Drowning sorrows brews trouble
- 14 Feb 07, 04:15 PM
Cardiff - Are professional rugby players, specifically international rugby players, allowed to have a drink?
By drink I don't mean rehydrating with some fancy isotonic concoction or, heaven forbid, plain old water. I mean booze, hooch, the devil's brew - alcohol.
I only ask because one of the daily tabloids down here in Cardiff dedicated Wednesday's back page to a report on how after Saturday's defeat to Scotland.
Apparently there were more than a few Welsh fans "enraged" by seeing Gareth Jenkins' boys out supping a few ales after .
The players had the permission of the Wales management and they drowned a few sorrows, toasted and no doubt blew off a little steam.
So I thought it was worth a quick poll to see what people's attitudes are towards our Six Nations boys raising a glass or two.
Should these highly paid professionals turn into hermits during the championship and concentrate on playing, or is it as long as no one gets silly?
Maybe actually having a drink isn't the issue for a lot of fans, but rather a feeling that players should stay in their team hotel to hang heads in shame in private after a poor performance?
Or maybe you think players deserve a reward after putting their bodies on the line through a hard week's training and a harder game, or that it's commendable that they front up and mingle with the fans afterwards?
The only thing I am sure of is that if rugby players do choose to drink, it's a ! Alcopops and cocktails are just wrong, although I'm willing to turn a blind eye to wine with a meal or hard spirits - no mixer mind.
Wales 27-18 England
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Course they should be allowed to have a drink after the game, why the hell shouldn't they.
Also let them drink whatever they want, be it a pint, or a smirnoff ice.
Who cares!
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Of course it is! As long as no-one gets daft and blootered. Wanting them to sulk at the hotel wouldn't exactly lift spirits for the forthcoming matches would it? Need to learn from losing to us (:D) but they also need to let some steam off, put it behind them and move on to a certain extent.
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we don't look like a team at the moment so why not let them blow off some steam and help the bond maybe by doing this they will learn to help each other and think like the rest and we can see better performances, lets not forget they have 2 weeks before another game why not blow off a little steam in the gap.
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No drink? Are we talking about Buddhist Monks here? Since when has the odd night out in a pub downing a few consolatory/celebratory beers with team mates after a game been classed as a heinous crime against the body Rugby? Alchohol leaving the body is measured at a certain rate per hour and I am sure on Monday morning when they turn up at the Office the beer will be well and truly gone. Alcopops is another matter, any Rugby Player caught sipping that should face a two match ban. That's plain wrong!
Spending time with team mates is a good thing, I am sure one can remember the video of the all conquering '97 Lions Tour to South Africa when in a post match drinking session even Martin Johnson joined in the wholesale destruction of the anthemic Wonderwall by Oasis. Didn't hurt them did it??
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Good for the wales players that they had a drink i say!! As long as it's after the game who cares? Have a pint on me!! :)
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Good Heavens. I am shocked. Drinking? Dont tell me they skipped chapel the next day? And the gentlemen of the press, every time they write a load of junk do they forego beer thereafter? I think not.
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Of course they should be allowed a drink. However it probably wasn't advisable to do it so publicly or to do it in such a way as to look they're celebrating after they'd just lost. Especially with lots of Welsh fans around who'd been on the sauce for a couple of days.As an Englishman I don't mind how much they drink - the more the better.
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Yes - why ask the question?
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sure y not dats what rugby is all about playng thegame ten baround your teammates making the most of it. What you just expect them to train and ply for u on u t.v, they've got a lie u know
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All sensible comments. Common sense should prevail and the media just seem to want to make a story out of nothing at times. Rugby and beer have always mixed, and so long as players are sensible it should be a good way to bring them back together and draw a line under a bad day. If they did the reverse and just sat in their hotel surely it would just crank up the wrong type of pressure for the next game...and this is coming from an Englishman!
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Nah- gonna sound draconian, but dont think they should, as truth be told they looked like amatures with no gameplan on sat, and we need every cold light of day sunday morning to prepare if we're going to have any chance in a week and a half.
Drinking is for out of season- professional players need to optimise everything about their performance mid-tournament.
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Although, John Savage, re the 97 Lions, they were not quite all-conquering. They lost the final test and went out on the tear afterwards. Possibly they celebrated after the 2nd test, who can blame them. But the relaxation was never allowed by the coaching staff until the test series had been won.
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Yes in moderation, but no girls' stuff. Anyone drinking alco-wotsits should be used as the tackle bag next training session.
