The long-term cost of player stupidity

The line between success and failure is so fine, a dumb act by a player could sink a coach, writes LIAM TOLAND

HAVING BEEN housed on several occasions in the Vale of Glamorgan, I can’t quite understand why Driving Miss Daisy Powell tried to escape down the M4. As hilarious as it appears, his high-jinks could prove extraordinarily costly, not just for his future but for Warren Gatland’s. I’m reminded of that scene in Trainspotting in which Mr Houston, at the breakfast table, tries to console Spud, who’s feeling none too well the morning after the night before. “I had a bit too much to drink. I had a bit of an accident,” says Spud.

“Don’t worry, son,” retorts Mr Houston, “these things happen. Does a man good to cut loose once in awhile.”

Unfortunately for international coaches, rogue players cutting loose can ruin years of building. Declan Kidney often highlights the areas he can control and those he can’t. He can’t control the referee, the weather or the opposition. But he can control his players.

In Andy Robinson’s case, he lost an away fixture in Wales because of two players. In Kidney’s case, an already tough fixture in France was made almost impossible. In Gatland’s case, contending with injury is frustrating, but the ill-discipline could cost him his job. The line between success and failure is so fine, a dumb act by a player could sink a coach.

Alun-Wyn Jones can be forgiven a broken elbow. His injury will damage Wales’ prospects no end, but his sinbin against England was so dumb Gatland should have broken the elbow himself. Wales conceded 17 points while Jones was in the bin.

Scotland are not immune. Robinson could do little as he saw his side commit hara-kiri. Late substitutions Scott Lawson and Phil Godman added to the woes of the coach. Lawson lasted 20 minutes before landing in the bin. Godman fared worse with a paltry nine minutes. Wales scored 17 points from Lawson’s departure and 10 from Godman’s. Scotland lost by seven points. Who’d be a coach?

Jerry Flannery’s decision to pulverise French winger Alexis Palisson earned him six weeks punishment. His suspension will hurt Ireland, and who will ever know what Cian Healy’s intervention has cost? Suffice to say, it is almost impossible to recover from sinbins and injuries like Ireland suffered in France.

I also remember Leicester beating Llanelli in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup way back in 2002.

Tim Stimpson launched a 55-metre penalty at the death which hit the post and crossbar before going over to clinch victory by one point.

What was the source of the penalty?

A ruck well out of harm’s way. The Tigers’ scrumhalf had the ball when a submerged Scarlets’ player kicked it out of his hands. Irish referee David McHugh spotted it and awarded the impossible penalty. It put Scarlets out.

What makes players react with such obvious stupidity? In the transition between amateur rugby and professional, players traded heavily on the streetwise scrapper. The enforcer and the man who would stand up to all-comers was idolised.

Times have changed and zero tolerance exists. Clearly, international players don’t set out to transgress. Coaches and fellow players work hard on discipline by keeping penalties to single figures and the sinbin empty.

In Stade de France the pressure was excruciating. Pressure has a very different affect on players. American football and basketball control this pressure through the time out. Thankfully, our system doesn’t have such a release. So we can look forward to many years of the pressure-induced silly act. Thankfully for most of us, unlike Andy Powell, our stupidity is confined to the pitch.

If you really want to witness brilliance with absolutely no stupidity, then check out The Stoop next Friday for the inaugural England Legends v Ireland Legends! The Legends match, a fundraiser for paralysed players and for the Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup, will provide the perfect opener to a great weekend, with the Six Nations clash the next day.

The Legends game will see some of the big names of English and Irish rugby go head-to-head one more time, including Shane Byrne, Martin Corry, Rob Henderson, Jason Robinson, David Humphreys, Mike Catt, Richard Wallace, Josh Lewsey, Conor O’Shea, Jason Leonard, Mick Galway, Mark Regan, Phil Greening, Gabriel Fulcher and Gary Halpin, to name a few. There appear to be a few lesser legends included in the line-ups!

After the game there will be plenty of entertainment: bands playing in the main bar and plenty of food and drinks to be had to make a great night of it. Corporate hospitality is also available for anyone interested.

The teams are playing to win the Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup, in memory of the Cork and Munster man who tragically died last year at the age of 26, following a neck injury which he suffered playing for Hammersmith Fulham RFC in April 2008. Stuart required 24-hour medical care, and the Stuart Mangan Appeal was launched, with patrons including Keith Wood, Ronan O’Gara and Jason Leonard. Stuart passed away last August, having contracted pneumonia, but his family have asked for the match to go ahead in his memory and to raise funds to support other injured players.

With this in mind, the beneficiary charities from the proceeds of the Legends game are Keith Wood’s Paralysed Rugby Players’ Fund, the Matt Hampson Trust and the IRFU Charitable Trust. Matt Hampson suffered a similar accident to Stuart while training with England Under-21s, and provided friendship and support to Stuart. The Legends game is kindly sponsored by the Byrne Group and Validus Re, so 100 per cent of the funds will go to these deserving charities.

The game will be refereed by former international referee Tony Spreadbury, who was overseeing the training session in which Matt Hampson suffered his injury.