Following on from here
New Munster chat thread folks. warning deserved there. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=109477571#post109477571
The game on Saturday will be on RTE2 for anyone that doesn't have BT Sport
I'm no fan of Kimmage but not sure what he's actually done wrong in this instance.
Kimmage is a bit of a gobdaw - he got famous for hunting down drugs cheats years ago and is still high on the fumes of his own s****
I think Kimmage started out with good intentions but his perspective seems to have become warped.
Rugby is a sport that is absolutely susceptible to abuse by participants taking performance enhancers but so much of the game is technical and skill based that the risk / reward is far lower than it would be for a sport like cycling.
I've seen the weekly schedule, fitness, conditioning and lifting targets for professional rugby players - they're very accessible and there is no obvious need to dope to achieve what is expected.
Whilst acknowledging that there is clearly a problematic culture in (for example) South Africa - I don't think the use of PED's is all that widespread within the sport generally speaking.
As for head injury, Rowntree is a coach - he's not a neurologist, Kimmage was quite out of order both in terms of trying to create a headline, but also engaging a non expert as an authority in something that is highly complex.
He's moved far beyond journalism and into the realm of witch hunting at this stage sadly enough.
Nice piece of skill by Gavin Coombes I missed live
Didn't want him anyway....
Confirmed today by Munster that there is nothing in that rumour
Leamy has said in today press conference that Munster are not signing Malcolm Marx.
There probably isn't a rugby coach or player in Ireland now that will meet Kimmage after this story. Why would they? He's bitten off his nose to spite his face.
Kimmage has that special skill of pursuing an issue you fundamentally agree with, but with such a distasteful zeal and manner that you're tempted to flip to the opposite stance.
My bad then, I don't read the sindo and I only heard the piece being read out on the Monday night rugby on otb. Maybe it was an assumption on my part that it was a recent PK interview and that section was included in it by PK.
That's very poor from a professional Journalist.
Whilst I've little or no time for PK and he definitely is looking for his next crusade, there does need to be a little context.
The interview took place back in September. The Steve Thompson story (a former team mate of Rowntree's) was very much in the media; the BBC announced the documentary around then. Caelen Doris publicly discussed his concussion issues in September too. The summer had seen the announcement of the legal cases for several players. Ryan Jones had announced his issues in July.
It was Brendan Fanning who publicly revealed the row. Kimmage didn't actually publish it at the time. Kimmage is a plonker using it as a vehicle now though for his own agenda.
I think that the question was fair game in a 2 hour interview and Rowntree was equally entitled to say he's not talking about it and move on. It's a fairly odd exchange between them overall, to be honest. Absolute storm in a teacup.
Paul Kimmage is a phenomenally talented writer whose chip on his shoulder has crippled the rest of him.
It's kind of sad to see the descent into pettiness that he has gone into.
I think the fact he wasn't a good enough cyclist even when he was doping really just gave him a complex against elite sport.
Combined with BOD booting him out of ghost writing his book just meant he has it in for rugby now.
He just picks one crusade after another which inevitably ends with him looking like a bit of a fool and an ever dwindling group of supporters.
Small man syndrome and I'm really glad Rowntree told him where to go. Because he needs a bit of a reality check about how he should conduct himself.
Side note: in the Lance Armstrong documentary, Kimmage had a cameo in press conference footage. Armstrong was at this point totally vilified, the doc had already covered most of his shady doings and had painted him like the exact character he was.... and still in the exchange with Kimmage, Armstrong didn't look like the biggest dick in the room
Kimmage is a bit pathetic here... No one to blame but himself and his Fighting the world agenda..
Someone was double jobbing. Probably Prendergast.
The Munster coaching set up was a little light this season. I expected a new skills coach and/or a new scrum coach for next season.
I don't feel Mossie has done well with the kicking part of skills coach over in Connacht. That said he may have too many duties over there double jobbing attack and skills.
its certainly discussion warranted, but as a journalist you should absolutely not present an interview in one guise and then try to shoehorn a very controversial topic into it for the sake of trying to find a head line. The fact Kimmage actually included this discourse into the transcript is telling as well.
Seems like he’s given up trying to prove there is wide spread doping in rugby and has moved on to this.
Not sure if this was covered on here previously, (I didn't see it), but have to say I was very impressed by the pieces highlighting Graham Rowntree's unwillingness to be bullied or cajoled into providing Paul Kimmage (a guy who I felt was once a quality journalist with integrity, but who has increasing become a professional **** stirrer who's been overcome by his own ego) with clickbait headlines.
I'm not saying the questions Kimmage is asking aren't legitimate concerns about rugby, but you would question his agenda in asking them. He is constantly out trying to undermine the game, and isn't a guy who cares at all about the future of the game, more about his ability to insert himself into the middle of controversy.
Who is skills coach this year or is Mike Prendergast filling in there as well as a attack coach.
Seems like a smart bit of business.
Mossy Lawler returning to Munster as skills coach.
Where we're going, we don't need locks
Injury update: "On the injury front, Diarmuid Barron (shoulder) will go for a scan and his availability will be determined later in the week.
Josh Wycherley (ribs) is being monitored by the medical department and his availability will also be determined later in the week.
Kiran McDonald (arm) will not be available.
Following the win over Lions, Head Coach Graham Rowntree provided an update on Fineen Wycherley (shoulder), Greencore Munster Rugby Academy man Edwin Edogbo (ankle) and Tom Ahern (shoulder).
Graham said: “We’ll hopefully have Fineen back at the end of the month and Edwin back at the start of next month.” He said that Ahern’s return is not expected until “March, at the earliest”. https://www.munsterrugby.ie/2023/01/09/squad-update-munster-prepare-for-northampton-at-thomond/
They had an appeal against the decision to proceed to trial thrown out before Christmas
Cinq ex-rugbymen du FCG renvoyés aux assises pour viol et non-empêchement d'un crime, sans recours possible (francebleu.fr)
They are "hoping" to have it concluded by the end of 2023, so Farrell may already have played his last game for Munster.
He did stop training. Munster announced in September that he was stepping away from all involvement with the Munster squad.
Then at the end of November it was announced that he had returned to training, but would remain unavailable for selection.
You would assume though, that he wouldn't have returned to training if they didn't expect the charges to be dropped.
I don't think you can make that connection I'm afraid.
I can't see them making that kind of assessment in advance at all.
They aren't going to sack him without a conviction (lesson learned from the Jackson/Olding situation) but they have stood him down from selection "to allow him to focus on his legal defence". He never stopped training , they just stopped selecting him for games.
If he's innocent , then I hope he can clear his name and get back to work fully but we'll have to wait to see what the French courts decide.
I've seen training pictures and he has been with the squad - other than that I haven't heard update.
He's been training with the squad since early December, but is unavailable to play. I've heard that the case against him is expected to be decided by February (although I've no idea how reliable that info is). You would assume though, that he wouldn't have returned to training if they didn't expect the charges to be dropped.
Is there any update on whats happening with chris farrell?
Is he training with the squad still while the legal issues are still to be put to bed?
Seems to have been a long time since anything was said about it.
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