One of the occasions when the rugby community in SoCal defies all preconception of what a rugby players looks like is the Griffin Awards Ceremony and Rugby Ball. The players (female and male) attend in elegant evening attire, raucous rugger songs are replaced by gentle background music, wine and cocktails are being sipped instead of beer.
An outsider might perhaps notice that most of the attending guests do look rather fit and athletic, more so than one would usually expect to see in a ballroom; but apart from that they do not look one iota different from any nicely turned out crowd one expects when attending a ball.
A very enjoyable occasion it was, this 2007 ceremony. One of the highlights was the guest speaker, Mr. Jerry Collins, aka “The Terminator” of the New Zealand All Blacks.
To meet such an outstanding world-class rugby player is really something to write home about. Especially when the meeting happens in a ballroom and not on the pitch. After all, “The Terminator” carries his nickname for a reason.
Yow, he does look like a tough customer. So, it would be the soccer fan’s equivalent of meeting Beckham?
Yes, in a way. On the other hand, not quite. Without wanting to sound catty – Beckham has peaked and lives on his name, Collins is at his peak and will most probably stay there for quite a while, playing the most amazing rugby.