Somebody in sport really ought to investigate the value of invented back-garden games in the development of elite performers. From brain-melting challenges involving ever-changing rules, complex tactics and ingeniously modified equipment, to the simple brutality of trying to scud your big brother in the head with a miniature rugby ball, there’s clearly something about the format that ticks all the right boxes.
Tony Stanger, a man who has devoted much of his post-rugby career to the study of talent, its many misconceptions and sport’s mistakes in labelling players far too early, still grins at the memory of him and his siblings making their own entertainment at the family’s Hawick home. They were forever finding new and interesting ways to beat each other. Even if keeping
© Times Newspapers Limited 2022.
Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.