By Michael Vlismas.
Caption: The 10bet Lions join a number of teams that have experienced loss on a personal level this season. Photo Credit: 10bet Lions.
This year, there have been moments in rugby when we’ve been reminded that it is, after all, just a game. Moments when a loss has cut far deeper and has far more meaning than anything a scoreboard reflects on the field.
As the All Blacks prepare for their Nations Championship clash with Scotland in Edinburgh this Saturday, they do so against the background of what a few teams have had to deal with this season.
The death of somebody in the team.
The New Zealanders announced that Logan Cadwallader, the team’s head of security, passed away in their hotel in Edinburgh.
“This is something you don’t really prepare for, losing a team member…I can tell you that the team is heartbroken,” said assistant coach Jason Ryan.
It comes only a few weeks after the 10bet Lions suffered a similar tragedy with the passing of lock Hyron Andrews in their team hotel in France ahead of their Investec Champions Cup match against La Rochelle.
And earlier this year, the DHL Stormers suffered the loss of their beloved team manager Chippie Solomons.
When the DHL Stormers arrived in Belfast for their first Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour without Solomons and their match against Ulster, on the beds in every player’s hotel room was a letter waiting for each of them.
The letter was from the Ulster team.
“It was a letter showing sympathy for our loss of uncle Chippie with some photos of him. It shows how far his reach in the game was, and that the respect for him reached even to Ireland,” said Neethling Fouché.
“Celebrate life. It gets taken away so quickly. It’s not about win or lose. Its about rugby. It’s about living,”- Coach Ivan van Rooyen.
In these moments this year, amidst the weekly treadmill that is training and playing and matches and competitions and flights around the world and buses and team talks and moving from hotels to stadiums, rugby stood still.
Moments of silence were observed. We saw players console each other, and others sobbing while standing in the team lineups. Opposing teams’ fans paid their tributes and respect.
The impact of these people in their respective teams was immense, and their loss brought new perspective.
“Celebrate life. It gets taken away so quickly. It’s not about win or lose. It’s about rugby. It’s about living,” said 10bet Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen as he reflected on the loss of Andrews.
Fouché had a similar message. “We lost somebody very close to us and everybody dealt with it differently. Uncle Chippie is still fresh in our minds. As players we’re very aware that we are carrying his dreams for this team, and we must grab it for him.”
In this, the most physical of games, the hardest hits will always be the ones that come off the field. The ones that hit the heart.