We are critically dissecting Saturdays World Cup final defeat in the pub. It is just minutes since the final whistle.
“It’s a stupid game anyway.” I point out.
“It didn’t seem stupid all those years ago when William Webb Ellis picked the ball up at Rugby school and ran with it.”
“Well, clearly William Webb Ellis didn’t go to a Comprehensive.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you picked the ball up and ran with it at my school, it would almost certainly have resulted in a severe shoeing from about twenty other kids.”
“But he invented a new game when he did it.”
“No, he cheated. You can’t invent new rules halfway through a game. That’s not how it works. I bet he was the fat kid who was rubbish at football, and he probably wanted to invent a game he might be good at. Pie-eating had probably already been invented, so picking up the ball and running into other people with it in hand was his next best option.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Yes it was. The story isn’t that William Webb Ellis called a school meeting and spent an hour at the overhead projector outlining his plans for a new game with an egg shaped ball. It was that he picked up the ball during an existing game of football. In fact he probably gave away a penalty, and I’ll bet his team mates fucking hated him. You do realise, if he hadn’t cheated, we wouldn’t be sat here being miserable right now.”
“True. The cheating little fucker.”
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KT · October 24, 2007 at 10:12 am
Maybe, but in all fairness, if he hadn’t we’d just have football. At least we were in the final in this one.
Mr Farty · October 24, 2007 at 10:59 am
It all depends on your point of view. Surely Saturday’s result was a victory?
Gumpher · October 24, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Being Welsh, I was miserable bloody weeks ago. At least you got to the final. I would have done a lap of honour if we’d got out of the sodding group.
TheBoy · October 24, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Of course, this only matters is you actually believe Ellis invented the game by picking up the ball and running with it. Nice story, and he would have indeed been a cheating little fucker if he had, but its probably an old wiffey’s tale.
Equine Pimp · October 24, 2007 at 3:03 pm
If you’re really bored
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rugby-2227/rugby-invented.htm
GH · October 24, 2007 at 4:57 pm
As opposed to the wonderful sport that is watcing England lose at football. Maybe they should try picking the ball up and carrying it, they might win something then.
GH