Those who don’t know rugby will find it bizarre that so many of us will find
it perfectly acceptable for a prop forward to land a pearler on an opponent
just as long as they shake hands and buy each other a pint afterwards – even
if that ethical transaction takes place on Twitter rather than at the bar
these days – but that we will rail and rage about what is essentially no
more than a bit of verbals. There was no physical harm, not even any
swearing, just a bit of gamesmanship. It didn’t even work as Harlequins
former All Black fly-half nailed the conversion. Sticks and stones may break
my bones …
Yet once again, Ashton is considered the villain of the piece. It was a crass
gesture, and could even have warranted a yellow card. That particular point
is for the Saracens management to address, for that really is the more
serious issue. Some yellow cards you take on the chin, as Youngs did. You
don’t run the risk of gifting the opposition a one-man advantage by
self-indulgent behaviour.
The crux of these two episodes is this: one is seen as manly, run-of-the-mill
and very much in keeping with rugby’s ethos; the other is viewed as
unbecoming, vulgar and sissy. Oh, do I hear you say: “Just like
football?”
We should be careful about condoning thuggish actions even if the aftermath
has been admirable. Youngs’s jaw could easily have been broken. My own view
is that there is a fine line, and if we want fierce, unforgiving action at
the heart of the spectacle, and by George we do – as all those at Franklin’s
Gardens on Friday will testify – then we have to accept the occasional
bust-up. It was dealt with, Ma’afu was sent off and he faces further
sanction on Tuesday evening at a disciplinary hearing.
But what of Ashton? He is not universally loved, despite being a prolific
scorer of tries for (initially) country and for his club this season. His
Ash Splash try-scoring celebration, that once seemed like a spontaneous
outburst of joy, soon began to be seen as an orchestrated act of
showing-off. It too has taken on the air of something that is disrespectful
and against rugby’s grain.
But are our values not getting too warped? Are we not guilty of twisted
standards? Ashton does not throw punches, does not get involved in
argy-bargy. He has taken being dropped by England with good grace and worked
hard to get right back in to contention. All that needs acknowledging, but
rarely is. He is passionate about what he does, just as Ma’afu is, and just
as the oath of allegiance to the jersey can overcome you and lead to punches
being thrown, so too can it cause wings to act like pillocks.
Ashton needs to front-up and accept that his behaviour was that of a child and
not that of a rugby player. If that makes us sound pompous and priggish so
be it. The Youngs-Ma’afu post-match exchange was heartening and the way it
should be. Ashton gets a bad press, and often does not deserve it. This time
he did. But let us keep a sense of proportion, otherwise we will end up like
football.
Rugby union must retain a sense of proportion otherwise it will become just ...
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