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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

IT’S JUST NOT FAIR

BY PETER STOFFBERG

t’s unlikely that you haven’t been exposed to
all the controversy of the 2021 British and Irish
ILions rugby tour to South Africa, but just in case
you missed it, take five minutes to consider it. It’s
worth considering because what happened may
well be a turning point, and not just in rugby.

There have always been concrete laws, written
and unwritten, prohibiting the criticism of rugby’s
match officials by players and coaches. The media
have been getting stuck into them forever, but for
the teams, the mantra of “you get what you get
and you don’t complain” has pretty much been
maintained. That was until South African director of
rugby, Johan Erasmus, took a big decision to break
the mould.
Actually, he didn’t just break the mould, he shattered
it. Having lost the first of the three test match
series, he produced an hour long exposé of the
decisions that had gone against South Africa. It
was clear from his analysis that the officiating had
influenced the outcome of the game and it led to the
questioning of the consistency of the officials.

Naturally, there was a massive outcry, not against
the points he made, but against the fact that he
dared to make them publicly. Amongst all the media ON SITE SUNDAY SERVICES @ 9h30
hype and controversy, something else happened www.familychurch.online
though. Debate over the fairness and consistency
of the officiating in the first test gave way to the DAINFERN COLLEGE AUDITORIUM
consideration that
perhaps it never
has been, nor will and it is true of the world. It isn’t fair, and we just
ever be, completely can’t seem to make it that way.
fair.
Wouldn’t it be good to know that somebody does see
Suddenly a veil everything, and that they will be judging every action
was torn and we and motive in a completely fair and consistent way?
saw something Wouldn’t it bring us peace, and help us to forgive,
terrifyingly familiar. knowing that nobody will get away with things like
Collectively, we cheating, lying, or stealing? We seem to crave justice,
became aware of but when we think about what we have done, we
the inadequacy of crave mercy too.
human judgment,
and the fallibility We cannot impose true justice – because not one of
of all our systems us is truly just. God is though, and He will judge every
of justice. We thought and action fairly and consistently, and when
simply cannot see He does, every one of us will need His mercy. Jesus
everything that Christ took the punishment that we deserve and He
happens, and offers us the mercy that we cannot earn – it may not
certainly cannot sound fair, but it is beautiful. When we
establish the realise that, and humbly accept
underlying motives. it, it’s a massive turning point – in
That’s true of rugby everything.

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