Gamesmanship is part of rugby, let's climb down from moral high ground

I don’t recall being as irate watching sport for a long time. I was on my feet in my living room, roaring expletives, taking in the end of Munster's game in Durban.

HOODWINKED: Jaden Hendrikse of Hollywoodbets Sharks. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart

Gamesmanship is a funny concept. It’s not quite cheating, but it kind of is. You could define cheating as a deliberate breaking of the rules to give yourself an advantage over your opponent. Gamesmanship is more about breaking the unwritten rules, or codes, of a game to give yourself that advantage. It is often so effective because there is no sanction for engaging in it. You can’t be punished because you’re not really breaking any law, at least not in a way that can be proven there and then.

If you were to ask people which of the two is more egregious, the vast majority would say the latter. They would rather see someone blatantly break the rules and try to get away with it than the devious, manipulative actions we often see. Think Thierry Henry’s handball against Ireland versus Rivaldo hitting the ground and clutching his face at the 2002 World Cup when Turkey’s Hakan Unsal kicked the ball at his knee (Unsal was given a red card).