Pass the Prozac please

There is plenty to love about rugby says TANK LANNING, writing in his weekly Sport24 column, but just right now, the big man is feeling a smidgen despondent about the game.

Tank Lanning

There is a lot to love about rugby. A lot!

But right now, I am feeling just a smidgen despondent about the game.

• The Jurie Roux Matie-Gate accusations are dragging and being used by one and all as a political football. Just get into court and get us an answer, once and for all!
• The resultant Roux vs Oregan Hoskins (who almost tripped over himself so fast was his want to distance himself from Roux) battle now takes centre stage, leaving SARU leaderless.
• Which has exposed, yet again, the archaic structure of SARU that sees the self-serving provincial presidents as the real decision makers in the game.
• Which means decisions never get made because they fight not for the good of the game, but for their own skin in the game.
• The fact that Rassie Erasmus is willing to pull the pin on not only the Springboks, but South Africa as well, if Oregan Hoskins stays, such is his distaste at the way the latter treats his staff.
• Evaluating the Springboks on transformation instead of high performance given that grassroots transformation has failed.
• As such, no one actually wanting the Bok coaching job.
• But just in case, why not advertise the position?
• Thus now basically having to settle for Allister Coetzee who seems the only one willing to take on the role in it’s current guise. One of the reasons we wanted Heyneke Meyer to go was because he played an old-fashioned, dour style of rugby. How will the “Wall of Cape Town” sort that out?
• The very public Cheeky Watson and Kings debacle. And a debacle it is!
• Varsity Cup having to delay their fixtures due to student unrest.
• Aussie derbies.
• Rob Wagner, CEO of Western Province, like Erasmus in his day as coach of the union, is said to have been worn down by the internal politics, seemingly given the heave-ho.
• Over 70 doctors and medical experts in the UK sending an open letter to the government calling for tackling to be banned in school rugby matches! Ever heard of perhaps coaching a safe technique?

That’s a bucket load of darkness, people. Beer, my usual go to guy for the rosy glow, might not have enough kick to do the trick!

But, thankfully, there are a few silver linings:

• The Jaguares and Sunwolves, especially that vociferous yet incredibly polite Tokyo crowd.
• Tweaks to the maul laws. Be gone you dastardly legalised obstruction I say!
• The Lions and Stormers scrums.
• Kiwi derbies.
• The ‘Say No to Racism’ day at Kings Park which will see Kyocera distribute 10 000 national flag masks to spectators as they arrive for the game against the Jaguares this weekend. Jack Parrow and Lvovo will also be strutting their stuff. That’s cool.
• Watching my 8 year old son hone his tackle technique by smashing a tacklebag in our garden. Wouldn’t this have these Pommie “Medical Experts” in a tizz!

Enough to ditch the Prozac and run with just the beer? Maybe …