Of social mores, national stereotypes … and rugby

A tongue-in-cheek treatise on the heated global “communication” which inevitably surrounds the Rugby World Cup

I agree that social mores and national stereotypes—two topics I will write about a great deal in my regular dispatches to Ragan.com—and rugby—which I will not write a great deal about—do seem to be a rather tenuous juxtaposition of ideas.

However, please bear with me. There is a thread to be pulled.

Let’s start with the rugby phenomenon. You see, I am a South African by birth, residence and character structure. With a savage wanderlust and a small habit of roaming the planet, I will concede, but when the chips are down I am, indisputably, a South African. Particularly when it comes to rugby. And as the world well knows, and in the way of national stereotyping generally, South Africans, of all shapes, sizes, religions, official languages (of which there are eleven), aspirations and temperaments are obsessed by rugby.

In mitigation, we think we are really rather good at it.