RWC19 "Stuff"
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
Apologies for taking folk back in this thread but I have been reflecting on the Jaco Peyper matter. In my view it is all tied up with where we want the professional game to go. Do we want to rip up our Corinthian roots entirely and continue at break neck speed to become association football with an egg shaped ball or do we want to try to preserve the best of the amateur game? If we wish the referees and their team to become some form of on field independent judiciary then clearly they mustn’t be seen to mix with the players and their fans in any sort of informal situation. They will arrive at the game, they will adjudicate and they will leave the ground through a back door. Contact with players and coaches will be at managed events and fans will have zero contact. Go down this road and without doubt we will end with a different type of referee who might never have played the game and eventually , who knows, the essential qualification may be a degree in reffing. Just be careful what you wish for . I am assuming of course that the negative comments On this thread about the event were entirely objectively driven. 
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
I have no issue with any of that HPF...and look forward to a chat/banter with a ref (at all levels)....
In this instance it was only his inappropriate mocking use of the elbow to the Welshman's head that was contentious.
It was recognised by WR, he has apologised as being inappropriate, WR didn't consider him for selection for any of the SFs, presumably as a sanction.
All done. Move on.
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
It is also possible that a good photographer caught the moment his elbow was there 
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
I really don't understand why people are getting so worked up about the Jaco Peyper elbow picture.
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
It's unprofessional. Mixing with supporters after the game is fine. But he should have declined the picture. I am amazed anyone would see it any differently!
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
steckers wrote:It's unprofessional. Mixing with supporters after the game is fine. But he should have declined the picture. I am amazed anyone would see it any differently!
I think most people would agree with that. It’s then just a question of how big a deal you think it is.
If I was French I’d be most upset by the daft number 5.
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
I guess you're also amazed by Stephen Jones' view too:
Stephen Jones, the Sunday Times' rugby correspondent, has since lent his support to Peyper, saying: "The misplaced pomposity, the bogus over-sensitivity and the idea that he should be punished is complete nonsense".
Writing in The Times, Jones asked "what was Peyper supposed to do when he ran into a group of boisterous Welsh fans"?
"Turn and run away? Rugby people are not generally like that."
That's pretty much how I see it .
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
As a Welshman I have to confess that my first kneejerk response was to think, ah, what a friendly chappie.
(And thank you, thank you, Sebastien Vahaamahina, for being so viciously crass).
But then I very quickly realised how I would have felt if a similar photo of Allain Rolland had appeared after the match when he had sent off Sam Warburton in 2011.
Not good, Jaco.
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
To revert back to the International theme briefly.....
My thesis is that if for example Fiji had 8 - 10 Ints per year as do the Tier one teams and were able to pay the players 200K or so as their match fees ( Eng players on £25 k per game just now)
Then the lure of the French Euro or whatever would be massively reduced. They would be able to demand proper Int window release and not get bullied into Club rugby etc. Also the extra training time together would hugely improve their performance.
Re: RWC19 "Stuff"
JamesK wrote:I guess you're also amazed by Stephen Jones' view too:
Stephen Jones, the Sunday Times' rugby correspondent, has since lent his support to Peyper, saying: "The misplaced pomposity, the bogus over-sensitivity and the idea that he should be punished is complete nonsense".
Writing in The Times, Jones asked "what was Peyper supposed to do when he ran into a group of boisterous Welsh fans"?
"Turn and run away? Rugby people are not generally like that."
That's pretty much how I see it .
+1
The affronted SW complainants fit into SJ's description completely AND would be the first ones to complain if an aloof referee turned his back on any supporter-integration and/or banter.
It was slightly inappropriate. Nothing more and certainly not deserving of the faux pomposity that some are giving from their lofty heights.