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I think the old adage, oft seen on t-shirts in the 70's still holds true...
"My drinking team has a rugby problem."
All things in moderation, including moderation.
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Damn straight they can. It's not soccer we're talking about here.
I think there's a fairly clear line - if there's a match within the next 7 days then no boozing, but when there's a 2 week break then a post-match pint or 4 is not unacceptable.
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Of course they are top-class sporting professionals but they are still human beings. They should be allowed to enjoy themselves in the pub after a game. Afterall, it is another week till the next game which will allow plenty of time for anyone who has had a bit too much to drink. :p
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Why not.
They don't play like professional sports men so why act like them.
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i saw them in the 3 sisters and they wernt pissed so yeh i rekon its ok but as always they should be sinsible. they arn't children adn if they take it too far then they will suffer the consequences of letting themselves, the team and the nation down. also its good to see the team out after the game, gives u a chance to meet the players
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A drink is ok, but when fans who have spent hard earned cash to support the team see them out on the town after a heavy loss so drunk they pick up a cigarette from the floor and smoke it, it's unacceptable. I wasn't in scotland, but I have seen this before with the welsh team out in cardiff after being thrashed by new zealand. They get paid more than most of their fans can dream of to represent us as professional sportsmen.
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This time I would say no. I think as soon as rugby steps out of the 'Old Boys Game' the better. This is Professional Sport. They should take time to relax but i dont agree with them drinking.
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They should be allowed have a drink in very light moderation once a week. Professional Rugby players are well paid, while they are being well paid, they have a moral and professional requirement to threat their body as a temple. Alcohol and professional sport dont mix. These guys will be paid to play rugby for only a short period of their lives and are very lucky to do a job they love. Some will lead comfortable lives as a result.
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What a load of twaddle. Go out and get ......d. Good on them. If people can't do that with all the sacrifices players make then why bother.
Remember rugby has always been more about the camaraderie and after the game than the result - ok maybe not internationals. But these players still need to blow off!!
Serge Blanco used to smoke 80 cigs per day - tell him he wouldn't get into any of the world teams!!!!!!
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I think that the players need to take responsibility for themselves. An argument for not drinking is that its a short career and like every endeavour, sacrifices have to made in order to gain success. Alcohol is a poison when taken to excess, but in moderation a good athletes performance shouldn't suffer. I think a more pertinent question should be, why do some of our players look less athletic compared to all other teams in the six nations? Adam (especially) and Duncan are not athletic and judging by the scottish performance not great scrumagers either - so where is the payoff from their physiques? Ryan Jones' shape doesn't convince me of his hard work neither does Steven Jones' terrible posture. Physicality is a major feature of the modern game, how long are we gonna lag behind for? although players like Alun Wynn Jones look more like the real deal! and maybe this is the new breed of athletes Wales desperately needs.
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I think this question demonstrates how far behind the welsh teams are in their approach to the game compared to the NZ team. The culture in Wales is still based around playing and then going out 'on the lash' and while that mentality prevails through all the lower tiers of the game we can and should expect the professionals to act differently. This is their job not a pastime, and they should take note from the successfull professional sportsmen who avoid the binge drinking that typifies the Welsh attitude towards post match drinking.
At the moment these players are acting (and playing) like paid amateurs!
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Let them drink and forever stay stuck in the amateur mindset!
Drink has ruined more than one great talent. why not let it ruin the unmistakable genius of welsh rugby.
Get into the 21st century! let you hair down in the off-season not in the middle of a tournament.
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I've got an idea - let's have the fans who are quibbling about the Welsh team having a few drinks go through just one week of their training and then 80 minutes of international intensity physical contact, then ask them if they fancy a pint.
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Of course they should be allowed a drink, a few pints that is. They should not get outrageously drunk, and especially not dehydrated, but as long as their short term health/performances are not impeded...no worries.
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I've read most of the comments made here and have to disagree.
These men are being paid a lot of money to produce the goods, they are supposed to be professional sportsmen.
If as I believe their performance is going to be dented by the intake of alcohol then yes refrain from drinking.
We still have this good old boyo pat on the back never mind mentality we will never aspire to the professionalism of, dare I say it England.
I have met the New Zealanders on tour and have never met such a quite focused bunch of guys.
This is the modern era lets get out of the mire that we here in Wales call rugby. The 70's have passed everyone else has passed us in the fast lane whilst we appear to be poodling along on the inside lane.
