'Gamesmanship' you say?

shmaido

from the indo: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/munster-bump-up-squad-for-llanelli-1238395.html

Kidney also dismissed claims by Bernard Jackman that the Leinster hooker was the victim of gamesmanship last Friday. The game was played in a downpour for most of the 80-plus minutes and Jackman said the ball boys in Musgrave Park were handing him wet towels to dry the ball while his Munster counterpart Jerry Flannery received dry towels. However, Kidney said Jackman's comments were not worth reacting to.

"I don't know where that is coming from," said Kidney. "It was a wet night, the ball was wet for everybody. I wouldn't bother reacting to something like that."

Munster media manager Pat Geraghty also refuted Jackman's assertions.

"There were six ball boys on duty with six towels and they take absolutely no instruction whatsoever from senior team management," said Geraghty. "If you have a look at the coverage of the game, it was never seen that Bernard Jackman got another towel different to what Munster were getting. In the horrible conditions, it would have been an act of genius to keep the towels dry."

I think Jackman may be going a little 'beautiful mindish', anybody else heard about this? Thoughts?

High&Low

shmaido wrote: »

from the indo: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/munster-bump-up-squad-for-llanelli-1238395.html




I think Jackman may be going a little 'beautiful mindish', anybody else heard about this? Thoughts?

I think Jackman should specifically ask for wet towels irrespective of the conditions in future, as he had one of his best throwing games ever last Friday!!!

SpAcEd OuT

I'm sure the management never instructed the kids to give him wet towels but kids will be kids and I'm sure it probably happened but as stated he should use wet towels more often if his throwing game last friday is the result

shmaido

SpAcEd OuT wrote: »

I'm sure the management never instructed the kids to give him wet towels but kids will be kids and I'm sure it probably happened but as stated he should use wet towels more often if his throwing game last friday is the result

Agreed, he was on fire that night. So you reckon this could have been a secret ball boy policy? Ha! oh the knivery! Don't say i'd blame though if were in their position, cheeky buggers!

RuggieBear

doing a good job of not reacting to it....:D

zAbbo

Did't something similar happen, was it away to cardiff, he was barking at a ball boy to give him a dry towel/ball

Of course it happens.

Erin Go Brath

I can see an independent towel official being employed from
now on to ensure equality in towel dispensing. A board of
towel experts to preside over the type and size of towels used,
and most importantly what level of wetness of the towel is
deemed acceptable.

Juvenile detention centres for these little 'Towel Terrorists' i say!

ven0m

I was at this game & the bunch of leinster supporters I was with who I travelled down with pointed this out during the game.... the balls were being handed undried to jackman who sometimes had to get slightly antsy to even get the towel handed to him while flannery's ball was dried for him & given to him ........ Kidney has alot of stones to make the statement he made ...... I was glad to also see newspaper rugby pundits picked up on it too .......



:::: ven0mous ::::

Sandwich

Gamesmanship is a strategy that does not break the written rules - and so is not illegal; but one which was not explicitly accounted for in the rules as it was not seen as a tactic that anyone of just and moral character would attemp to do. It is not cheating - but it does go against what the majority of people would see as fair. The fact that the rules dont forbid it does not justify it in anyway - just that it is unpunished. (If the practice became commonplace then the rules would probably be amended to outlaw it).

It is especially disappointing to hear it took place in Munster where much of the good values and traditions of rugby sportsmanship are well observed.
If it was a decision by the ballboys themselves then it reflects poorly on them and the Munster Branch should point out their error and make sure that the event does not repeat itself. If it was a policy set on high, then I am shocked at Munster rugby and such things as the observance of silence for kickers in Munster would smell of hypocrisy

daveirl

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Crash

Actually, best example I heard of silence at a game, just on that point Sandwich, was the Leinster Connacht match earlier on the year. when a kicker came up, every single person in the ground was dead silent - in the RDS you can hear people miles away if they're talking - and until that ball hit the ground not a sound. beautiful to hear.

ven0m

daveirl wrote: »

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Typical comment from a munsterman .... there is such a thing as 'sporting behaviour'. If this happened in Leinster, we would never hear the end of it ...... same as the fact stewards down at Musgrave allowed kids to tear munster flags off sticks & stood theere laughing as the kids threw the flags into the faces of leinster fans, or stood on side hoardings sreaming abuse such as 'f**k off back tro dublin' while stewards laughed. I don't find this amusing & neither did the munster branch when I sent them video footage, nor did they find it amusing that chants of 'f**k off back to dublin you uncle toms' were in full swing on the south terrace ...... so you tell me, is this kind of behaviour being encouraged by munster branch stewards from munster fans, coupled with the behaviour od munster branch ball boys acceptible?

