselves. Their true personalities. It is really well done.

Cool! Wondering why people are angry still?

[Mellsblue]

Will definitely be watching when I have the time. I watched Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby. That is also very much worth a watch.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Will definitely be watching when I have the time. I watched Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby. That is also very much worth a watch.

It is isn't it. Really quite powerful in its messaging.

[twitchy]

Will definitely be watching when I have the time. I watched Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby. That is also very much worth a watch.

I haven't watched that yet but I heard it's very good but depressing also.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Will definitely be watching when I have the time. I watched Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby. That is also very much worth a watch.

I haven't watched that yet but I heard it's very good but depressing also.

Pretty much. I'd add a sense of anger to that too, especially at World Rugby.

[Mellsblue]

Will definitely be watching when I have the time. I watched Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby. That is also very much worth a watch.

I haven't watched that yet but I heard it's very good but depressing also.

Pretty much. I'd add a sense of anger to that too, especially at World Rugby.

Yep. Quite a few heart breaking moments, too.
I did get the plastic out and spend some ££££ here:
https://pacific-rugby-players-welfare.m ... ctions/all
in the hope I helped out in some small way.

[Mellsblue]

Just watched this. I’m a few beers in but it was pretty powerful. Obano is an impressive bloke. Genge made me lol a couple of times.

[Mellsblue]

Would also like to give a shout out to Digby for curating the sound track. As Beno would say, it was cold.

[Digby]

Was it all blues and avant-garde jazz?

[Mellsblue]

Don’t pretend you don’t know. This modesty is unlike you.

[Which Tyler]

I'll have to wait a little longer to see this - I don't have Prime, and it hasn't reached YouTube yet

[Digby]

Don’t pretend you don’t know. This modesty is unlike you.

So far as I can tell it's a programme where people talk about their feelings, thus and as with any sort of soap opera structure it's not for me. I don't know if I could argue a lack of interest in other people stems from modesty, if I did someone has already claimed the line of being the most modest person you'd ever meet.

[Dan. Dan. Dan.]

Finally got around to watching this!
As a working class kid from Mitcham and someone who in secondary school played for the only comprehensive that played rugby in the area I found it really interesting.
We had very little coaching and I was the only person from anything resembling a rugby background and distinctly remember having to tell my fellow back rows where to bind in the scrum. Despite this we only ever lost twice in the last two years of school (both to Howard of Effingham, whoever they are!). We played one home game throughout because of our crappy facilities and trained (if you can call it that) about as many times as we played actual games. All wore football boots and we rarely had a full bench. And yet, the raw, natural talent you get when you put a ball in the hands of a deprived, angry working class kid and tell them they can run as hard as they want at the posh kids... Genge is only the beginning. If the game can get these kids into the sport they'd be unstoppable. We had a Nigerian kid who had only been in the country for a couple of months when he started playing who used to tackle everything that moved (he learnt the offside rule from a ref midway through a game), two Algerian twins who were the school hard nuts and both played prop, basically scaring the **** out of anyone we played against. A kid from an Indian family who played in the second row who used to make random codes up for line-out codes that meant nothing, we just used to tell the hooker who to aim for before lining up and a mixed race kid who was persuaded to play after missing out on the football team. He was about 6'2 at 14 and fast as anything but didn't like contact so just used to run round everyone despite being twice their size.
It's always struck me how strange a sport football is for working class kids. Rugby's reliance on pure physicality and natural aggression seems a much better fit. Channeling a difficult background into a confrontational sport obviously worked for Genge, Sinckler and Obano.
I wonder if the school system needs to be overtaken by local community clubs. We're very lucky to be close to Sutton & Epsom who's youth program is amazing, and it was great to read about that local club in Brum (I've forgotten the name, but they won Community club of the year or something?) that did so much to reach out to deprived kids. Maybe more pathways to professional clubs from community clubs rather than schools rugby would mean less kids have to get scholarships to Dulwich College to keep playing the game? I'm not entirely sure, but I imagine the vast majority of the guys I played with at school stopped playing when we left, which is a massive shame.

[Scrumhead]

Eastfields?

[Dan. Dan. Dan.]

No Rutlish... Did Eastfields play Rugby? Surely not!