Will Carling Returns to Sedbergh
It was with great delight that we welcomed Will Carling (W79-84), former Captain of England Rugby Union, back to Sedbergh on OS weekend.
It is a while since Will had been back. Although he was two years younger than me he was such a good sportsman that he played some matches on the 1st XV while I lumbered around Busk as a second row forward, cursing every time the ball was dropped (not by Will of course!) resulting in the inevitable scrum.
I hadn’t seen Will for years and just as I was a little bit apprehensive, being my guest and all, it turns out he wasn’t quite sure what to expect either.
He had volunteered to talk to the 1st XV on the Friday night before their home game against Ipswich and I found him overlooking Busk, deep in thought. Later he was to admit that Busk still holds special memories for him and, as he said to the 1st XV, it was where he played the game he loved with the people he counted as friends. In the close knit community of Sedbergh he found his motivation for the sport through the camaraderie on the pitch.
His talk to the 1st XV, (who subsequently had a convincing win the next day) was personal and profound. There were two takeaways above all others. One was mental preparation (Will used to spend an hour each day thinking about how he played and how to improve), and the second was that if you want to succeed in rugby, and indeed in life generally, then you need to think what point of difference you can bring. Will of course was famous for changing how England played and became the most capped Captain of England of all time.
On the Saturday evening Will spoke to 170 guests at the OS dinner. Again, none of us were quite sure what to expect, a recitation of his victories perhaps, or tales of Twickenham? Well, I can tell you that while such things were referenced briefly, Will gave an electrifying speech, full of candour, pathos, humility, and humour. If someone would have dropped a pin it would have sounded like Big Ben in full fury. People listened with attentive eagerness as Will described his return to Sedbergh in a very personal, and I have to say, emotional way. It was rounded off by a few questions from the floor, a first for OS Weekend, and Will received a very warm round of applause with shouts of ‘bravo’ from a very appreciative audience.
As part of Will’s visit he agreed to be interviewed. It is full of insight, about his time at Sedbergh and about leadership. If you remember that he took on the Captaincy of England at the age of 22, he must have had to rely on natural qualities as much as experience. As for Sedbergh he says this, ‘at Sedbergh, we were fitter than other schools; we were closer as friends than other schools.’ Very true, and still holds true today. The video is well worth watching:
Thank you Will, and to Lisa. Together you brought a lot of joy to our weekend and to our community. Just don’t make it so long before you come back next time!!
Jan van der Velde
Director of Development
Sedbergh School