October 4th, 2015 | Uncategorized
“SHUSH!” That’s the answer I received from my friend Lorna when I asked about the match while a player was attempting to kick a goal. I looked at her so confused asking her what the big deal was. She replied, “it’s a tradition to be absolutely silent when the players are attempting to kick a goal;” a tradition that was only done at Thomond Park Stadium, home of Munster Rugby. Regardless of which team was kicking, it was tradition to be dead silent out of courtesy to the player.
I learned about this interesting tradition this Friday night, when I went to my first professional rugby match, Munster Rugby vs. Glasgow Warriors. Going into it, I did not know what to expect. I had only watched the Irish national team play twice, and that pretty much summed up my rugby experience. Little did I know; the Munster rugby team is a pretty big deal, especially the traditions that come with it.
After I got that little insight, I was sure to remain dead silent whenever someone attempted a kick. While remaining silent, I looked around, very interested to see how everyone else reacted to the kick attempt. Like clockwork, every time the player began to prepare for the kick, the stadium went dead silent. Not a word was spoken; a stadium of 10,000 plus people dropped to utter silence.
It became blatantly obvious as to who the foreigners were. We were the people that were constantly getting shushed. I even watched a complete stranger shush a group of tourists next to him during a kick; that is how serious this tradition is. I unfortunately got grouped into that association… next game I go to, I will be sure to not stick out so much.
Hearing the silence engulf the stadium for every kick was amazing. I have never seen a stadium go completely quiet, especially for the opposing team! I could understand if the tradition was just for the home team, but the crowd did it for the opposition as well. This would never happen in the United States.
Untold traditions that are just universally known by the fans are very profound. Anyone can go see a sporting event, but to be able to learn about cultural traditions at a sporting event is something special. It sheds light on the type of people that support Munster Rugby. Regardless of what’s going on in the game, there’s still respect and sportsmanship. The silence spoke volumes.
In a stadium of 10, 000 plus people, silence never sounded so good.
Victory Scholar: Sarah Benedetti
Present University: University of Limerick
US League: NEC
Club/Community Partner: UL Huskies
Alma Mater: St. Francis College
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland
