The Honest Ones.
by matthew dehaty
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“There are two kinds of rugby players, boys…”
Every rugby player knows that Jim Telfer moment from the 1997 Lions tour documentary Living with the Lions: gravel in his voice, pure standard in his eyes. He wasn’t talking about talent. He was talking about honesty—the lads who graft when nobody’s watching.
He called them “the honest ones.” And that phrase has stuck with me for decades.
What “honest” means in rugby
In rugby terms, honesty isn’t just telling the truth. It’s effort. It’s doing your job, again and again, even when you’re on empty.
Every team I played in had them:
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the prop doing the unseen shift at every scrum
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the lad who never misses training
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the workhorse who doesn’t complain, doesn’t posture, just turns up and puts the work in
They don’t make the highlight reel. But without them, you’ve got nothing.
The part people miss: show ponies can be honest too
Here’s what I’ve realised with age: honesty isn’t only for the quiet grafters.
I’ve played with match-winners. Big personalities. The ones who light up a pitch with something outrageous. And the best of them were honest too—not because they were invisible, but because they were consistent. They showed up as themselves, every week, and stayed grounded in the team.
If you’re the captain, show up like a leader.
If you’re the winger, show up like one.
That’s honesty: being who you say you are—then backing it up.
The Saturday ritual I miss
I miss that part of the game: the turning up.
Boots polished the night before. Shirt folded in the kitbag. That quiet buzz on a Saturday morning knowing you’ve done the little things right.
Now it’s the gym, family, and building Old Novo—but the principle is the same.
Why this matters to Old Novo
Old Novo is built around that standard.
Not hype. Not shortcuts. Not costume rugby.
Just the graft, the respect, and the small unseen details that make the difference—because rugby (and life) are built on the backs of the honest ones.
So the question stays the same, boots or no boots:
Are you showing up like you say you want to?
Matt