When men were men and backs were girls

AS WE get older, our view of history becomes increasingly jaundiced.

When we gaze back through the haze of time, we squint and see mighty deeds where, in truth, only humdrum ones existed. That is why those dinosaurs among us, who played this great oval game of ours in the old amateur days, recount as ‘epic’ matches which were, in reality, merely mud-splattered fist-fests decided by penalty kicks.

The next six weeks will introduce people to a game which is light years removed from the rugby which existed in days of yore.