Remembering what rugby is supposed to be about

I was back in Bruff last weekend. Well, its French equivalent.

Standing in the dugout before Racing’s Top 14 game in Oyonnax was a throwback to why rugby can still make the bristles on your neck stand up. A small town, fiercely proud of their team, created a special atmosphere for the visiting multi-millionaires from Paris.

There were at least three John Hayes’ in the Oyonnax line-up — and two of them in the centre! This was a world away from the moneyed wrangling over the future of rugby in Europe, but it’s one of the delicious idiosyncrasies of the Top 14. So many average teams that rise to the occasion at home, yet have little chance away. Oyonnax play for their people in a way Munster do. Notwithstanding the 6-0 result in their favour, it was a gratifying spectacle.