ASD Amatori Rugby Capoterra

When the two kingdoms of England and Scotland were united under James Stuart (the First) the ships of their former individual navies flew different flags at their mastheads; the white ensign with the red cross of  St George for England and that of St Andrew for Scotland. To remedy this serious situation, i.e., the confusion that could be caused when ships were in foreign ports and seas, a royal decree was issued in April 1606 which established that all vessels should only show one flag, the deign of which was obtained by superimposing the English Cross of St. George over the over the Scottish Cross of St. Andrew. The Union Flag or “flag of the union” was born.. In 1800 a third cross, that of Ireland’s St. Patrick was added, and this new flag, flapping in the breeze, became the definitive national flag of the United Kingdom.

The reader will not be surprised by the contradiction in the title of this article further elaborated here. Even though the birth of rugby in 1823 in the city of Rugby in England is undisputed, a careful study of the history of rugby leads to a contradictory conclusion that Scotland, Ireland and Wales should be given equal credit for the genesis of  this sport. The reason to assume this paradox is from the evidence in the documented lives in the histories of the military colleges in the period 1820 to 1830 in the reign of George IV, the King of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It is clear that within these institutions were young noblemen from the three kingdoms which constitute the United Kingdom, more than from the principality of Wales.

In the colleges, the civilian and military studies and the game of Rugby produced thousands of noble scions, moulded in their bodies and souls, with extreme competitive spirit, with physical strength and respect for the rules. Once they had finished their years of study, officers were to form the nuclei of individual regiments, which had integrated, but not merged given their four different origins. These unique origins resulted in an army which was one of the strongest and most reliable in the world. It gives me pleasure to mention and remember some of the famous regiments which made up the army: The Life Guards... the South Lancashires... the Iniskillings... the Royal Lancasters... the Dublin Fusiliers... the Connaught Rangers... the Black Watch.

All of  the British military forces, because their histories, their ethnicities  and their languages were far different from each other, they were provided with stimuli to first to compete against each other and then in battle against the enemy enjoying, in contrary to the armies of other European nations, the affection of the people of the nation. With a high sense of belonging, they were forever pursuing, as the descendents of the medieval knights or the Praetorian Guards of the time of Caesar, faith and loyalty as the irreplaceable ideals of life.

I urge readers of this article, if interested, to pursue a deep study of the history of the Anglo Saxon peoples. Knowledge of their history will enable you to gather new information, ideas and an explanation as to why a disciplined sport like rugby could only have been born and nurtured only in Great Britain and why there lives a golden legend not found in any other sport, awareness of  such a legacy of sentiments and feelings in the above historical – adventure story  and its parallels within the teaching and practice of the sport of rugby.

Sardinia – Medieval Period    An English aristocrat, visiting our land, brought a gift wrapped in a banner which depicted a red cross on a white background. The Sardinian noble received the gift, and from then on used the banner as his new standard, both for official occasions at court and on the battlefield. Thus it was born, and after some time there came to be added the heads of the Quattro Mori (four Moors), and this flag became the official and public standard of our island. For centuries the symbolic message of the image our Sardinian flag pervaded the soul of the people of our region, enabling them to deal proudly and firmly with the obstacles and difficulties that life had reserved for them. The connections, the community and the sentiments that are interwoven between the flags depicted above will help us ( like a prophecy revealed) to stimulate the team to achieve the realisation of a fantastic dream and achieve that destiny which,  for a team for years the symbol of island rugby, richly deserves.

Sardegna 2008 –  Rugby Amateurs. In recent years the great compelling and exciting adventure story, with real  players has begun. The challenge, never hidden, is to climb the summit of the Olympus of the oval ball. At the end of any August, the lungs and muscles of the men of the island and others from over the sea face up to exacting physical tests to prepare for the challenge of the championship. The adventure of the Amateurs of Capoterra, after the disclosures in this article encourages the hope that a new, stirring dream will magically take inspiration and strength from the discovery, part legend and part reality, of the shared history connecting the two beloved flags. However, history must be considered more favourable and prophetic for the athletes of  Rugby Capoterra, because the affinity and similarity of  the two flags (English and Sarda), in a sort of suggestive twinning, deliver to them the knowledge that faith, strength and loyalty to the sport will imbue them with greater power. It will be emotional for our public, looking down from the stands at the Championship leaders, to see this spirit in our players. They will look towards the flag with the “Four Moors” heads, flapping in the breeze, at the highest point above the field of play. They will picture an English champion, descendent of the legendary rugby players of the colleges of the 1800, who will also, at the start of each game, salute his own historic standard (similar and a sister to our own), which for centuries has guided military actions, civil events and the sports activities of his own land.

The final wish to our athletes is the hope that the symbolic meanings within  these stories can enrich the emotional content (in terms of sporting value), their wealth of feelings, and also aspire to endure successfully the hard tests of the  championship, demonstrating to other Italian teams the value of our island race.