General Rugby Discussion II

I just can't believe he put all this on Twitter.

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

What I’m more shocked about is how anyone with any bit of fame doesn’t do a complete audit on all their social media profiles the second they become well known.

Absolutely. I know the younger generation put their whole lives online without thinking of future ramifications but surely once they get a bit of fame they would have the cop on to review everything they have put up. This should be something their agents should have brought up when they signed their first contracts.

Actually surprised this isn't standard practice for everyone in the spotlight.

Irony is that supposedly he was outed by a Maradona fan who trawled through his social media after he felt the Pumas didn't show appropriate respect. Maradona was famously not a saint in his personal life either, and a footballer in Spain refused to observe silence because of this.

sydthebeat wrote: »

its wasnt just a drug problem that maradona had issues with... he was quite loose with his fists when some women were around

in fairness i’d never heard that before and that would colour my view of him.

i think it’s hard to find an equivalent for Maradona in Irish culture, there are literal churches dedicated in his honour in Argentina. he was a working class hero in a way soccer players rarely are these days.

i think part of the perceived (and perhaps real, i wouldn’t discount it) slight in the rugby team making a very lowkey tribute to Maradona is linked Maradona’s open and proud embracing of left wing politics versus the conservative culture of Argentinian rugby. it was certainly a poor look when the All Blacks did more than them.

Yeah_Right wrote: »

That is horrible stuff. The thing is, I can't guarantee that I didn't say anything as bad when I was a teenager. Can you? In fact I'm pretty certain I did and possibly worse. Why? I was young, stupid and ignorant and wanting to look "cool" or "edgy" in front of my mates. Like I said earlier, glad there was no social media around then.

I can guarantee I never said anything remotely like that. I can also guarantee that I never heard any of my peers do so either. I can also guarantee that if any did they'd be told in no uncertain terms where they should take that s**t.

In the early 90s in primary school, 2 brothers arrived into school who were black. It was the first time any of us had seen black people in the flesh so we gathered at the end of the corridor. Some smart arse thought it was hilarious to make a racist joke. It didn't go down well with anyone. Even at 11 or 12 that stuff wasn't accepted.

I get that people can be dumb when they're younger and some things we need to be able to let go of. And some things demand very sincere apologies. Being an idiot at 15 or 16 and copping on as you grow up is normal enough and allowances need to be made. At 18 or 19 though standards have to be different. Your allowed to drive, to drink, to vote etc. More should be expected. In this case some of those tweets are so vile they simply can't be ignored. Serious action has to be taken.

And if they can demonstrate in some meaningful way that they no longer hold those beliefs and are sincerely sorry then we should look to forgive and move on. But we also need to be careful that insincere apologies dont let these guys off the hook too.

Basil3 wrote: »

This kind of stuff is anecdotal, you definitely see the opposite even long after the 90's.

I only moved to Ireland a bit over a decade ago, and I was taken aback by the way Nigerians were referred to by people in my extended circle here. These would be people from respectable families in Dublin. It seemed like it was very easy for these people to talk this way because nobody ever pulled them up on it.

Not that this is anything to do with rugby, although they did like watching it :pac:

I was the same. I was quite surprised by the overt and casual racism I heard from adults towards black people when I arrived in Ireland. Even just a little thing like not getting in a taxi with a black driver. It was probably similar to wht I heard in Auckland in the 80s and 90s towards Asian people.

Just to be clear, I'm not condoning what Matera and the others said. They've been suspended and I think an apology is needed. Maybe some charity work or a donation but I don't think it should end their careers.

Brett Gosper stepping down as World Rugby CEO to become head of the NFL in Europe and the UK
https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2020/1202/1181950-world-rugby-chief-brett-gosper-to-leave-for-nfl-role/

The Argentina Rugby Union has rescinded its sanction against captain Pablo Matera and two players who posted racial and xenophobic comments on social media.

UAR said the players’ apologies, combined with their good behaviour in the years since the comments were posted, meant the suspension could be lifted. Matera has been reinstated as captain.

Yeah....

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

The Argentina Rugby Union has rescinded its sanction against captain Pablo Matera and two players who posted racial and xenophobic comments on social media.

UAR said the players’ apologies, combined with their good behaviour in the years since the comments were posted, meant the suspension could be lifted. Matera has been reinstated as captain.

Yeah....

strong rumours floating around that the players were threatening to strike. which, uh, isn’t great.

For those up very early tomorrow, the NZ Maori vs Moana Pasifika game is on at 6.05am Ireland/UK time tomorrow.

Should be entertaining for the neutral, expect Baabaas style rugby.

ersatz wrote: »

Not sure about that, honestly. The comments are foul and were made when he was an adult. The players threatening to strike just shows how out of touch and elite rugby players in Argentina are. Argentina, like a lot of South American countries, has a vicious race racket. There has been no census of indigenous people there since the 1960s and it's only in the last decade or two that the state has acknowledged that it isn't a totally 'white/European' country. Matera played for Argentina's U20s around the time these comments were made. Not good enough and rugby fans who are interested in moving rugby past it's traditional demographic and class limits should not tolerate this kind of stuff from players. The Argentinian union's decision to back down shows that they have a very long way to go to becoming civilized.

Agree with this.

I don't think much of people who go back, combing through someone's social media from a decade ago, trying to find some transgression to punish them with, because they've offended them in some other manner.

But what he said is vile. It's not an off-colour joke, it's not a bit ignorant, it's utterly beyond the Pale. Toxic and hateful.

That's a harsh red card in Tri Nations game.

No arms tackle but with some head contact.