If the likes of Canada, Italy and Argentina can do it I'm sure we can.
So should they be out with the boys after a dismal performance such as last Saturday's the answer is NO!
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These guys are supposed to be professional athletes yes?? Professional athletes don't drink during tournaments full stop. Would you have seen Carl Lewis, Daily Thompson, Seb Coe et al guzzling pint after pint during the Olympics?? of course not. Why? because they are PROFESSIONAL in mind and body that's why.
There is nothing wrong with having a few beers...... I guess not BUT, sadly, the Welsh simply don't know when to stop. I've personally seen with my own eyes many many Welsh internationals (and a few Welsh Britith Lions too) so blind drunk they cannot stand up. I've seen one urinating in a shop door way and two others vomiting over a car and dust bin respectively. So whilst it may be considered ok to "have a few beers" unfortunately it's not quite so simple as that. Substitute "a few" for a "complete and total skin full" and we are getting closer to the truth. ANYONE who thinks professional athletes should drink themselves into the gutter (where i've seen certain current internationals) is simply deluding themselves. Have a pint or 14 and carry on the great work lads !!!!
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When a team performs well and, in rugby terms, wins the game, that is the time that you should spend the hours pouring over your performance and analysing how and why things went well. Take the learnings while the memory is still fresh in the mind of your players rather than trying to analyse a good performance through hazy, hungover eyes.
When things don't go to plan and you lose the game, that is the time to leave evedrything behind for a while and head for the pub. Realease the tension caused by poor performance and allow your team to relax and reflect.
I think the Welsh team did exactly the right thing and will probably be in a stronger frame of mind for the French game becauase of it.
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There is no wonder why the plays dont look like a team on the pitch if they have to be stuck in a hotel room all week end and on the training pitch in the week. They are human you know all of them are proffesionals and they know there limits and they are not going to be silly. One Question if they wn the match would they still not be allowed out for a drink? Maybe a Bad performence but as a rugby player my self as good as you are some days it just doesnt click!
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Myself and a few friends saw Eddie O'Sullivan wandering down Queen Street looking like he'd had a few on the saturday night before the Wales/Ireland game. It clearly didn't hinder his tactical approach to the game...although Ireland weren't at their fluent best were they. If only that Cjeckai penalty try decision went for us...
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It's the perception that is all important to the fans and the effect that is all important to the players.The professional way would be to shift the players from the away city immediately after the post match treatments.Drinking should be part of the player's dietary and fitness regime at all times in the playing season.If that includes controlled alcoholic drinking that's fine but an after match binge demonstrates to the fans that the players are not professional and not serious about their fitness programmes.Looking at some of the players that is understandable. If the players are as disappointed as the fans-as the coach said-then a regime of no drink and clear morning thoughts on where we went wrong is a lot more beneficial than boozing, as those of us more senior folk know to our cost. That is the professional direction these young guys need -not "follow in the great boozy rugby tradition". It's either a paid sport or a social event.It cannot be both and be successful.
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A few years back when I was in uni in Cardiff we used to see loads of the players after the internationals. the old Jumpin Jaks and Kiwis were 2 of the most popular places and I can remember seeing Chrissy Wyatt nearly every week. Pint in one hand and about 20 fags in the other.
Nothing wrong with a few, but as others have said - only in moderation.
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They can if they want but if the welsh team want to be as great as england 2003 or the current all blacks then they shouldnt. I cannot imagine the current all blacks team having "a few" after losing to south Africa or England having a few pints after winning or losing.
The culture of the wlsh team is to go out and have a drink anf thats one of the reasons why our fitness suffers. We need to change this "drinking culture" at the moment the team arent professional enough they need to get this lifestyle right or we will never see the welsh team achieve great things just the odd england win ( once a decade) and every 5-8 years a close nz game!!!
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I went to Edinburgh in 1999 when I was just starting my career after university so money was a little tight.
I watched the game in the Balmoral hotel (where drinks arent that expensive but I had alcohol poisoning by then so I wasnt drinking).
After the game a waitress who was collecting glasses said to our group "I'm not surprised your boys lost, they were all hammered in our function room last night. One of them was locked in the toilet and we couldn't get him out."
I was very angry that I'd spent a lot of money to follow my national team and felt that the players had let me and a lot of other people down. So in 8 years we've come a long way in terms of professionalism. At least the players are no drinking after the game and not before.
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You've got to remember where the grass routes of rugby are, that's in being a team, a team that play together and stick together through thick and thin, beer and rugby go hand in hand, that's just the way it is, get on with it.
