Editorial: Teams will be judged by their grace in defeat

Victor Matfield. Photo / Natalie Slade

Opinion

So four is about to become two. Pressure and intensity have become the names of the game as the World Cup nears its climax. There are no second chances for teams carrying the expectations of their nations.

In such circumstances, defeat becomes almost unthinkable. Yet happen it will, and this weekend two teams will have to put aside a sense of crushing disappointment and accept their lot. The best will be distinguished by the gracious manner in which they take defeat.

In many ways, this is the most difficult of tasks on a rugby field. Arguably, it is tougher than beating six defenders to score in the corner or kicking a match-winning conversion from the sideline in the final minute. It involves casting aside despair and perhaps even a sense akin to shell-shock if the result has run contrary to expectation.

It may involve switching off simmering anger over refereeing decisions or opponents' transgressions. Losing graciously means paying due respect to the opposition and accepting the reality of defeat the moment that the referee signals the end of the contest.

This weekend's losing semifinalists do not have to look far for inspiration. The quarter-finals provided ready examples of men who reacted splendidly after being denied the opportunity to see their stellar careers culminate in the most fitting manner. Two, Ireland's captain, Brian O'Driscoll, and Victor Matfield, the Springbok lock, stood out.

O'Driscoll is one of the great centres of his generation. Indeed, probably only Mike Gibson stands with him in the panoply of Irish backs. His career, however, has had as many downs as ups, most notably when, as captain of the British and Irish Lions, he was invalided out of the 2005 tour of New Zealand virtually before it began.

How he must have relished the prospect of a World Cup triumph, an outcome that seemed possible after Ireland beat Australia in pool play. When defeat came, however, there was no bitterness, recrimination or sorrowful self-absorption from O'Driscoll, simply a dignified acknowledgment that "we weren't good enough".

In terms of rugby history, Matfield occupies a similar status. After South Africa's defeat by Australia, his captain, John Smit, went so far as to describe him as "perhaps the finest Springbok ever".

The quarter-final loss to the Wallabies must have been particularly galling because South Africa dominated the game everywhere except the scoreboard. Yet again, the Matfield-controlled lineout laid the basis for much of this ascendancy. The man must have been devastated. Yet after the final whistle, television pictures showed Matfield shaking hands with a smile and word for each of his team's conquerors. Class, indeed.

For those who lose this weekend, the disappointment will run even deeper. The closer one comes to triumph, the greater the frustration and sense of missed opportunity when it is snatched away. To make matters worse, no one remembers a losing semifinalist, no matter the tournament.

Each team knows that their feats so far in the World Cup have enlivened their respective nations. Rugby in Wales, for example, has not known such heady days since the 1970s. It will be scant consolation for the youthful Welsh team that even better times may lie ahead. Indeed, there can be little source of comfort for any of the losers, or their supporters. Only the ability to accept defeat graciously.