Union and League: Different rules, same challenges!

Tuesday 15 November 2011

The month of October saw both codes of rugby reach a climax with the Rugby World Cup Final in the 15-man version and the Super League Grand Final in the 13-man game. Although the rules and dynamics of the game for the players on the field are very different, the challenges they face off the field are just the same. Since Rugby Union turned professional in 1995 and Rugby League changed from a winter sport to a summer sport in 1996, the players have faced much greater scrutiny for their behaviour as support for both sports has continued to grow.

In the realms of the egg-shaped ball, the recent actions of members of the England rugby team has been called into question. The increased media spotlight, especially at this year’s Rugby Union World Cup, has scrutinised players conduct and individuals have found themselves making a bigger impact on the front pages of the tabloids then the back. Increasingly players are finding their conduct being closely examined by both the media and the public, therefore the tolerance levels that players must demonstrate has to be much higher than the ordinary man in the street.

Two unfortunate incidents highlight when rugby players have fallen below the threshold expected of them and as a result have faced tough penalties. Trevor Brennan (Irish International, Union) took exception to an abusive chant from a rival fan during a Toulouse v Ulster match on 21 January 2007. Brennan lost all form of composure by jumping into the crowd and left the unfortunate Ulster fan Patrick Bamford with a broken jaw. The incident cost Brennan his career as he was struck with a lifetime ban (Later reduced to 5 years following appeal), was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 to Mr Bamford who was on the receiving end of a flurry of Brennan ‘haymakers’.

At 20 years and 18 years, Chev Walker (England International, League) and Ryan Bailey (England International, League) were emerging talents in the ranks of the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League squad. Back in 2003, following an altercation outside a Leeds nightclub Walker and Bailey were charged with assaulting another male and were handed sentences of 18 months and 9 months respectively. For many players celebrity status can come very quickly and the increased responsibility to conduct oneself accordingly can be a challenge that certain individuals are not prepared for. The pair were made an example of, in an effort to send a message out to fellow aspiring players that taking on the mantle of a professional rugby player brings with it a huge responsibility.

Players must understand they are in a truly privileged position and by making the wrong choices even at an early age can shatter their future dreams.

Two players who failed to demonstrate the level of conduct expected of modern day athletes were Matt Stevens (English International, Union) and Gareth Hock (English International, League).

Both were at the top of the pile in their respective sports, however their flirtation with recreational drugs landed them both with bans from their governing bodies. Stevens and Hock were sidelined for two years and took the time to rehabilitate themselves and now both are back playing at the highest level. Their drug of choice was the ‘party drug’ cocaine which is only tested for ‘in competition’ (i.e. during the playing season), so for them both to test positive during the season raised alarm bells around both codes. Damian Hopley, chief executive of the RPA (the players’ union) made himself heard on the issue on behalf of the Rugby Players Association:

“The PRA run confidential helplines for their members through which they can seek help for a number of problems. This is a social issue, it is far wider than rugby. Drugs are so freely available.”

Hopley stressed that the game needed to wake up to the threats posed by drugs and that through the work of the RPA and educational programmes, rugby players would be better served to make informed decisions. In the case of Hock, his club Wigan and particularly chairman Ian Lenagan stood by the player helping him every step of the way during his ban:

“It was very apparent to me that unless a creative plan was put together for Gareth to help him get through the two years, he would almost certainly be a disaster…Rugby League had been his life and he had no other way of making an income. He really would have been on a slippery slope without some assistance.”

Hock has delivered his own presentations as part of a drugs rehabilitation programme at Wigan to the young academy players known. In his own honest and light-hearted way he has got the message across to the youngsters that there is no place for drug taking in their aspirations to become super league players like Gareth. In his own words:

“Back to the top, no distractions, nothing. That’s my goal now. I was playing decent rugby as I was, but I know now I could have been five times better.”

Two players who failed to deal with life after their time in the limelight, without such support as Stevens and Hock received were Marc Cecillon (French International, Union) and Terry Newton (England International, League). With the passing of their accolades and the void of daily training-ground banter, both players transcended towards drink-filled depression. Both players tried to stay close to the game they cherished as players with Cecillon failing to make good a position as an ambassador of the his local club, Bourgoin-Jallieu. Newton opened a pub in his home-town Wigan where he even invited Rugby League teams to come and party, celebrating the end of the Super League season. Cecillon failed to deal with the end of his playing career in a period where the game was changing from amateur to professional, whereas Newton struggled to come to terms with his two-year ban for testing positive for the banned drug, human growth hormone (HGH).

