Skills of Rugby

Eku deede iwoyio!
With the Rugby World Cup just concluded, there’s a feast of sport on offer for fans of the game. But rugby isn’t just about entertainment – there’s plenty it can teach you about the qualities you need to succeed in your career and life in general, too. Here are some main points to take away from a former player.

Team work

Saying that you can learn about teamwork from rugby seems a bit obvious, really. After all, it’s a team sport. If you expect to be a superstar player, if you expect to do what you want and take all the credit, you’ll get hit, you’ll get tripped and you’ll get hurt, because your focus is in the wrong place. The only way to survive is to rely on your teammates, and no matter how bad things seem, there are always people who are willing to help you.

Communication

You might have an idea about where you’re heading, but if you don’t find a way to communicate your intentions, you either get left behind or trampled on. Communication is the conduit for teamwork, and I think one of the most valuable lessons to learn is that we’re always communicating, whether we like it or not.

 Change

In a game of rugby, the whole direction of the game can change in an instant, and you have to be ready to take advantage of that. In life, people think they’re stuck with their problems, when in fact, you can change anything you want as quickly as you want.

 Resilience

It’s so easy when we’re faced with what seem like insurmountable problems, to want to throw in the towel. We walk out on a relationship rather than working at it, or we leave a job rather than focusing on our goals.

Being able to step back and look at a bad situation in a different light really does make the difference by picking yourself up, shaking yourself down and moving on just as in rugby.

Respect

Respect for authority:

In basketball and football, the referees are continually harassed by the players. On the rugby field that does not happen. When the ref makes a call that is the call and there is no arguing and no questions asked. You accept the call and you move on and play rugby. 

Respect for your opponents:

In a game of rugby, it often looks like the players on opposing sides are out for blood, yet the opposite is true. The rule is always assumed that your opponents are better than you and that playing them will give you an opportunity to improve. When you respect your opponents, you are respecting yourself.

The little things matter: 

The little things on the rugby field matter, just as in life and when you perfect those things that’s when you become a champion. And I`m not talking about physical skills but life skills that rugby teaches you as it applies to your association and community.

We celebrate with you if you were born in November and as officially a month of thankfulness, we shall all have every course to be thankful for the rest of the year.

Eric Thompson