Luke Fitzgerald on Nigel Owens

[Ragey Erasmus]

I did not vote for Trump, nor am I an adamant supporter. So, nice try on that one Podnuh. You are obviously just as clever as they are. Being POTUS does not make you intelligent, or moral, but it makes you incredibly important. Certainly more important than the two of us. Also, considering Hillary Clinton was running against him...I was not too upset when he won.

I'm not sorry if this fact hurts your feelings.

And I wasn't talking about his importance, I was talking about his impotence.

 

[The Jones Boy]

In any case, it seems poor Luke is in a bit of a minority

I would have put him in the majority.
An average player who developed a big mouth after his career finished.

 

[ALJ]

I did not vote for Trump, nor am I an adamant supporter. So, nice try on that one Podnuh. You are obviously just as clever as they are. Being POTUS does not make you intelligent, or moral, but it makes you incredibly important. Certainly more important than the two of us. Also, considering Hillary Clinton was running against him...I was not too upset when he won.

So you didn't vote?

Trump's indoubtedly important, it's what makes him acting like such a dick such an issue.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

So you didn't vote?

Trump's indoubtedly important, it's what makes him acting like such a dick such an issue.

Most likely Gary Johnson

 

[The Jones Boy]

In any case, poor Luke is in a minority

https://www.balls.ie/rugby/nigel-owens-luke-fitzgerald-362944

The people love Nigel, and why wouldn't they, he's a breath of fresh air in the game.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Healey getting roasted for this article on Nige.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2018/04/05/nigel-owens-now-much-celebrity-referee-big-games/

IMO he makes a valid point.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I don't get the connection between what Nigel does off the field and his performance on the field. I think refs and players alike should be able to do what the hell they like in their free time as long as it doesn't bring the sport into disrepute.

It's some seriously weak ass gravey from Healy to repeat comments about Owens reffing Pro14 clubs in Europe but to then not say he thinks Owens is biased (which appears to be the thrust of this piece given the examples he has used) or that the French guys comments were a bit dumb.

It's quite funny to read people who seem to think the Irish, Welsh and Scots unions love each other so much they will pull favours for each other. Did nobody see the RWC voting?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

If I've said it once... **** Wales.

 

[Groundhog]

**** Scotland too if we're being honest.

 

[ratsapprentice]

People criticising Owens in 2017--->

 

[FrenchFan]

Nigel Owens is 47. He needs to retire soon before he loses the respect of players.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I think it's a bit late for that

 

[RedruthRFC]

People criticising Owens in 2017--->

Lol. My only guess is that media types think that they're earning snowflake points by staunchly defending Owens at every turn. Will Carling's "Austin's just jealous" comment struck me as pretty pathetic playground rhetoric.

@Bruce_ma_goose , don't you think that plenty of players over the years have got carried away with their media profile and celebrity status to the detriment of their performance and either been told to wind their own neck in or suffered setbacks in their career as a consequence?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Lol. My only guess is that media types think that they're earning snowflake points by staunchly defending Owens at every turn. Will Carling's "Austin's just jealous" comment struck me as pretty pathetic playground rhetoric.

@Bruce_ma_goose , don't you think that plenty of players over the years have got carried away with their media profile and celebrity status to the detriment of their performance and either been told to wind their own neck in or suffered setbacks in their career as a consequence?

Maybe. But it's not something I have a knowledge of as I live under a rock. I never even knew Owens did anything other than after dinner speaking. I can't think of any Scotland qualified examples anyway.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Geez, some sensitivity by some posters in this thread. When did you guys start menstruating????

On Luke = Nothing, reminds me a lot about a thread regarding Bakkies Botha, and listing the trophies he has won, while the discussion was about him being a thug. It's just such an unoriginal argument to have, and to use accomplishments as a counter argument doesn't speak a lot. He's not the one that won all those things single handedly...

As for Nigel and his remarks, everyone are entitled to their opinion, just like Luke, but I like those snappy remarks, it usually breaks the tension in a tense game. He is a humoristic guy why criticise him for using it in the workplace??? If I was being critiqued for using sarcasm in my job, it wouldn't stop me from doing it. It's just how I am.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I wouldn't have so much issue with his witty banter if he was a good referee.
People ignore how terrible he's become because he'll drop some one liner and release a new line of mugs to commemorate it

 

[TRF_heineken]

I wouldn't have so much issue with his witty banter if he was a good referee.
People ignore how terrible he's become because he'll drop some one liner and release a new line of mugs to commemorate it

But in all fairness... all the referees standards have dropped the past 2 years. The only guys I have seen being improvement on performance is Jerome Garces, Angus Gardner and to some extent, Ben O'keefe.

But the referees are getting criticized a lot now. Jonathan Kaplan just recently took a swipe at all the South African referees. So it's not an isolated issue...

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I wouldn't have so much issue with his witty banter if he was a good referee.
People ignore how terrible he's become because he'll drop some one liner and release a new line of mugs to commemorate it

That's my issue for me the quality of his reffing has dropped ever since he's become this "celeb" type figure. He's gone from the best ref to a pretty poor one IMO and seems to really mess it up in the big games.

Now if a player or coach performances drops in similar circumstances then they would rightly get called out.

Maybe rugby needs to start paying their refs more though I guess.


Also no idea why Owens couldn't ref the Racing clermont game and Barnes Munsters Toulon game that should have been a pretty easy call IMO.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

On Luke = Nothing, reminds me a lot about a thread regarding Bakkies Botha, and listing the trophies he has won, while the discussion was about him being a thug. It's just such an unoriginal argument to have, and to use accomplishments as a counter argument doesn't speak a lot. He's not the one that won all those things single handedly...

No one did that, those comments (from months ago) were reacting to someone calling Test Lion, Grand Slam winner and three time Heineken Cup and Pro12 winner Luke Fitzgerald a nothing to discredit him, they were simply countering that.

Multiple red herrings like this were then thrown in in response.

 

[TRF_heineken]

No one did that, those comments (from months ago) were reacting to someone calling Test Lion, Grand Slam winner and three time Heineken Cup and Pro12 winner Luke Fitzgerald a nothing to discredit him, they were simply countering that.

Multiple red herrings like this were then thrown in in response.

But does it really matter??? Bakkies Botha won the World Cup, Super Rugby ***le, Tri Nations, B&I Lions Tour, French Top14, Currie Cup and European Cup. His opinion on a referee's performance is nothing of value.