Being a Welshman, I've not been allowed to forget that there's a World Cup on this summer. Yes, that's another we haven't qualified for. No thanks to Mr Toshack, but that's a discussion for another day. This time, though, I'll be watching with more interest than just hoping to laugh at the English again. South Africa - the Rainbow Nation - the country with three languages in its national anthem; where else better to host a global festival of sport?
Indeed, they've managed it before, 15 years ago, only it was a different code, but if the football equivalent of that event does anything to match up to rugby union's 1995 equivalent, I'll be very, very impressed. Because '95 was the Nelson Mandela final. You know, the one that spawned the iconic image of mandela in his #6 jersey and Springbok cap handing the white Francois Pienaar the cup. You don't? Okay, well it's this one:
And that's why that World Cup will be remembered, not least because the South African team defeated the mighty All Blacks, Jonah Lomu and all, in the final.
The problem is, more often than not, these massive sporting events are remembered for things other than the sport itself - the football world cup in 2006, for example, will always be remembered for Zidane's incredible headbutt on Italian defenders Marco Materazzi. How many people think of the Jules Rimet trophy being found by a dog during the 1966 world cup when they think of that tournament? I know I do.
So if these sporting events are judged by off-pitch events as well, which comes out on top between rugby union and association football?
You might refer to the well worn phrase "Rugby is a hooligans game played by gentlemen" but I can tell you now that's not entirely true. To take a few examples from my own country, I mention the names Gavin Henson, Andy Powell, and, indeed, a good section of the Wales squads of recent years who have often been in hot water for consuming a tad too much alcohol and making fools of themselves, which for some reason is magnified when they've lost a game - now that's a Welsh mentality if ever there was one. Henson damaged a train, but bizarrely enough didn't go down for criminal damage... I'd wager I would've at least been charged for the same thing but he was let off with a "Good, now don't do it again".
And it's not just Welsh rugby players - Irishman Trevor Brennan was banned for life from playing rugby after assaulting an Ulster supporter in the stands at his Toulouse side's Stade Ernst Wallon.
What of the supporters at rugby union matches then? They sure as hell don't sing, so what are they doing? Well, generally, drinking. I can make that sweeping generalisation without any fear of reprimand because it's true. But there have been incidences of crowd trouble at rugby union matches - just this spring, Natal Sharks fans threw missiles onto the pitch at their game against Waikato Chiefs in February.
Pitch invasions, the flavour of the month in football, are not alien to rugby union either. Back in the 1970's they occurred with relative frequency in international matches in South Africa, as a protest against apartheid, and, in 1981, a tie between the Springboks and the All Blacks was cancelled because around 350 people pushed down a fence to protest on the pitch.
And I haven't even mentioned Bloodgate yet.
So rugby union is by no means the innocent party. But then, for every Trevor Brennan, football has it's own Eric Cantona judo kick. For every Gavin Henson, football has it's Steven Gerrards, assaulting night club DJs because they wouldn't put his favourite song on. For every bit of crowd trouble in rugby, football probably has twice as much - need I mention Wembley 1977, with Scotland's army invading the pitch and bringing down the goalposts? As I say though, pitch invasions are flavour of the month with football fans at the moment, and, since Millwall and West Ham did the inevitable in their league cup tie, such incidents have been on the rise ever since - I personally have now seen two wheelchair bound men take part in these pitch invasions; one at Hillsborough and one in the last ever game at Chesterfield's Saltergate.
If it's a safe, clean environment you want to watch your sport in, then live rugby and football are probably not for you. Then again, neither is ice hockey, rugby league, boxing or motor racing, the like of which we've all seen in South Wales in the last decade.
You have two options then: Get thee to the Swalec Stadium to witness the Glamorgan v Somerset Twenty/20 cricket match and enjoy a curry and a drink for £22 (it's a fantastic deal, I plan on taking it up myself) or, just stay at home and be one of those plastic Manchester United fans that people are slowly but surely beginning to realise are utterly pathetic and cannot be labelled football fans.
Either way, enjoy your summer!
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