plays right now, the match is in two weeks tomorrow. I will drive you to their school for so we’ve got hardly any time to memorise the handover.’ all their plays.’ My coach went on to explain at length that ‘We’re not going to be memorising their winning by any means that compromised plays,’ my coach said, before he made a one’s integrity is never worth it, regardless point of reiterating, in no uncertain terms, of the stakes involved or how tempting it that this matter would be discussed after may be to take the easy road. It took some the evening’s training session. At this point time for the lesson to sink in, and we had everyone in the change room was dead a number of conversations about the silent as they focused on our conversation. matter before I began to see his side of the argument. I was, to put things mildly, furious. Here we had the chance to guarantee success in Despite our best effort, my team-mates and the most important match of the season, I lost the big important match, but I believe and we were throwing it away. I couldn’t we gained something far more valuable—a understand why. After all, we hadn’t stolen sense that however important a game may the playbook, we didn’t ask for it, it was seem, it is, after all, just a game. simply stumbled upon as a direct result of the opposing team’s negligence. In the years that followed I often reflected on this lesson. Would my actions pass the At the end of the training session I made all judgement of my coach, would they pass my these pointsto my coach. I thought I was own critique? In sport and life these kinds reasoningwith him and I expected that he of questions are always available to us, to wouldcome around to my way of thinking be guided by our integrity we need only the oncehe realised that we couldn’t lose if we courage to answer them honestly. used the playbook. That’s when he made the point that struck Clyde Rathbone me and has stayed with me ever since. ‘Winning isn’t the most important thing. That’s why not only are we not going to be using this playbook, but you are going to personally deliver it to their captain Play by the Rules Magazine Issue 29 13