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This is a good point - yes I agree they shouldn't live like monks but after the hammering the body has taken during an international match, the last thing it needs is beer to help it recover. A couple of years ago, New Zealand toured the UK sponsored by a major lager company. The NZ players didn't touch a drop until after the very last match of the tour. I'm sure our Welsh PRO'S can live without a drink for a couple of weeks during a Six Nations series...how about some DISCIPLINE like the Kiwis.
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Of course they should be allowed to go out and get drunk, they've just had one of the most intense weeks of their lives training and playing. What is the point of doing that if you can't enjoy yourselves afterwards?
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Gareth, Wales are not on a Lions tour, and if you adopt that approach, when can any Rugby Player let his/her hair down? There is nearly always a game coming up that has to be won. When is the 'Test won' as you say in a normal season? I think common sense should prevail and I am sure these rather large fit individuals can down a few pints with no long term effects.
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Daz, the question is, does a few beers hinder the recovery process? After all of the re-hydrating and nutritional supplements the team would undoubtedly have taken after the final whistle and the high quality meal that ensues, I don't think so. Kiwi's are incredibly disciplined but one has to question how effective some precautions are. I suspect they would still be the Worlds best without the bibilous restrictions..
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amusing to read these comments
for the record top level sportsmen clear alcohol from the body very quickly
what should be of far greater concern to the welsh are the glaring inadequacies of the team. your two hair-bear props are not of international quality. your second row doesn't do enough grunt work which makes life tough for your back row especially as martyn williams, streetwise though he is, is on the light side for modern international rugby.
stephen jones plays deep and has slowed down (in mind and body) in recent years (charged down clearance kick v. ireland = try) and james hook is therefore under constant pressure. life becomes difficult for 11/13/14/15 to play behind this.
i'm afraid 2005 was an aberration when france and england were in heavy transition and the world cup, to focus minds, was a long way off. i'm afraid wales will be waiting a long time for the next grand slam.
still - i've had some great times at the angel hotel in cardiff on match day especially once when jonathan davies was present - a gentleman and a complete pleasure to talk to. and any country that produces someone as quiet and unassuming off the field and as gargantuan on it as scott gibbs can't be all bad.
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After a match I have no problems with. But after seeing Gavin Henson in Cardiff students union bar on tuesday evening having a bottle of wine I don't think that is exemplary behaviour..
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I can't believe what I'm reading. No wonder we are playing like amateurs if the players are acting like amateurs. I totally agree that rugby and a few beers go hand in hand, that would be at grass root level NOT international, and why would these players need to bond, if they are training all the time surely they know each other by now.
I think what is worse is that people on this board find it acceptable, these players should be completely professional, I for one would quite happy give up drink if it meant I could play rugby as a career, let alone play for Wales.
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But what about drinking immediately before, at half-time and straight after? Ah, the joy of Easter Sevens in Torquay ... happy daze :)
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I remember meeting one sportsman in a pub who was, rather surprisingly, chain-smoking. My friend asked him:
"Why are you smoking . . ."
Back came the reply from Mr X (I won't tell you his name as I don't want to make him blush!!)
"Aye -I do - but only when I having a drink . . ."
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Daz, the question is, does a few beers hinder the recovery process? After all of the re-hydrating and nutritional supplements the team would undoubtedly have taken after the final whistle and the high quality meal that ensues, I don't think so. Kiwi's are incredibly disciplined but one has to question how effective some precautions are. I suspect they would still be the Worlds best without the bibilous restrictions..
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Wow - what a lot of self-righteous people on here. Probably summed up by this from Adrian:
"I for one would quite happy give up drink if it meant I could play rugby as a career, let alone play for Wales."
The reason I suspecct you can't paly rugby is a career is that you are not talented enough. And this envy is spilling over into holier-than-thou rants about professionalism. As long as my team have given their all on the pitch, I'm satisfied. They have behaved pofessionally. These are human beings - granted they shouldn't be blazing ever night, but after a game - definitely. I could never begrudge them a few (or more) pints. I'm grateful for the spectacle they put on. Sometimes players will fall short and they'll lose games.
Every single one of us with a professional job, is being unprofessional by drinking by this measure. Alcohol impairs both mind and body. A fit rugby player is more likely to feel little ill-effects than a middle-aged desk jockey who still has a fuzzy head come Monday morning. Lighten up you puritan zealots.
