Eddie Needs To Respect Those Who Played In Past

Eddie Needs To Respect Those Who Played In Past

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OK, I admit it, I have finally become like so many other rugby players who bemoan the fact that the game is no longer like it used to be.

I’m not talking about the general state of play and how games are structured, but what I feel has changed is the way respect is perceived and the hype that now surrounds each game.

I know it seems a lifetime ago but when I played if someone scored a vital try, he was lucky if he got a handshake from two or three teammates partly out of respect for the opposition. Now it is almost like the ‘love-in’ we see every time a goal is scored in soccer.

Players are constantly quizzing referee and asking for a TMO referral. When I played, if you questioned the ref you were marched ten yards back, a weapon that is still in the referee’s armoury but now seldom (if ever) used.

Ultimately, what really gets to me is the disrespect for previous generations of players as everybody from the coach to the players tell anyone who is prepared to listen how ‘different’ and how much ‘harder’ the game is now.

Before yesterday’s games I saw an article in which French prop Jefferson Poirot talked about how it was so different from 20 years ago, with players’ pre-match mental preparation now beginning at the start of the week and how tough it is to get in the right mental place.