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Top 10 Over-hyped rugby players

To be fair, Gregor Paul is a columnist, like Chris Rattue, Spiro Zavos, Stephen Jones etc. They pander to their readers; they write according to what they think their target audience wants to hear.

Stephen Jones in particular hates the All Blacks, and hardly ever has anything good to say about New Zealand or NZ Rugby.

Have a listen to this. Its Tony Veitch of RadioSport, talking about a couple of experiences he has had with Stephen Jones.



IMO, Jones in unbalanced in more ways that just the one
 
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I don't like Stephen Jones, but I find the NZ reaction to him hilarious.
That is exactly what he wants!
 
Draggs said:
I don't like Stephen Jones, but I find the NZ reaction to him hilarious.
That is exactly what he wants!
Click to expand...

It is weird that he has a hatred to anything NZ-related though. It is also weird that a UK-based reporter spends so much time bagging the country and it's sports teams. We have some pommy inflamer guy in the papers over here called Mark Reason who slags off the AB's among other things, but I can understand that as he is a NZ-based journo and has his stuff published in NZ papers. I don't get why Stephen Jones uses an English paper with a (presumably) mainly English readership to slag off a country on the other side of the world.
 
donmcdazzle said:
It is weird that he has a hatred to anything NZ-related though. It is also weird that a UK-based reporter spends so much time bagging the country and it's sports teams. We have some pommy inflamer guy in the papers over here called Mark Reason who slags off the AB's among other things, but I can understand that as he is a NZ-based journo and has his stuff published in NZ papers. I don't get why Stephen Jones uses an English paper with a (presumably) mainly English readership to slag off a country on the other side of the world.
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Proper journalism is dead. Writers need some 'act' to live on. Stephe Jones has found his (pathetic) role.
I ignore pretty much all writers and contributors to the Western Mail.
 
donmcdazzle said:
It is weird that he has a hatred to anything NZ-related though. It is also weird that a UK-based reporter spends so much time bagging the country and it's sports teams. We have some pommy inflamer guy in the papers over here called Mark Reason who slags off the AB's among other things, but I can understand that as he is a NZ-based journo and has his stuff published in NZ papers. I don't get why Stephen Jones uses an English paper with a (presumably) mainly English readership to slag off a country on the other side of the world.
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Mark Reason is the son of John Reason (or as Pinetree used to call him, that "effing Pommie B*stard"). Reason's relentless ****-stirring was partially responsible for Keith Murdoch being sent home from the 1972/73 All Black tour of UK and France.
 
Aren't these the same sorts of guys that like to have a go at the haka, or are bemused at the fact that NZ has polynesian players?

Wonder how they feel about guys like Flutey, Tuilagi, etc on their teams...
 
admartian said:
Aren't these the same sorts of guys that like to have a go at the haka, or are bemused at the fact that NZ has polynesian players?
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It was pretty much ignorance that led them to their conclusions. That and their own experiences in a "multicultural" society that plays out somewhat differently to what we are used to in New Zealand.

The English live in a country where there are people who were born there, and have lived there all their lives, but who call countries like Pakistan or India "home". While they generally understand and accept it as normal for people to call themselves a "French-Morroccan" or an "Afro-Caribbean" or "French Canadian", they also regularly see "brown" people with heavy "English" accents, who have obviously lived there for a very long time, waving Indian flags at an England v India cricket match.

The result of this conditioning is that when they see that a "brown" person, born and bred or raised in New Zealand, who sees himself as a New Zealander, and has a National pride for New Zealand and a passion to play for his country, they find it odd and they become suspicious.


admartian said:
Wonder how they feel about guys like Flutey, Tuilagi, etc on their teams...
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The accusations of "poaching" from the "pots" have largely fallen silent since the players you mention have been selected, lest we "kettles" accuse them of being black too!! (no pun or racial slur intended)
 
smartcooky said:
Mark Reason is the son of John Reason (or as Pinetree used to call him, that "effing Pommie B*stard"). Reason's relentless ****-stirring was partially responsible for Keith Murdoch being sent home from the 1972/73 All Black tour of UK and France.
Click to expand...


Was Murdoch the lad who went into hiding after the tour?
 
smartcooky said:
Thats him.