This would not be tolerated by Leinster Branch if it happened in our home grounds, & you can bet your bollocks to a barnyard door if it did, Munster Branch would see to it that it was publicised highly.........

Munster Branch didn't think what I sent to them was amusing or acceptible, & I have raised it at Leinster Branch level & IRFU level also ....... I'd expect that kind of behaviour from Ulster rugby & it's fans ...... not Munster ......... or maybe it's just when Munster rugby leaves THommand & goes to Musgrave.....................


::: ven0mous :::

Erin Go Brath

ven0m wrote: »

Typical comment from a munsterman .... there is such a thing as 'sporting behaviour'. If this happened in Leinster, we would never hear the end of it ...... same as the fact stewards down at Musgrave allowed kids to tear munster flags off sticks & stood theere laughing as the kids threw the flags into the faces of leinster fans, or stood on side hoardings sreaming abuse such as 'f**k off back tro dublin' while stewards laughed. I don't find this amusing & neither did the munster branch when I sent them video footage, nor did they find it amusing that chants of 'f**k off back to dublin you uncle toms' were in full swing on the south terrace ...... so you tell me, is this kind of behaviour being encouraged by munster branch stewards from munster fans, coupled with the behaviour od munster branch ball boys acceptible?

This would not be tolerated by Leinster Branch if it happened in our home grounds, & you can bet your bollocks to a barnyard door if it did, Munster Branch would see to it that it was publicised highly.........

Munster Branch didn't think what I sent to them was amusing or acceptible, & I have raised it at Leinster Branch level & IRFU level also ....... I'd expect that kind of behaviour from Ulster rugby & it's fans ...... not Munster ......... or maybe it's just when Munster rugby leaves THommand & goes to Musgrave.....................


::: ven0mous :::

This is more of a general Cork/Dublin thing tbh, and i think it's unfair to slam Munster fans about this. Some Corkonians can have a bit of a pole up their bum about Dublin in my experience, and anecdotal evidence from other people, call it 2nd city syndrome or whatever, but there can be a bit of animosity there. I'd be very surprised if you heard any chants like the above in Thomond Park.

shmaido

ven0m wrote: »

Typical comment from a munsterman .... there is such a thing as 'sporting behaviour'. If this happened in Leinster, we would never hear the end of it ...... same as the fact stewards down at Musgrave allowed kids to tear munster flags off sticks & stood theere laughing as the kids threw the flags into the faces of leinster fans, or stood on side hoardings sreaming abuse such as 'f**k off back tro dublin' while stewards laughed. I don't find this amusing & neither did the munster branch when I sent them video footage, nor did they find it amusing that chants of 'f**k off back to dublin you uncle toms' were in full swing on the south terrace ...... so you tell me, is this kind of behaviour being encouraged by munster branch stewards from munster fans, coupled with the behaviour od munster branch ball boys acceptible?

This would not be tolerated by Leinster Branch if it happened in our home grounds, & you can bet your bollocks to a barnyard door if it did, Munster Branch would see to it that it was publicised highly.........

Munster Branch didn't think what I sent to them was amusing or acceptible, & I have raised it at Leinster Branch level & IRFU level also ....... I'd expect that kind of behaviour from Ulster rugby & it's fans ...... not Munster ......... or maybe it's just when Munster rugby leaves THommand & goes to Musgrave.....................


::: ven0mous :::

Wow, that sounds like its getting towards Soccer kind of antics, any chance you could post the video here?

zAbbo

Yeah, post the video.

What's next, chants of 'Who are ya' and 'Easy, Easy, Easy'

Amazotheamazing

Since when have we been calling Leinster people "uncle Tom's"?

I was at the game, and I'm pretty sure nearly everyone was too soaked to the skin to be bothered with the antics you describe, but please, post the video.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

zAbbo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom

Not sure about all of that.

future_plans

We'd all love to see the video footage you mention. Can you please show us?