Why eurocrats should sign their kids up to rugby

The rugby World Cup in France started on September 9. A week before that another world cup took place: that of the parliamentarians. Eight parliaments from all over the world (from Australia to Ireland and Argentina) sent teams to compete over a week in Toulouse, Sarlat and Paris. For the first time, the European Parliament put forward a team.

We will not bore you with match reports. Suffice to say that the EP team lost against the mighty New Zealanders and the speedy French, but won against the House of Commons and Lords team (add your own Brexit joke here). Instead we’ll try to explain why eurocrats should consider signing their kids up to rugby.

A rule-of-law based sport. If you watch a rugby game in the next few weeks you’ll notice that on the pitch the referee enjoys absolute primacy. A small 70-something kilo referee is diligently listened to by strong 100-something kilo players. Unlike in football, referees’ decisions are never discussed, never contested. That’s because without a strict rules enforcer, rugby would not be a game, it’d be all-out war. Rugby is the prevalence of commonly agreed and strictly applied rules over sheer force and brutality. All rugby players know that, some Member states should follow suit.

A sport united in diversity. No matter your size or shape, rugby has a position for you. If you’re heavy, your power will be needed in the pack. If you’re fast, you’ll be needed to overtake at the wing. If you’re tall, you’ll be needed to jump up on the line-up. If you’re small, you’ll make an excellent scrum half. Unlike in football where a stellar striker can carry a game, in rugby every action involves the whole team. A rugby squad is a chain, which is as weak as its weakest link — sounds very much like the Single Market, doesn’t it?

Now, is rugby a risky game? Yes. But so is life. And the risk is a moderate one. This writer never broke anything on a pitch. And it is just ‘anecdata’ but personal observation suggests that you’re more likely to end up in the hospital riding a bike in Brussels than playing rugby.

If you’re interested Brussels has a flurry of clubs. Full list here. Clubs welcome both boys and girls (female players actually make up 16% of players in francophone Belgium).

Also, if you know rugby players in the institutions send them to EPXV (info@epxv.eu). The EP team trains with the rugby club of Boitsfort every other Monday on a pitch located in a Natura 2000 area. We have games lined up for the months ahead. The next parliamentary world cup is in four years in Australia. We’ll be there.