Got sent home because he punched out some upstart glorified bellhop at the Angel Hotel in Cardiff

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10742274

He got off the plane in Singapore and disappeared. Turned up years later living in Mt Isa, Australia.

He had scored the only All Black try in their 19-16 win over Wales... hero to zero in a couple of days
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Ah, serves the ******* right... Not like Murdoch was a mad one and lost it.
 
Draggs said:
Ah, serves the ******* right... Not like Murdoch was a mad one and lost it.
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Murdoch was no angel (again no pun intended), but depending on who you talk to you get a different story.

AIUI Murdoch was severely provoked by this guy when he went looking for more beer in the kitchens. A few insults were exchanged, there was some pushing and shoving, then the bellhop, Peter Grant (who was really a Security Guard and taller at 6 ft 4 in) struck Murdoch on the back. Murduch turned and felled Grant with one almighty blow and she was all over rover.
 
smartcooky said:
Murdoch was no angel (again no pun intended), but depending on who you talk to you get a different story.

AIUI Murdoch was severely provoked by this guy when he went looking for more beer in the kitchens. A few insults were exchanged, there was some pushing and shoving, then the bellhop, Peter Grant (who was really a Security Guard and taller at 6 ft 4 in) struck Murdoch on the back. Murduch turned and felled Grant with one almighty blow and she was all over rover.
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That could very well be the case, but I think this is one story where the facts will never be set straight.
If a player acted out like that today, they'd be done. Time have changed, but Murdoch simply was in the wrong then. It is a truly bizarre story from start to finish.
 
Draggs said:
That could very well be the case, but I think this is one story where the facts will never be set straight.
If a player acted out like that today, they'd be done. Time have changed, but Murdoch simply was in the wrong then. It is a truly bizarre story from start to finish.
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If players acted on the field now the way they did back then, half of them would be done too. Different times and all that.
 
smartcooky said:
To be fair, Gregor Paul is a columnist, like Chris Rattue, Spiro Zavos, Stephen Jones etc. They pander to their readers; they write according to what they think their target audience wants to hear.

Stephen Jones in particular hates the All Blacks, and hardly ever has anything good to say about New Zealand or NZ Rugby.

Have a listen to this. Its Tony Veitch of RadioSport, talking about a couple of experiences he has had with Stephen Jones.



IMO, Jones in unbalanced in more ways that just the one
Click to expand...


Veitch sounds like a grade A piece of **** himself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Veitch
 
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donmcdazzle said:
If players acted on the field now the way they did back then, half of them would be done too. Different times and all that.
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Yeah, imagine what would have happened to Ashworth if he tried his stunt on JPR these days.
Union then and now are essentially different codes.
 
Veitch is a prick... not doubt about that. However, that is not related to his ability to be a good radio host.

Marc Cécillon was a very good rugby player who even captained France. He went on to brutally murder his wife. It doesn't take away from what a good player he was. Same goes for O.J Simpson....(lousy actor though).
 
smartcooky said:
Veitch is a prick... not doubt about that. However, that is not related to his ability to be a good radio host.

Marc Cécillon was a very good rugby player who even captained France. He went on to brutally murder his wife. It doesn't take away from what a good player he was. Same goes for O.J Simpson....(lousy actor though).
Click to expand...

Cécillon was released on parole last year. Found that out a few weeks back. Served four years of a 14 year sentence.
 
smartcooky said:
Veitch is a prick... not doubt about that. However, that is not related to his ability to be a good radio host.

Marc Cécillon was a very good rugby player who even captained France. He went on to brutally murder his wife. It doesn't take away from what a good player he was. Same goes for O.J Simpson....(lousy actor though).
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I think it does impact his ability to be a radio host for me at least, when he has a laugh at Stephen Jones for being a lonely, scoially awkward old man, who is a little over aggresive in trying to get a date. When meanwhile he's put ex-girlfriends in a wheelchair, I would never listen to piece of junk like this and I can't beleive there aren't people in New Zealand who feel the same way as I do.

The OJ Simpson and Cecillon incidents both happened after their careers were over and neither has attempted(a deliberate) return to public life, nor were either of them expected to be anything more than guys who can effectively carry a sack of leather around a field, while Veitch's job involves being in the public discourse daily.
 

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