Newton’s despair was compounded when his sister died of pneumonia at a time when she was addicted to heroin. Cecillon had turned to alcohol and on a fateful evening in August 2004, Cecillon’s life reached breaking point. In a drink fuelled rampage Cecillon shot his wife five times at point-blank range in a state of jealous paranoia which had stemmed from him learning of his wife’s intentions to seek a divorce. Cecillon was sentenced to 20 years in prison (later reduced to 14 years on appeal) and he was released on parole in July of this year. In the case of Newton he felt his career and marriage were slipping away and his regular dependency on anti-depressants couldn’t prevent the rugby league star from taking his own life in late September 2010. Following the loss of Terry Newton a joint initiative was set up by the Rugby Football League, fans and NHS experts called ‘State of Mind’ to tackle the issues of mental health in the rugby community. Ernie Benbow,

Co-founder and Programme Manager for State of Mind said:

“Men are three times more likely to take their own lives and it is vital that we open the conversation of mental wellbeing up to everyone involved in the Sport. Rugby players are big men, with big shoulders, but even they can’t carry the weight of the world on their own.”

In France a clinic was founded by a former French rugby Union international called The Accompaniment and Prevention Centre for Sportsmen (CAPS) which seeks to help athletes both currently playing and retired who encounter psychological problems. Franck Eisenberg, a French sociologist working with the athletes said:

“All your sporting life was built around your identity as a champion…and then, for the rest of your life, you will be someone who was something once.”

All athletes are faced with similar challenges such as relationships, gambling, drugs, drink and retirement. What separates a player is how they deal with these external influences, this article has sought to highlight the most striking examples of where individuals have failed to deal with adverse situations in the appropriate manner. Although we hold our sporting heroes in high regard we must remember that they are flesh and blood like the rest of us. They often are brought into an academy structure as young as 13 or 14 years and all too quickly fame and money they didn’t have before are thrust upon them. Increasingly the clubs need to do more to care for young players’ welfare especially their emotional well-being, we cannot allow players to freefall to into the psychological pit of despair that Cecillion and Newton both found themselves in. Perhaps one of the greatest players to have graced both codes is Jason Robinson, a man who managed to steer his life away from the stranglehold of many of the vices faced by players. Jason describes where his life was at in the early stages of his career:

“I was having great success on the park but off it my problems were overpowering me. It got to the stage that I would be out drinking six nights a week. Drinking was a vicious circle. I had problems so I drank, yet the more I drank, the more problems I had, and the more problems I had, the more I drank. I was getting away with it because on the field I was playing as well as ever”.

Jason knew the error of his ways but it wasn’t until a teammate, Samoan-born New Zealand International Va’aiga Tuigamala recounted a dream to him that he was able to seek solace:

“He told me he could see me standing on top of the world. I had the world at my feet but gradually the world started crumbling beneath my feet. I was amazed. The dream was uncannily true. It stopped me in my tracks. I knew that I had to get my life sorted out. It was just the jolt that I needed.”

Jason’s off field behaviour at the time was probably no different to that of his peers and on the field Wigan were enjoying arguably the best era of performances and results in the club’s history. Jason’s own words best describes the situation:

“At the time I was a typical young lad, naive and irresponsible. When you get success at an early age, as I did, it is hard to deal with.”

Fortunately there is a fairytale ending as Jason now has a settled family life, no longer drinks and his change in lifestyle guaranteed he played at the top level for as long as possible. His achievements in both codes of the game are unrivalled; most notably in League being Man of the Match in both the Challenge Cup Final and the Super League Grand Final. In Union he was one of only four players to have started both the 2003 and 2007 RWC Finals, the other three being Johnny Wilkinson, Ben Kay and Phil Vickery.

It is clear then that players of all ages need access to support and sound practical advice. More experienced players should attempt to mentor younger players coming through the ranks to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes as their generation did. Perhaps most importantly when players do take a wrong turn then the right people and guidance are made available to them. If you have any issues relating to behaviour or conduct issues in the sporting field then why not get in contact with our specialist Sports Law team, who can give you the very best advice today.