Sevens Lessons From The Rugby PA 7s Brouhaha
Sevens Lessons From The Rugby PA 7s Brouhaha
This is an opinion column by GRR Editor Alex Goff.
The issue between Rugby PA and Berks County highlights an issue that will likely raise its head throughout the coming school year.
State Org Wants 7s Tournament Canceled
Players and parents and teams are going to want to get back on the field quickly, and they will be impatient. So we've got to take some lessons from that and see if we can't all grow as a result. Here are seven lessons from the incident.
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Lesson 1: Somebody Has To Have A Final Say
Contrary to a what a recent Op-Ed GRR ran on this topics, it is indeed the State Governing Body’s job to manage this return to play. Sure, yes, US Youth & HS Rugby has not signed a community agreement with USA Rugby, but the bylaws have been approved and the SGBs are on board. There is a decision-making structure, and Rugby PA’s job was indeed to allow or disallow a rugby event.
Op-Ed: Did Rugby PA Go Too Far?
Lesson 2: It’s OK To Argue About It
States and school districts aren’t always moving toward openness in a linear way. Sometimes all of the statistics seem to point to one decision, but the rules reflect a different opinion—often a gut feeling on the part of state leadership.
When sports start to be played, it’s OK to ask “why not us?” But be prepared for there to be an answer (such as, those other sporting tournaments are breaking the rules too).
Lesson 3: Read The Rules With Your Opposition’s Eyes
As an example, USA Rugby’s return-to-play guidelines contain mistakes and loopholes. Anyone authoring or editing this should have looked at it from the position of someone who really, really wanted to get back on the field.
(I was around for an edit, just sayin’). The misuse of inter-squad when they probably meant intra-squad is inexcusable from a national governing body trying to control the spread of a pandemic.
Serious question for those at @USARugby who worked so hard on their return-to-play protocols. When you said "inter-squad scrimmages" did you actually mean "intra-squad scrimmages" because those are two very different things. Words matter. Let me know.
— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) August 4, 2020
But the same goes for those on the other side. If you’re reading the rules trying to find a way to sneak onto the field, you should really still ask for clarification.
It will be no consolation to think you’re right if the boss says you’re wrong.
Lesson 4: Be Nice
Rugby PA had every right to announce that the proposed Berks County tournament was not sanctions and not supported and not insured. But they went a bit overboard talking about how they had no way to verify whether the coaches were abusive or not. That was a) wrong, they could easily have checked that, and b) just plain mean. People remember stuff like that. There was no legal need for it; Rugby PA had already covered its ass and separated itself from the tournament.
Lesson 5: Be A Leader
While I personally don’t think that playing 7s rugby among high schoolers will spread COVID-19 all that much, a) what the hell do I know about infectious diseases (not much) and b) it’s not my call. What I am more concerned about than being right or wrong is that rugby is seen to be on the right side of things.
Rugby is clearly a high-risk sport, although in my opinion basketball (indoors, everyone closer together), wrestling (indoors, humid), and football (a lot more regular face-to-face contact) are worse—certainly worse than 7s. But being a high-risk sport, Rugby should not be among the first sports on the field.
There are ways to ease into play. But we can’t be the ones rushing it, and those rogue touch rugby sessions going on around the country (you know who you are) probably aren’t helping the sport’s image in the community.
Lesson 6: I Wrote This
I wrote this two months ago regarding protests, but it’s the same with the shutdown. Take the opportunity to do something as a team or a group even if you can’t play.
How Rugby Can Help Everyone Right Now
Lesson 7: Be Clear
When teams can practice, make sure everyone knows. Stop with the 2,000 press releases and the graphics and the stage numbers and the colors. Nobody cares. Just tell them. You can practice now, but no ball handling. You can practice with balls, but no contact. You can practice with contact, but you can’t play anyone. You can play but only 7s and no scrums.
Be clear. That’s really all we want.