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Am I the only one who sees the irony in the fact that the people who have spoken to the "news" paper which originally broke this story would have been in the pub themselves drowning their sorrows, and presumably not nursing a glass of lime and soda?
I don't know about everyone else, but after a bad day in the office, I find that a few pints and a couple of whiskies tend to ease the pain. I see no reason why professional sportsmen should not enjoy the same thing.
It isn't one rule for them and another for the rest of us.
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Adrian, how do you act professionally in a Pub? No truck and trailers in the driving maul to the Bar?
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So jimbob are you happy for Wales to be also rans. After 2005 I thought we could get into semi's even the final of the WC, now who knows.
We are always paying catch up to Kiwis, Boks and the Oz's and we wonder why!
And John S, try tiger bay on a saturday night
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the players made arces of themselves...one player ended up making out with a 17 year old girl
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You've certainly touched a nerve here Bruce. There are those who expect the players to stay "one of the lads" and to enjoy a beer or two. There are those of us, myself included, who think that, as paid professionals, they should not touch beer, coffee, tea, caffeine rich fizzy drinks, burgers, chips or pies during the season. The occasional glass of wine to relax *might* be acceptable.
That said, the team spirit left with Mike Ruddock's departure (thanks, Alfie) and whatever is required to get it back should be done as quick as possible. Until we play as a team and not 15 individuals, it doesn't matter *what* goes on off the pitch.
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The vast majority of posts to this thread make statements like "they're only human", or "they need to blow off steam".
The UK in general has a shocking (to the rest of the world) tolerance of drinking to excess, or "drink culture", and the acceptance on this by posters such as on this thread merely reinforces that it is worse than usual among Rugby folk than the general population.
Maybe some self examination might be in order about why so many think that excessive drink is the only way to relax (eg "they're only human")
The most telling post here was that the Kiwi tourists didn't have a drop until after the tour.
Just as pro rugby players do, in my younger days I've trained at a high level for months on end for major sporting competition, and my opinion is that any athlete is wasting their time training if they don't also concern themselves with what they put in their body, and alcohol certainly doesn't help.
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I think that it is as much a symptom of the problem as it is the problem itself. Firstly, any amount of booze is not going to improve an athlete's conditioning and may have an adverse effect on recovery from a match.
More importantly, the mental attitude of wanting to be out at 3am after a performance like that speaks volumes to me. What is more, the coaching team (if that's what we can call them!) permitting it is equally revealing.
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beer is full of carbohydrates so having 1 after the game is a good idea
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Let's hope that all those who don't think the Welsh team shouldn't have 'bonded' together over a 'few' beers after the game, NEVER go out drinking on a school night, as this might affect their 'professional' performance next day in the office/workplace.
Always make sure when going out midweek (for birthday celebrations, watching sport, liasing with potential partners, family celebrations, work dinners, any other events), that you only stick to refreshing juices and special hydration drinks. Otherwise, what will the rest of your fellow professional co-workers say if they find out you've been on the sauce the night before work!?
There really are some narrow-minded bafoons posting on this subject! Until you can promise that you never go out midweek and have any alcohol as an office worker or 'professinal' worker in another surrounding, I don't think you can really cast doubt upon what the Welsh lads did.
As long as none of them got to the point of requiring their stomachs to be pumped out, or disgracing themselves, then after all, it is them that have to suffer the next day, not you (unless you've been drinking too - shame on you!).
I also seem to remember the Tana Umaga 'handbag' occasion happening during the Tri-Nations, when the Kiwis were celebrating after a match in Australia, so even they too have the 'odd' drink to relax....
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I left Uni in 95 when rugby was going professional and one of my housemates played for a pro team. In the first years they were learning what to do and after a couple of years of telling them to be tee-total they changed and said that they should go out on a Saturday night - but no other time in the week.
It was all about letting off steam and clearing your mind of rugby for a while. My friend said it improved the team no end and their results got better too.
I also heard lots of stories of the England team drinking during the world cup. Strangely enough these were the nights after a game so they had loads of recovery time.
Some people are good with no relaxation time (Jonny Wilkinson) but others need some release.
As everyone seems to be saying above, it is all about moderation.
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The post match drink(s) is an essential part of rugby tradition, especially where supporters and the opposing team are also involved.
This culture is what makes rugby great, and ensures that there isn't the gulf between players and fans that exists in football.
