I rarely read anything to do with Rugby Union but this piece from the Courier-Mail caught my eye…
Anything anti-ceremonial gets a tick from me.
There are concert halls for concerts and Moomba for parades.
At footy I expect footy.
National anthems are unnecessary – especially so when the competing sides are domestic.
Ra Ra Ruggers!
Quite agree. I get a nasty feeling that the whole patriotisation (I suspect that is a neologism) & militarisation of sport (battles, troops, “in the trenches”, male bonding at Kokoda, flags draped over shoulders at dawn services and after Olympic success etc, etc, etc) and society is subliminally softening up the next generation of cannon fodder for someone else’s war. Don’t get me started at being practically compelled to stand for the national anthem at footy games.
The reflective manner of commemoration on Remembrance Day, to me, seems much more appropriate.
In Canberra on 25 April you have an Australian side and a New Zealand side playing.
It’s a day of significance for both countries; even if the teams are only provincial rather than national.
Surely anthems before the Last Post are appropriate?
The fact that you can play the Brumbies theme song (to the tune of “Click Go the Shears” and featuring the immortal line “Proud to be Australian with a Brumby on our chest”) but not the anthem is a little, well, odd.
Anzac Day, like Australia Day, seems to have become a de-facto patriotism contest.
I really like the way the EPL/European football have begun a minutes applause at some remembrance ceremonies. The minutes silence at Anfield for the 96 Hillsborough deaths being the obvious exception.
If ruggers don’t play anthems before ANY SANZAR games, then this is consistent, but perhaps a minutes’ silence with the last post would be appropriate on the day.
I’m a bit tiorn here. I respect that our soldiers in many wars fought for freedom and our right to choose (often over facism or communism), meaning people have the right to choose if they want to stand for the anthem or not, however I equally get very upset with people who sit during the anthem at the football.
I prefer the anthem at major events, and have no issue with it being done at a domestic event. I can’t seem to get the anthems before the cricket though, it nevers feels as right as it does during a football match or rugby league/union international.
Agree though on the minute’s applause, think that is great, recently done for the young Aussie at West Ham who died.
Crio – the anthem is for visiting Royals (hopefully that stops one day) when they go to the opening of an Australian envelope, perhaps Olympic medal presentations because its international, and World Championship darts. Not home and away football. A minute’s silence on ANZAC Day is respectful and appropriate.
Having said that, I love the anthem at the Grand Final – not so much for the anthem itself, but for the roar just as it concludes.
The minute’s applause is working OK but it was only instituted due to patrons’ inability to co-operate with, initially, a minute’s and then a “moment’s” silence – as I have remembered on a previous post, i’ll never forget the baiting chants that filled Highbury during the presumed minute’s observance for Sir Stanley Rous.