dulwich boys at the world cup

[Alan Dale]

Do you accept the assertion that if rugby wasn't a fringe sport then it would be highly unlikely that Dulwich would have two ex pupils in the England squad?

[DaveR]

"Do you accept the assertion that if rugby wasn't a fringe sport then it would be highly unlikely that Dulwich would have two ex pupils in the England squad?"

No

This youth club has had various players in the England football team, and there are similar places in London and Merseyside.

[Brendan]

If I am not mistaken Dulwich College is a school which gives scholarships to pupils who excel in certain sports (rugby being one of them) so it is probably one of the schools in the country that is more likely to have ex pupils in the national team.

[Alan Dale]

DaveR Wrote:

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> "Do you accept the assertion that if rugby wasn't

> a fringe sport then it would be highly unlikely

> that Dulwich would have two ex pupils in the

> England squad?"

>

>

> No

>

> This youth club has had various players in the

> England football team, and there are similar

> places in London and Merseyside.

That youth club is a school of excellence that recruits boys from all over the North East. A hot bed of footballing talent.

In my opinion the presence of two Dulwich College lads in the England team says more about the limited appeal of rugby than the sporting success of the school.

I'm surprised that you genuinely believe otherwise but you are of course entitled to your beliefs.

[blinder999]

And I bet they'd find some faster racing drivers if everyone could have a go at it.

[*Bob*]

Ditto tennis and 'Tiger Tim' (snigger)

[Alan Dale]

And with a fair crack at it my Gran could have won an olympic medal for curling. God bless her.

[Gibbo]

anyone can join a rugby club from any age- its not elitist at all in that sense- they have both worked really hard after they left school to get into the england team- there schooling obvioulsy had an effect on moulding their talent but its the work they have subsequently put in that really matters

[Alan Dale]

That and the generally low standard...

[DaveR]

Hey Alan, why don't you go tell them that they're a pair of effete middle-class nancy boys, not proper sportsmen

I'd pay to watch that

[Jeremy]

I thought most schools in this country played rugby? All the schools did where I grew up, and the area was certainly nothing special.

We didn't do motor racing, though.

[Alan Dale]

I think its more to do with their schools not playing football or even their culture not valuing football as highly.

Baiting the rugby lads was a regular Wednesday night affair at uni. Josh Lucy even pushed me once but I let him off (shat myself I mean). They were all too nice to actually fight though. Well brought up too much to lose....

[*Bob*]

If there are ten million people in the UK who play football and one million people who play rugby, then surely it's ten times easier/less difficult to become a top rugby player than it is to become a top footballer. Isn't it?

Which doesn't mean they're all communal shower-loving, arse-feeling, thigh-slapping, wet towel-flicking posho-types.. it's just a statistical fact, innit?

[dc]

My daughter's at the Charter and they play rugby there - even she does 'touch rugby' and really enjoys it.

She's also been identified as having an 'exceptional ability' at basketball although quite how they worked that out after a few weeks I'm not sure and neither is she. She suspects her talent is being taller than the other kids. Anyway she's on a special basketball training camp this week - it being half-term. Don't remember things like that 'in my day'.

[trinity]

I think fewer schools do play rugby but it is not a striaghtforward private vs state school split eg Alleyns doesn't play rugby.

dc - excellent news for your daughter- lets hope she enjoys basketball. Do girls not play netball anymore?

[Alan Dale]

dc Wrote:

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> My daughter's at the Charter and they play rugby

> there - even she does 'touch rugby' and really

> enjoys it.

>

> She's also been identified as having an

> 'exceptional ability' at basketball although quite

> how they worked that out after a few weeks I'm not

> sure and neither is she. She suspects her talent

> is being taller than the other kids. Anyway she's

> on a special basketball training camp this week -

> it being half-term. Don't remember things like

> that 'in my day'.

Schools get 'gifted and talented' money for super kids. It pays to identify them earlier. Congratulations she's officially a basketball genius.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

I think fewer schools do play rugby but it is not a striaghtforward private vs state school split eg Alleyns doesn't play rugby.

Thats a real rarity though and stems from the time it split from Dulwich College. An agreement was made where Dulwich was to be a rugby school, Alleyns Football

[chichirara]

Forest Hill Boys play rugby.

[Thomas]

Referring mainly to the comments made by Alan Dale, is there a reason for the slightly negative approach? Are you unable to feel somewhat proud of there being two players linked with the local area?

Having been a pupil at Dulwich College up until last year, I know that football has only been taken seriously at the school within the past couple of years (introduced as a lesson with teams formed to represent the school), previous to this, the schools main sport was rugby. This is probably the main reason why none of the well known footballers attended the school. This being said, you may find that within a few years, there could be a number of ex-pupils playing football for major teams.

Maybe I have misunderstood a number of the comments posted throughout this thread, but in my opinion, the overall feeling has been more negative than positive. This is annoying as although Dulwich is a private school, I feel it does not make much of a difference in this instance. If the school has helped produce two excellent rugby players, so be it.. don?t put the school down! Would similar comments been posted if the two players attended Kingsdale?

[AllforNun]

You never know Kingsdale may get someone in for the sharp shooter events....

[spadetownboy]

Alan Dale Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think its more to do with their schools not

> playing football or even their culture not valuing

> football as highly.

>

> Baiting the rugby lads was a regular Wednesday

> night affair at uni. Josh Lucy even pushed me once

> but I let him off (shat myself I mean). They were

> all too nice to actually fight though. Well

> brought up too much to lose....

who,s josh lucy?

[chichirara]

Well put

[Alan Dale]

spadetownboy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Alan Dale Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I think its more to do with their schools not

> > playing football or even their culture not

> valuing

> > football as highly.

> >

> > Baiting the rugby lads was a regular Wednesday

> > night affair at uni. Josh Lucy even pushed me

> once

> > but I let him off (shat myself I mean). They

> were

> > all too nice to actually fight though. Well

> > brought up too much to lose....

>

>

> who,s josh lucy?

My thoughts exactly. He's a rugby player. Apparently it's spelt differently though.

[Alan Dale]

Thomas Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Referring mainly to the comments made by Alan

> Dale, is there a reason for the slightly negative

> approach?

Just being a bit cheeky really. Seems everyone is all over rugby at the moment because England did well. I wonder whether the relevance of Rugby in modern Britain is being overstated in order to boost national morale.

Are you unable to feel somewhat proud of

> there being two players linked with the local

> area?

Completely indifferent to the England lads backgrounds. Certainly not proud - I don't see that it has anything to do with me.

Would similar comments been posted if the two players attended Kingsdale?

Assuming that Kingsdale is a comp then I guess I would have made some sort of gleefull post about how the increased popularity of Rugby meant that the comp lads were now keeping the public school lads out of the team. Pie in the sky though isn't it?

[paragon]

I think it will remain the way it is - when I went to school (private) we played rugby and football. We also played against private and state schools. When we played Rugby against the local state school all they wanted to do was fight us and call us gay and we always soundly beat them. When we played Football all we did was try to foul them and call them poor and they soundly beat us. It's only when you go to Uni that this segregation disappears - by then you have missed the chance to play prof sport. (Unless you are Nick Easter or Ian Wright)

Think it all balances out in the end.