Part of the team

Oh, the excitement and anticipation of a sporting competition! Even more so a global sporting competition. And even more so again—for Kiwis anyway—the Rugby World Cup.

Put yourself in the place of the nervous candidates before the All Black team was announced on Sunday 30 August. As coach Steve Hansen had been saying for weeks, with such a wealth of talent to choose from, some great players were always going to be disappointed.

The ‘who’s in and who’s out’ suspense took me back to the anxiety of school day team selections, especially when two ‘captains’ were asked to take turns selecting their team. For those of us who were unfit, unsporting, uncoordinated—just plain ‘un’ a lot of the time, these were not times of joy and affirmation. Humiliation was the name of that particular game. To be fair, having been given the power to select the winning Standard Three Bullrush Squad, I probably wouldn’t have chosen myself either.

There were five new All Black caps named in this year’s Rugby World Cup squad, with Steve Hansen noting (in typical deadpan delivery), ‘It’s always an exciting time to hear your name read out.’ Some of us, perhaps still reflecting on our distant primary school years, can remember what it was like when your name wasn’t read out at all and you were just the ‘leftover’.

Seventeen All Blacks will be at their first Rugby World Cup, while veterans Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Keven Mealamu will be at their fourth. Fourteen of the 2015 squad were in the 2011 winning All Blacks side. This time around, all are focused on the Holy Grail of a back-to-back title.

Of course, at this elite sporting level, even those who didn’t get selected—Charles Piutau, Israel Dagg and Cory Jane—are exceptional sportsmen in anyone’s book. And at least one of them might get the last-minute Stephen Donald call-up, cast aside his whitebait net and write his own fairy tale ending.

The verdict on the 31 men named for the squad seems largely favourable, with commentators praising its emphasis on try scorers and versatility. But there are critics. New Zealand Herald sports columnist Chris Rattue describes it as ‘dotted with untested, unfit, uncertain, under-done selections’, for instance.

I am choosing the path of optimism, though. The All Blacks will win! My belief is entirely motivated by national pride … along with the opportunity to mock my Australian husband when the Wallabies fall by the wayside. (Please God, whichever team wins, don’t let it be Australia … or France … or England!)

Ironically, in a world where people are constantly connected through smartphones and social media, today’s society supports a culture of individualism and isolation. In contrast, teams of any sort offer a great way to combat loneliness and connect with like-minded people.

Even in a friendly place like a local church, it can sometimes be hard to find our place and get to know people. A bit like primary school sports teams, we might be tempted to stand back, waiting for someone to call us by name. It’s usually not personal that we’re not noticed or included, but if we do feel a little like a sports wallflower, stepping forward and signing up to join some sort of team ministry is an excellent way to make great friends and make a positive difference.

Let’s face it: being part of a team is a tremendous antidote to going it alone. And there can be some glorious rewards.

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by Christina Tyson (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 19 September 2015, pp3.
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