THE SPEECH

You know

When you get old in life

Things get taken from you

That`s just part of life

You only learnt that though

When you start to lose those things

As when you find out

That life became of inches

As is rugby

Because in either game

Life or rugby

The margin for error

Is so small

I mean one-half step

To late or to early

And you don`t quite make it

One half second to slow or to fast

And you don`t quite catch it

Inches we needed every where around us

They’re in every break of the game

Every minute

Every second

In this game

We fight for that inch

In this game we tear ourselves and everyone else

Around us to pieces for that inch

We claw with our fingernails

For that inch

Because we know that

When we add up all those inches

That`s going to make the difference

Between winning and loosing

Between living and dying

And I tell you this

In any fight is a man who’s willing to die

Who`s going to win that inch

And I know

If I`m going to have any life anymore

Is because I`m still willing

To fight and die for that inch

That`s what living is.

The six inches in front of your face

You`ve got to look at that man next to you

Look into his eyes

Now I think you’re going to see a man who will

Goal that inch with you

You`re going to see a man

Who will sacrifice and sell for the team

Because he knows

When it comes down to him

You`re going to do the same for him

That`s the definition of a team.

But either we play as a team

Or we will die as individual

That`s rugby my friend.