Aborigines shun rugby World Cup

By Paul Greer
BBC, Sydney

From the outside it might appear that all of Australia is celebrating reaching the finals of the rugby union World Cup.

But for many of the country's oldest original inhabitants, the event might just as well not be happening.

Australia's rugby lacks New Zealand's indigenous touch

Unlike the Maoris in New Zealand, the aborigines in Australia seem to be uninterested in rugby union.

Whatever their background, every New Zealand player takes part in the "Haka" - a traditional display before a rugby game which demonstrates indigenous cultural identity.

But facing the Kiwis in this World Cup has been an Australian side without a single indigenous player - something that has not gone unnoticed.

You could probably count on one hand in rugby the number of indigenous people that are involved Tiger Bells 4AAA, indigenous radio station

Tiger Bells runs Brisbane's indigenous radio station 4AAA.

Listening to their sports news, you could be forgiven for thinking the rugby union World Cup was not happening.

Aboriginal people, he says, feel excluded from the event because of race: "You could probably count on one hand in rugby the number of indigenous people that are involved... and it's not because we lack the ability to play rugby."

Mr Bells says that over the last ten to fifteen years there has been a marked increase in the number of indigenous people playing rugby league and Australian Football, or Aussie Rules as it is known.

Traditional

So why do aboriginal Australians turn their backs on rugby union, when they have made such an impact in those other sports?

Tom Evans scouts Australia specifically to try to get young indigenous people interested in rugby union.

It is not an easy job.

"Rugby union's traditionally a white sport. It's traditionally a sport for the upper crust... for those who can afford to play," he says.

"Aboriginal people don't come from the economic base... to have that sort of commitment to want to play the sport."

The older generation of aborigines have shown little interest in the World Cup

Economic and cultural differences can be hard enough to overcome but according to Brian O'Shea, former coach of New South Wales, aboriginal players have another problem. They put their families above rugby.

"The aborigines have a very very strong sense of family and extended family and group," he says.

"If anything happens that's serious in the family then that'll come first and any commitment to sport is forgotten."

But there are tentative signs that things are changing. Matt Saunter is a young aboriginal player in New South Wales.

He says he has an acute sense of being watched, and understands the responsibility he shoulders as a role model for his people, and he hopes to inspire another generation of aborigines.

Among other things the sport is providing him with the chance for foreign travel, with a trip to Argentina at the end of this month.

" I can tell you now both my parents, my mother and my father have never left Australia. My grandparents have never left Australia, so it's exciting times for us," he says.