Invictus
I've already seen Invictus five times, and I plan on watching it again the night before the practice I'm going to on Saturday. Although there has been a little criticism about the movie, and I've heard some rugby players say that there wasn't enough rugby in the movie for them, I think that this movie captures the exact essence and philosophy that rugby contains. Rugby isn't just a sport, it goes beyond the field. I don't think that it is a surprise that rugby was the sport to unite a nation. Rugby is such a team oriented sport containing many different and important parts all working together as one that it's no wonder the sport was an inspiration for different people of a country to come together. I think that every rugby team and every rugby player contains a small piece of the of love, harmony, humility, and unity shown through Nelson Mandela's and South Africa's story. Someone who truly understands rugby would know that the rugby and the story of peace in this movie were not two separate things, they were both intertwined. Although the movie did not show the sport of rugby 24/7, it definitely depicted the philosophy of it. It seemed like every word that came out of Nelson Mandela's mouth was quotable, but there are some that have stuck with me especially in relation to rugby (and I'm sure every time I watch it there will be a new quote that sticks with me). One of my absolute favorite parts of the movie is when Nelson Mandela asks Francois Pienaar what his philosophy is on leading his team, and Francois replies that he has always tried to "lead by example," which is one of the most phenomenal things I have ever heard. It's SO incredibly true, because of course successful leaders need to essentially put their money where their mouth is and practice what they preach. No one is going to listen to a leader who doesn't even follow and believe what he or she is fighting for.
ALSO, the new coach that the South African Rugby team brought in halfway through the movie basically spoke my mind about how I feel every rugby team should think. The coach says that they may not be the most skilled team, but they will CERTAINLY be the fittest. I think that is the mentality every single rugby team and every single rugby player should have. Fitness should be an absolute given on a rugby team, because it's something that everyone can work on all-the-time.
p.s. It made kicking look super easy, and I was super jealous.
p.s. It made kicking look super easy, and I was super jealous.
p.s.s. The soundtrack is phenomenal.
Forever Strong
Heyoooo even I'll admit that the story line of this movie and the acting in it is slightly cheesy, but it does have some pretty awesome rugby clips in it. I liked the way that the Highland team ran practices, and I think this movie really defined what "real" rugby players are and what "fake" rugby players are. The real rugby players are the ones that put incredible work and effort into the sport not to be the star, but to better the rest of the team and benefit themselves. I think that the Highland team's players showed how "real" players play for the love of the sport, work as a team, and humbly do their best to internally benefit themselves. Also, I think that a ton of their team's success was due to things they did off the field. The team did so many bonding things together; they did service together on a regular basis, they worked out together, and it even looked like they normally hung out together to strengthen their friendships and bonds. Every single person on the team was so open and happy and friendly, even when the main character was still in his jerk-off mode. And the reason WHY they were all so happy and friendly to one another on and off the field was because it seemed like there were absolutely NO egos on the team. Everyone was the same amount of support for one another, so they had a stronghold that couldn't be broken.
Forever Strong
Heyoooo even I'll admit that the story line of this movie and the acting in it is slightly cheesy, but it does have some pretty awesome rugby clips in it. I liked the way that the Highland team ran practices, and I think this movie really defined what "real" rugby players are and what "fake" rugby players are. The real rugby players are the ones that put incredible work and effort into the sport not to be the star, but to better the rest of the team and benefit themselves. I think that the Highland team's players showed how "real" players play for the love of the sport, work as a team, and humbly do their best to internally benefit themselves. Also, I think that a ton of their team's success was due to things they did off the field. The team did so many bonding things together; they did service together on a regular basis, they worked out together, and it even looked like they normally hung out together to strengthen their friendships and bonds. Every single person on the team was so open and happy and friendly, even when the main character was still in his jerk-off mode. And the reason WHY they were all so happy and friendly to one another on and off the field was because it seemed like there were absolutely NO egos on the team. Everyone was the same amount of support for one another, so they had a stronghold that couldn't be broken.
The "fake" rugby team, on the other hand, was an absolute mess. Yes, they were blessed with some gifted players, but it didn't even matter. The majority of the time, the team only won with cheap shots and low blows. There are tons of teams that get away with this kind of play sometimes, but it won't last for long and they CERTAINLY won't win a game with it. And obviously the way the team partied all the time and made stupid decisions didn't help their cause either. They seemed like they only based their friendships off people who did things just as stupid as them or stupider, and those aren't real friends at all. This team was just all about cheating and taking shortcuts to win games, which obviously shows their true weakness as a team and that they're actually scared and not confident in their own abilities. Also, it was blatantly obvious that the people on the team had the horrible syndrome of greedily wanting the ball for themselves for the desire to score a tri and look like an all star. Obviously, a team with people like this (and especially a team FULL of these people) is never going to get anywhere. It was apparent in the main character how the "fake" team worked because he always tried to run the ball for himself without ANY sort of consideration for his teammates and what's really best for the team (in the beginning). But he obviously learns that this is unacceptable in rugby and not only inconsiderate to your team but just flat out ineffective, and it will be every single time. And I love it how he learned this through playing a forward position, especially hooker :o)
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