With the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa having dominated rugby headlines this year, it is no surprise that the 2009 IRB Hall of Fame induction - with the theme 'The Lions and South Africa' - has attracted so much attention.
The public vote on the nominated inductees ended several weeks ago and the results of the 2009 induction into the IRB Hall of Fame will be announced on Tuesday, 27 October at a ceremony at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England, the birthplace of the Game.
The public vote provided shortlists from the 32 candidates - 16 South Africans and 16 British and Irish Lions from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries - enabling the Induction Panel chaired by IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset to select nine immortals, whose names will be revealed on Tuesday.
This year's tour added a new chapter to the enduring romance of the Lions, which first blossomed 118 years ago, when William Maclagan's touring British team helped instigate the birth of rugby in South Africa.
Since 1891, the Lions have visited the country 13 times and played 46 Test matches, losing 23, winning 18 and drawing six, scoring 516 points and conceding 600.
The Spirit of the Game
The dual objective of the early Lions tours was not only to educate the keen South Africans in the technical rudiments of the Game, but also to help them absorb and digest the game's traditions and values.
"Had the tour been a success? Judging by the scoreboard, yes," observed one of the 1891 tourists, Scotland wing Paul Clauss, whose words also proved prophetic.
"The measure of our success was not the number of matches won, of points scored; it went further than that. Had we showed them in South Africa how to play the Game in true sporting spirit? Have we taught them that self must be subordinated to side, that science and combination are better than brute strength? Time will show."
One hundred and eighteen years later the inaugural IRB Lecture 'The Lions and the Spirit of the Game', to be delivered by legendary Wales and Lions wing Gerald Davies, will endeavour to answer Clauss' rhetoric.
What has set Rugby apart throughout its history has been the notion that there is more to the Game than the winning of matches. Has all that changed?
The Spirit of the Game, an indefinable melange of tradition and unwritten ethical principles, camaraderie and good fellowship, has been the underlying ideology of the Game since it percolated from public schools into society at large.
"A game for gentlemen of all classes"
It has been the unifying factor of a Game played by people of all nationalities and races, sizes and upbringings, ages, social classes, creeds and, more recently, sexes.
From the outset, Rugby has been a player's game, in which participation has been the main objective. Playing hard but fair, respecting one's opponents and the referee, taking the hard knocks with grace and sharing in what the French call 'the third half' in the clubhouse are all part of it.
The sport's classless appeal has been described thus in the memorable words of Reverend WJ Carey: "A game for gentlemen of all classes, but never for a bad sportsman of any class."
One of the major tasks confronting the modern Game is the preservation of these ethical values, which gave Rugby its identity and unique heritage. This is why the IRB has decided to launch its annual lecture programme with the theme 'The Lions and the Sprit of the Game'.
"The Spirit of the Game is the thing. Win, lose, or draw the guiding star of the young player must ever be to play the game," observed EHD Sewell.
Let us not forget that many of today's professionals come from an environment in which the Game's traditions and ethical values are respected and admired, and for 99 percent of its players, officials and administrators, Rugby remains the same old pastime, played for fun and good fellowship, and in which taking part is more important than winning.
