This game I love – Stopsy’s season

By Stopsy
May 26 2003

For those of you that were around on the message board last summer, you may know that I was awaiting this season’s kick off with eager anticipation.

This game I love – Stopsy’s season

For those of you that were around on the message board last summer, you may know that I was awaiting this season’s kick off with eager anticipation. On holiday, Stopsy Junior came rushing in to tell me that the Tigers were on the TV, I saw the highlights of the Orange Cup game, Hipkiss – a bright future awaits.

I returned from holiday early, just in time to see us take on Leeds down at my local rugby club. As the game wore on, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t to be our day, well done Leeds.

For me this has been a good season, I wondered how I would cope with a descent from the glory days, OK I’m still one eyed and I still saw us play badly rather than the opposition play well in most games we lost and a few we won! The exception was the Northampton game, they played us off the park and I was bitterly disappointed, not by the result, but the manner in which the team played.

That was the low point of the season and when I came to realise that the guts, pride, teamwork, skill and sheer bloody mindedness that had seen us through the last 4 seasons was missing in action.

That said, it was a pleasure to meet the Saints crew and especially Ajack. To see what beating us at Welford Road meant to them was incredible and I’m glad to say that the passion is far more constructive now that result is achieved. How Ajack managed to drink without spilling a drop through that grin still astounds me! It was a long drive back to Cheshire that night accompanied by Berlioz’ Dance Macabre on the in car entertainment console – how fitting.

The highlight was the Gloucester game where having gifted them a try to start with, we then ground them off the pitch with the most ferocious forward display I can remember for a long time. That was a short trip home with a beatific smile all the way.

The dismantling of Newcastle flattered to deceive and I think most of the playing points have been made on the board throughout the year. I still don’t like gloaters and get dismayed to see any of our number being ungracious in victory or defeat on the other boards, but it would be an exceedingly dull world if everyone was like me!

So – win or lose next week, Tigers have given me a lot of pleasure again, for which my thanks. The anticipation of each game has been heightened by each bad result, will this be the game where we turn the corner? And I’m still hopeful for the 31st.

My other team, the mighty Sandbach Scorpions (Under 10s) are not allowed to play competitive rugby in September so we had intensive coaching. Stopsy Junior was struggling to find a place in the team as we made the step up to competitive scrums and the introduction of line outs. Fair play to him though he agreed to play loosehead as no one else would and also ended up throwing in very well at the lineouts.

He had a good season, scored on the first and last day of the season, second row beckons for next year, he’ll be spending the summer felt penning on some dark eyebrows to frown with. October saw us attend the Tigers coaching course, what a fantastic event, being a gentleman of leisure at the time, I watched quite a bit of it and nicked many good ideas.

The old maxim goes that rugby is a game played and won in the top 2 inches of the head, the confidence that Junior got from the course really helped his game. We had a mixed season, too few games before March and too many afterwards, but we ended up with a decent enough record for the whole squad (two teams) of Played 44, Won 20, Drew 5, Lost 19, 600 points for, 515 against. The important thing is that the squad had fun in achieving this and not only that, played some staggeringly good rugby along the way.

Southport tournament – 8 good teams competing with immaculate behaviour from the players and all but one of the parents (not from our lot thankfully). There was some great rugby on display as well as a lot of serious having fun. Hinkley won our group, well done, and included a number of players that had been on the Tigers course with Junior so friendships were re-kindled. We came 4th having won 4 of the 7 games but the real winners were Nottingham who ensured that one of their opponents who has Downs Syndrome got to run the length of the pitch.

There are some who would argue that this was patronising, if you had seen the look on the lad's face you would know that he didn't think so. The presentations were duly given out and a special one to the lad mentioned before, who punched the air with glee as the whole crowd rose to their feet, some sneaky so and so had been peeling onions near a number of us. Another special award to a girl from Nottingham who at the age of 12 has to leave the game as there is no girls team available, a real shame.

Win, draw or lose, enjoy your rugby and take care of the game we love.