1 min read
The dramatic scenes at the end of the Open football and rugby finals are what makes the world of sport so special.
Who would have thought that Team GB would lose both matches? After the defeat against France, Jonathan Kestenbaum’s men kept stepping up a gear and the difference between gold and silver came down to the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a penalty shootout.
The boys went into the competition on the back of three friendlies against strong opposition. Each match was followed by a penalty shootout. But with little at stake, other than perhaps fine-tuning techniques, this was a case of practice not making perfect.
Better players including Roberto Baggio, Gareth Southgate, Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce have been ridiculed since missing penalties in high-profile games. But the names of Craig Ellis, Michael Sacks and Guy Morris will be remembered on this occasion.
Ellis and Morris formed the backbone of a resolute GB defence during the competition. Morris was consistently outstanding, with his monster throws providing a menace at the other end.
Ellis was simply sublime in the final against Argentina and did not deserve to be on the losing side.
It defies logic how the British Zions did not win gold. Going into the final, they were head and shoulders the best team in the tournament but you can never write off the Aussies, whatever the level.
A sloppy start was punished and despite a great strength of character in the second half, GB failed to complete the comeback.
The positives far outweigh the negatives for the Zions. Wins over Australia, South Africa and the USA made us so proud, and made me stand up and take note of what a talented bunch of Jewish rugby players we have.
It is a crying shame that they get together only for the Maccabiah. Like the footballers, they have certainly raised the bar and the big challenge now is to maintain it and push on against over the next four years.
The management structure is definitely in place in terms of the football set-up, from Open through to Over 45 Masters. The Ladies Open squad showed signs of promise, although, like in some of the other squads, there were played upset by a lack of minutes on the pitch. So spare a thought for the likes of Danny Berliner, Danny Berg, Alex Levack and Judith Addleson.
We must not allow ourselves to bask in the glory of one gold, a silver, a bronze and fourth. We must do it again, and do it again and again. And we must now ensure that this mentality, ethic and spirit filters into the junior and youth squads.
Team GB came home with more than 25 medals. A vast improvement on 2005. The benchmark has been set for the next generation to stand up and be counted.