FREE THE ULSTER 12!

The Ulster 12 has been lured into signing a contract with the IRFU and remains imprisoned over the 6 Nations period, shackled to a bench for periods of 80 minutes without exercise. This is a plea to all right minded SUFTUMs to plead for the release of Paddy Wallace to where he rightly belongs, with his beloved province, Ulster.

We, the ‘Release the 12’ committee believe that Paddy was lured south by the glint of extra cash and of course a promise of playing rugby. Instead he has firmly found himself rooted to a bench without exercise for 80 minutes at a time.

Indeed in a further infringement of his rugby rights, when he has been released on parole to his native Ulster, he has been forced by the terms of his release to play at 10 for 80 minutes, not just once but 3 times this season.

Ulster needs you Paddy, Ireland clearly don’t, even when so called stars perform more like rogue comets, your still left shackled to the bench. Buy yourself out of prison and return to your native Ulster where you will feel wanted and be given freedom to play rugby.

Campaigners have been worried by the lack of access to the great man and were it not for his tweets, evidence of his presence on this planet would be hard to come by. The pretence that the Ulster 12 is being treated well in captivity is being perpetuated by censoring his tweets, campaigners for his release believe, as the IRFU force him to tweet that he is happily playing stick cricket and play station 3.

Hopefully Paddy will be released at the end of March and returned to his province in rude health and remembering how to play the game of rugby. Meantime lend your support for his release by tweeting him reminders on what playing for Ulster rugby is all about.

BEN ROBINSON

I mentioned in a recent blog about the death of a player on my team a few years ago. John volunteered to play for us in a tournament at Ballynahinch on a Saturday afternoon in early September. It was a stinking hot day by our standards and during the game John, a 22 year old, collapsed on the pitch and lapsed into unconsciousness before being taken to hospital, where he subsequently passed away.

Although we did not know John very well, his death was keenly felt by all of us who played in that game with him. I was reminded of the frailty of human life as he lay on the pitch in his own and very private world, semi conscious and clearly close to death. The memory of that event will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The doctors at the RVH later told his parents that whilst John had died playing rugby, it was not as a result of playing rugby. I have been reminded in sharp focus, with the death of Ben Robinson whilst playing rugby of John’s death and know in a limited way how much trauma and distress events of this kind can cause to those closest to him.

My nephew knew Ben and was heartbroken when he heard of his passing away. It is with some chagrin that I learn fingers are being pointed towards the coaches and those around Ben when he died, in what one gathers, is a negative manner.

My own son competes at sport and I feel a certain responsibility when I leave him in the hands of coaches and supervisors on a Saturday morning. They are responsible people who have given up their time to coach and give their young charges a decent grounding in the sport the youngsters have chosen to participate in.

It is only adding to the distress felt at the death of a young man in his sporting prime, when the coaches and others around them find themselves the subject of negative comment and judgement in relation to the death. It is easy to rush to judgement, make ill informed assumptions and generally promote your own agenda in the event of death during sporting contests whilst not possessing the full facts.

If there is any good to come out of the death of Ben, it is that people should be less inclined to jump to false conclusions as to the nature of that death. For now, let us celebrate the life of a youngster who clearly enjoyed doing what he was good at, competing in sport and empathise with the feelings of distress and trauma of those closest to him.

Ben Robinson RIP.

AIN’T NO SHOESHINE ANYMORE

I attended the 6N preview last night at Ravenhill and listened as the players, Declan Fitzpatrick, Johann Muller, Nevin Spence, David McIlwaine and Paul Marshall put forward their views on all things green and white in answer to questions posed by Secretary Bill and the assembled audience.

Sitting at a low elevation in the front row and with the players slightly elevated by bar stools, enabled me to study their footwear at various stages in the proceedings. I have concluded the shoeshine boys are mainly redundant except in the case of Johann Muller who sported a pair of slightly conservative light brown, leather slip ons.

Declan Fitzpatrick’s shoes I failed to notice, (sorry Deccie) and Paul Marshall was wearing a pair of electric blue, plastic designer shoes which he claimed cost him 16 quid. He was asked was he wearing them as a form of punishment, which he, I think, denied.

It was Nevin Spence and David McIlwaine’s footwear which really caught my eye. They looked like they hadn’t 2d to rub together, to coin it in local parlance. In fact they looked like they hadn’t enough string to tie the shoes let alone anything else.

I am proposing sponsorship by the supporter’s club for these boys to be taken down to a retail park and be kitted out in something niftier, as befits professional rugby chaps.

It was a good evening and the guy that really stood out for me once again was Johann Muller. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the URSC, having turned out for every one of these occasions and has an easy going relaxed manner which belies a steely core and a strong belief in his ability.

Johann appears a natural leader and it is clear the younger players especially, look up to him. The evening was yet another success for the Supporter’s Club and it enabled Secretary Bill to put in a deserved plug for joining the URSC.

I’m not a fan of offering enticements to join, such as priority for quarter final tickets, as I believe it encourages a dubious motivation to people to sign up. However if you are a fan and want to participate beyond standing on the Terrace and clapping your hands or rattling your jewellery in the stands then I would encourage people to Stand Up for the Ulstermen through the auspices of the Supporter’s Club.

You might even have the opportunity to engage in 30 seconds of conversation with Terry O’Kimble (TOK to his friends), the elusive chairman of the URSC!