Eddie Jones: Abuse, identity and the challenges of rugby fandom in the modern game
After being on the receiving end of alleged physical and verbal abuse whilst travelling back from England’s loss to Scotland in Edinburgh, head coach Eddie Jones has vowed never to use public transport again citing security fears.
Video footage has emerged of several people with Scottish accents first posing for selfies with Jones, before unleashing a torrent of abuse, even opening the door of Jones’ car in order to continue hurling insults at the Australian.
Scottish Rugby have condemned the incident, saying they are “appalled” at such “disgusting behaviour”.
It is unclear whether or not this video footage represents the entirety of the abuse Jones describes, but regardless there has been a great deal of outrage surrounding the incident.
Whilst Jones has earned something of a reputation for being somewhat antagonistic at times in his media duties, the general feeling in the rugby world is that such behaviour is completely unacceptable, regardless of how one feels about Jones himself.
Few, if any, commenters online are condoning the abuse, with the vast majority of rugby fans agreeing with Scottish Rugby’s statement that it “does not reflect the values of our sport or its fans”.
Probably the most common response to the incident is that it is somehow at odds with the spirit of rugby, that such behaviour should not be considered as representative of the sport and that those who behave in this way cannot truly be considered rugby fans.
Indeed, in the first paragraph of this article I referred to the perpetrators as “people with Scottish accents” as opposed to fans or supporters because, for many people, the idiots shouting abuse don’t qualify.
Regardless of their nationality, or who they were cheering for on Saturday (if indeed they were actually following the game), their behaviour exempts them from being classed as “real” rugby supporters.
This raises an interesting question around how we define fandom in the modern game.
Rugby, rightly or wrongly, claims a reputation as a sport with unique values; sportspersonship, camaraderie, friendliness and acceptance, where all the aggression takes place on the field of play and everyone comes together afterwards to share a beer in harmony.
Of course, it’s not as simple as all that.
Abuse from spectators towards players and officials rears its head with disappointing frequency (and is getting worse), and the supposed mutual respect between rival players disappears all too often.
That being said, the average rugby match elicits a far less hostile, more welcoming atmosphere than that of a comparable level football game.
Rugby is far less accepting of abuse of officials by fans or players, and even the most raucous of crowds often fall into respectful silence for opposition goal-kickers.
Rugby does, to a certain degree, do things differently.
It’s worth considering therefore just what rugby fandom means in the 21st Century.
Since professionalism came in, there has been a marked change in pretty much every aspect of the sport, from skill level to player welfare to facilities to media coverage – but revered “rugby values” have retained the air of gentlemanly etiquette of their amateur heyday.
We still have certain expectations about what is or isn’t acceptable in rugby, be that on the field of play, in the stands or in our discussions around the game.
This can lead to conflict.
We still hold players and supporters to the unwritten rules that seemingly defined the sport in its early years, even if those rules may find themselves bumping uncomfortably against the reality of professionalism.
It’s hard for a defeated player to want to share a beer with their opponent knowing that that loss might mean relegation, the loss of a paycheque, a threat to their livelihood.
It’s hard for a player faced with the opportunity to take a dive after a clumsy challenge to stay on their feet, knowing that winning a penalty might win them the game, secure some silverware, bring their team and its supporters a reward for all their investment.
This conflict between old attitudes and modern pressures is central to the discussion about the Jones incident.
Whether we like it or not, rugby is growing as a sport, reaching new and unfamiliar audiences as it does so.
Engaging with those outside of rugby’s existing inner circle is essential for its growth, and indeed its survival.
This is a double edged sword – more customers mean more money, but it also means less control over who engages with the product.
It’s like when you discover a new band and want to share their music with everyone, then get pissed off when they get big: rugby hasn’t quite sold out yet, but it’s certainly one Calvin Harris collaboration away from going mainstream.
The argument is that the people in the Jones video aren’t “real” supporters, but as the sport grows it’s inevitably going to start capturing audiences who aren’t au fait with rugby’s attitudes and values.
Does this automatically mean that those audiences aren’t “real” supporters?
How do we define who is a “real” supporter?
What do we do with those who don’t meet our criteria?
Don’t get me wrong, I think the people in the video are arseholes.
Their behaviour is unacceptable not just in rugby, but indeed anywhere.
There’s a psychological concept called ‘bracketed morality’, which posits that there are certain circumstances wherein normal moral rules don’t apply, so we feel free to behave in a more aggressive or dishonest manner. Sport is probably the best example of such a context.
This is most likely largely responsible for the incident – those people hopefully do not behave that way towards every single person they meet.
Unfortunately, what the morons in the video don’t know (or don’t care about) is that rugby’s moral bracket is much narrower than many other sports.
Rugby has a much lower tolerance for abusive behaviour, and a much shorter time frame during which that abuse is in any way acceptable – once the final whistle blows, everyone’s friends again. In theory.
So what do we do to combat this?
It is ridiculous to think that we might need to explain to people that you don’t get to abuse someone just because they’re involved with an opposing sports team.
But then, there are warning labels telling people not to drink bleach or stick their hand into lion enclosures, so common sense perhaps has to take a back seat on this one.
We need to create a way in which those new to the sport can become acclimatised to its unspoken norms and learn the appropriate way to behave.
This might not be easy, since not even “real” supporters seem to agree on everything – see the fury of the debate around whether it was okay for Bastareaud to call another player a “f****t”.
But it’s worth thinking about what we want the future of rugby to look like.
Regardless of how we feel about it, more and more people are going to be drawn to rugby as it expands all over the globe.
What picture do we want them to have of the sport we love?
I’m genuinely asking.
How would you define rugby’s values?
How should someone new to rugby behave?
What makes rugby unique?
In essence, what makes a “real” rugby supporter?
Let us know in the comments.
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
55 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
55 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
55 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
55 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
55 Go to comments