The Six Nations approaches it's climactic weekend, and it's got me thinking. What makes it so special, what makes it so brilliant and so bloody gut wrenching? It's a bit like house matches at school, they were often more intense and violent than games against other schools. Why?
Because you were against people that you knew, and knew well and you either liked or disliked them, both gave it an edge. The Six Nations has the same feel, it is played against 'neighbours' and the best bit about it is that this feeling includes the fans too. We all have mates who are Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Italian and even French... even I do, not that I admit it in public!
So the games we either play in, or sit watching, have the incredible importance of bragging rights, for a whole year!!! Now that is pressure. And that is what makes it so gripping for fans, knowing that a whole year of humour and bragging is being decided in those precious 80 minutes.
As a player, the feelings are not too dissimilar, as I hated the idea that players could walk off that pitch, looking you straight in the eye having beaten you! Unbearable. And then of course there was the added problem of being English... and trust me in the Six Nations that causes quite a problem, in fact come to think of it, it causes quite a problem against all countries...
Why is that? Why are the English so universally disliked in the Six Nations, and why are we the team all the others want to beat? Well there we go, I think we have the answer right there; the sheer arrogance of believing that we are the team all the other countries want to beat the most. Sorted! But we are...
Is it history? I remember reading a Scottish broadsheet paper that compared me to Edward Longshanks. For god's sake! I have never been compared to anything 'long' in my life. I love the passion of the Welsh, the Scots, the Irish, the pretence at nonchalance by the French, but the English are not allowed to be passionate. It is taken as arrogance, although granted we do 'do' arrogance very naturally...
Before I played the Grand Slam deciding game against Scotland in 1995, a Scottish journalist interviewed me at the Cafe Royal. He was very polite, biting his tongue for most of the interview when he obviously really disliked me (and you couldn't blame him) until his last question: "So Will, how do you take to the fact that the whole of Scotland hate you?" I paused, and looked him in the eye and replied, "That's okay."
He was surprised, "Really?"
"Sure", I said, "because I ******* hate you more!"
He dropped his pen "you cannot say that!"
"Why?", I asked, "you can hate me, but I can't hate you back?"
"Exactly!", he said.
And in that moment you get the Six Nations. We English have to understand the passion the other countries have, we have to respect it and be hugely wary of it. But at the same time, we should be passionate too, we have to be to stand any chance of winning.
But for us fans, not the players, we have to ensure that humour is always apparent in the passion. That for me is what is truly special, that we can be passionate, at times childishly so. But that when it comes to the crunch, we have to have humour and the realisation that although it does not feel it right there, right at that moment of losing or winning, it is just a bloody game! But a great one and a really great tournament.
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If you look you will find that many peoples are universally disliked in the media of many countries, but not in the media of their own country. For instance the Americans are roundly criticized and blamed for everything by the media of many nations, but not in American media. Once as an aide to President Kissinger, George Bush the Elder went to China & met Chairman Mao. There was a state sanctioned anti-American protest going on; flag burning, effigies, screaming, whatever. Chairman Mao told George not to worry about it.
The principle of this is that the media synthesizes ready to beat scapegoats who are not present to defend themselves. For political blame, a foreign country is the standard target. Get your 2 minute hate on, but never against the Glorious Leader. The worse things get, the more the scapegoat is abused, but they are always dragged out often enough so that even the dumbest people can remember who to blame.
Of course there are some people who have legitimate reasons to hate the English or the governing class of every country. Conveniently, the persistent media spin dilutes and distracts from these issues.
The 1% who control the media don't want well educated people who can make informed, responsible decisions about our future. They wants to dictate to us what they want. Slavery by information control.
Or maybe you're none of the above? Maybe you were not even born in UK? But now reside here?
My trick is to check my birth certificate - if it says you were bron in England ... you're English. 100% English. Born in Wales ........ yup - Welsh. 100% Welsh. This is a powerful first step in discovering 'who' you really are. Good luck on your journey.
Peace out.
As we see, history is repeating it's self through shear arrogance and bluster.
The celts want to wipe their hands clean but those within the union were very much part of it, for better and worse.
Usually I am sitting there forlorn when my Team is beaten none more so than this year! When the BBC come on to report in their non bias approach how England "demolished" "outpaced" "showed fortitude and courage" and generally beat the C**p out of every one. The hackles get up and then ... England becomes the focal point as 9 times out of 10 I was watching a different game.
I would say then, we universally "dislike" Engaalnd.... Hate is too strong.....
Perhaps a modicum of reserve would not go amiss , instead of thinking "ye we is England we was Brill" .
All I can say....England been there done it......Prefer Scotland....
Briefly: If a match ends 22-20 - the press will then say that team A outclassed, outran and outwitted team B. This is because they don't think anyone will read an article headed "A squeaked past B in an exciting and evenly matched contest". You are tainting this by suggesting that ONLY English media do this and ONLY when England win.
My advice would be to take a deep breath, think rationally about why you would want the whole world to believe you hate me, and every other English person despite never meeting 99% of us - and then try to say something constructive.
My only hope is that most people posting here are very young.
Peace out.
Thousands of jews were allowed into britain during the pograms in eastern europe during the 19th centuary. I wished we could have done alot more to help the jewish people during ww2 but we had our backs to the wall in defending ourselves.
I'm afraid the UK was in a cleft stick re Palestine because we had a responsibility to the Palestinians as well.