Politics and pitch invasions in sport

As indicated before, the local rugby scene was given New Year break and the games will not resume till 26 or so giving the players time to burn off the extra ‘Rasa kavili’ that was consumed. Thus one was at times forced to switch channels to look for some entertainment. Invariably the chances of switching on to the IPL or ‘cowboy cricket’ as it also known were high.

The three SL skippers were cutting a sorry picture in most of the games. Their contribution with the bat was poor as was their leadership skills. Top of the flops list was our national captain struggling for ideas against a rampaging opposition. The two former SL skippers were also way past their best.

To add some spice to the poor tasting curry, were two former Aussie skippers struggling. Thus five skippers are struggling to find form and maintain momentum in the current IPL–does not make happy viewing by any stretch of imagination. On the contrary the India skippers are full of aggression led by Kohli, who at times lets the situation get the better of him, the others being Gambhir and the gentleman Dravid.  On the super rugby front with the Aussie teams playing out of their skins for a possible test berth against the British and Irish Lions, we were treated to some different form of entertainment over the weekend courtesy of a pitch invasion. Crusaders centre Ryan Crotty managed to tackle one pitch invader to the ground.

Five men were taken into custody after entering the field of play during the pulsating clash. One of them sprinted across the field in the dying moments of the game, while the Force were on the attack, and a minute later another three men followed suit as the Crusaders were making their way out of defence. Referee Jonathan Kaplan was forced to stop play as the spectators neared the players.

It’s difficult to comprehend what makes normally law abiding citizens to invade the pitch. Is the consumption of too much of ale that makes once sense of what is right and wrong go awry? The resultant penalty is quite stiff. It’s banning of the spectator for one to five years from the venue while they could also be charged with trespassing. Incidentally Perth has played host to some memorable or infamous pitch invasions over the years. In 1982, Australian cricketer Terry Alderman dislocated his shoulder after tackling a spectator to the ground at the WACA. In 2010, Pakistan cricketer Khalid Latif was tackled from behind by a spectator who had obviously breached security.

In the run up to the Lions tours the former Australia Coach Eddie Jones is concerned that Quade Cooper’s omission from the Wallabies’ logistics camp may reflect yet another personal feud by current mentor Robbie Deans. In his column in The Daily Telegraph’s Rugby Gold on Saturday, Jones questioned the tactical implications of a Wallabies side sans Cooper.   It was also pointed out that Rifts with Andrew Mehrtens, Tana Umaga, Matt Giteau and George Smith have hurt previous teams he has coached. The ongoing tit-for-tat battle between Deans and Reds fly-half Cooper leaves one puzzling over what sort of game style the Wallabies are planning to play against the British and Irish Lions. Cooper in is defence played his best rugby over the weekend when he continued to pair with Genia. His traditional show and go tactic won him a try under the posts. Adding to the controversy, Will Genia indicated that he doesn’t want to play alongside any other five-eighth.

Genia and Cooper have formed a superb combination for both Queensland and the Wallabies over the past four seasons, and Cooper’s form has lifted significantly since Genia returned from a knee reconstruction in March. Wallabies and Reds skipper James Horwill also backed Cooper to reclaim the gold No. 10 jersey on the back of top performances over the next eight Super Rugby rounds.

If one thought that politics and personality issues were rampant only in the banana republic, the above will make them understand that things are similar down under as well.

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)