King John

Another weekend of brutal attrition, otherwise known as the Six Nations is over. Obviously poor weather was a major factor, but it’s hard to remember any actual rugby that was played in any of the matches. Surely there will come a point when people will start thinking twice about forking out £90 or so when they receive such a paltry return in terms of entertainment? It’s fortuitous that the BBC chose this week to broadcast a documentary on Barry John. Watching those old clips of him play is to be reminded that rugby can be about more than just the use of human battering rams. Here was a player who ran with his head up, always looking for space to exploit. For the sake of the game, let’s hope that there’s still room in the game for such a player. I actually found the programme hard to watch, because I couldn’t believe that such a great player was now living such a small life. If you haven’t seen it, it’s available on BBC iPlayer until Friday 15th. David Donner