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Not too worried about the boys bonding and enjoying themselves if it did not seem to be such a regular occurance mid-season. Often see Welsh rugby players so drunk they can't stand up in Cardiff on a Saturday night, mid-season and in the company of friends rather than club mates! Wonder if it is a reason why Wales always do so well in youth rugby, then the boys discover beer in a major way and it all goes down from there!
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Thats drink for you, made Tana Umaga hit someone with a handbag, rumour has it that he poked him in the eye with a lipstick too.
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im just going to be re-iterating what a lot of people have said above me, but why not let them have a drink?
would you rather the players didnt spend time relaxing after a hard fought (if rather poor) game of rugby? and its always nice for the players to be mixing in with the fans that have followed them up to see them play.
as long as no drunken idiots decide to air their 'concerns' about the game and nothing kicks off, let them get drunk!
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Thier profession athletes many have degree in sport science. They know more about diets and there own body than most people. If they feel a few drinks won't effect there performance then why not?
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I find it flattering that a few people have referred to England circa 2003 as examples of tee-total single-mindedness! I know full well that the England boys had some real tear-ups after their games during the tournament (and this is from stories straight from the players mouths, told whilst out on the sauce with them over varying occassions). The simple fact is that without some form of release they would have gone mad, and whilst I agree booze isn'tthe only way to relax, it is the universally accepted method for rugby players the world over. As has been stated above though, these guys ARE professional athletes, they know the effects of alcohol and more importantly how to minimise them. They recover a lot quicker than us mere mortals and have the perfect diet and fluid intake to not let it affect their return to training on Monday morning.
I wonder if those fans so against the team socialising on a Saturday would be as disgusted if they were invited along for a beer? Would certainly test their holier-than-thou viewpoint!
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Hi Rod (post 53),
It's one of those subjects that we were batting around the office amongst ourselves first, with plenty of splits (and a few rows) over what's acceptable and what isn't.
It's tricky to try and weigh up what effect a few drinks might have on a player's conditioning and balance that against things you can't really measure like team spirit, morale, relaxation, etc.
Just glad a few people agree on the evil of alcopops! I like John Savage's suggestion of a two-match ban for any player caught with one.
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A few drinks with two weeks before your next game is fine, as long as they didnt go overboard, it will let the players let off a bit of steam as I think the welsh squad were at boiling point.
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I think most people's problem (certainly mine) is not at related to the players drinking alcohol, it's the fact that they showed their faces in public after such a spirit-crushing defeat. I saw the same thing in Scotland several years ago and it smacks of not giving a stuff about the fans or how they might feel about seeing their heroes acting like losing is no big deal. We want conrition!
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I remember a (possibly apocryphal) story about London Irish from a few years back.
I believe Wayne Smith was the coach at the time and the time had a bad start to the season. Something like 5/6/7 losses on the trot.
The coach called a training session for the Sunday following the final straw game.
The players duly showed up on the Sunday morning and got kitted out, expecting a complete beast of a training session when the coach came into the changing room with a barrel of beer and told the team they weren't allowed to leave until it was empty!
The reason? The players were trying too hard and had lost the fun from the game. His attitude, get drunk, let loose, sober up and start again.
It worked, they started winning the following week.
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Trying to stop rugby players from drinking is like trying to stop Vanessa Feltz in the buffet line - just not gonna happen...
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I know players whose performance improves depending on how hang over they get. It's quite a strange sight to witness a man who can barely walk in a straight line put in a bone crunching tackle. Maybe the scintists of Wales should put some research into this and see if theres a way to use beer to fuel the players. After all what else have they got to do?
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Aren't these just normal people whose job just so happens to be to play professional sport???
It is up to them if they want a few beers after the game and for me it is more interesting if they do this on the town rather than in their hotel. I'd be very happy to see the players out having fun.
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All (or most of) the fans, will no dfoubt have sunk a few themselves. They weren't playing in what I agree was a debacle, but let's all get it in perspective. The players gave all, if not enough - don't begrudge them a few pints
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Hi People,
Finding your comments very interesting! I am doing a university assignment about marketing and we have had a promotion on throughout the six nations in the place i work for people to win a keg of beer, also we have been selling pie, chips peas and gravy for 拢2 as we thought of the stereotypical rugby player/fan? Is this a fair assumption?
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It most probably is a fair assumption if you are talking about non professional rugby back in the 1980's, but nowadays rugby players are 'athletes'. However if you're commenting about a fan, i would say a lot of fans, talking about the fellas here wouldn't mind the odd pie,chips and a pint.i know im not the only one who has seen a few rugby bellys at a game recently.
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