Hearing that Andy Ripley had died yesterday, I felt an enormous wave of sadness.
The news itself was unfortunately not a shock; the inevitable final chapter on a death sentence first imposed 5 years ago when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. For some, it was this battle, one he fought publically and with great dignity, bravery and humour, that he will be remembered for. However, what was so impressive about Andy Ripley was his unwavering enthusiasm for life. An immense athlete, Andy’s abilities transcended way off the field of sport. With a maverick approach to both sport and life, he was one of the very last in a great English tradition of all-round amateur sportsmen that is no longer sustainable in today’s era of professional sport. More’s the pity.
First hitting the headlines for his rugby abilities (24 caps for England, a World Cup Sevens winner in 1973, a British & Irish Lion in their unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974), Andy played first-class rugby at Rosslyn Park until the age of 41. A champion tri-athlete and exceptional 400 metres runner, he was a winner of the BBC’s Superstars competition in the 1970s and was close to securing a place in the Boat Race for Cambridge at the grand old age of 50 (that’s right, 50). In addition, he was a qualified canoe instructor, skilled at basketball, tennis and water-skiing. And there’s more. Chartered accountant, hugely successful businessman, fluent linguist, rugby commentator for French TV, charity campaigner, credible author. OBE. Husband, father, friend to many.
The obituaries that fill today’s press are a must read. I defy anyone to look at life in quite the same way after reading all that Andy achieved in his 62 years. They will almost certainly make you truly wonder the extent of human endurance.
I was lucky enough to get to know Andy, his wife Elizabeth and three children (Marcus, Claudia and Stef), having originally met them in Greece on holiday in June 2008, and having kept in contact since. I feel very privileged. To be in his presence was to feel blessed. A truly thought provoking individual, Andy combined a seriously laid back approach to life with a (charmingly disguised) drive to succeed in everything that he did. Intelligent, funny, open, enthusiastic, generous of spirit, easy to talk to, strong as an ox, I can think of few other people that I have met that I have found as inspiring. He will be much missed.
His immortal words in the foreward to his book on cancer have been widely quoted but to finish this blog, are worth repeating once again here:
“Dare we hope? We dare.
Can we hope? We can.
Should we hope? We must, because to do otherwise is to waste the most precious of gifts, given so freely by God to all of us. So when we do die, it will be with hope and it will be easy and our hearts will not be broken.”

By Stephanie Branston on June 18th, 2010
Tags: Rugby














