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'Bit insensitive': New Gloucester policy shuts down injury updates
Gloucester boss George Skivington has defended his club’s new policy where they will no longer issue injury updates on their players over the course of the 2021/22 Premiership and European season. It was last Friday, on announcing the team to play Northampton in the new league opener, that it emerged the Cherry and Whites would no longer willingly talk about bumps and bruises.
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At the time, Alex Brown, the chief operating officer, said: “We have made the decision to not share weekly injury updates alongside our team announcements this season. This decision has been taken by the management team in respect of the players, who at times may not wish for their injuries to be shared whilst they go through rehabilitation.
“We know from the fans’ forum that this is something fans wanted to see [regular injury updated]. However, we hope that you can understand our reasoning with this and we appreciate your support.”
This new Gloucester tactic was seen in action first-hand at the weekly media briefing Skivington held ahead of this Friday’s home match versus Leicester. Asked by a local broadcaster about the injury outlook ahead of team selection, Skivington replied: “I don’t want to talk too much about injuries because we talked about not doing that.”
Later in the session, Skivington shed some further light on the Gloucester policy change when asked by RugbyPass why the club thought it best not to provide information that is usually a major talking point among fans – which players are and are not available to play.
"I did speak to Eddie Jones last year and I knew he was on the radar"
– Gloucester boss George Skivington has outlined why the seasoned Mark Atkinson is suddenly part of England's plans#England #PremRugby #Gloucester #GLOvLEI
https://t.co/wmxgUoUE05— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 22, 2021
“The sort of reason is just respect for the players really,” he reasoned. “We have had a few times where something has been said and lads have said, ‘Well hold on, I’m not ruled out yet, why did you put my name out there?’ We have had a couple of instances like that last year where it is not probably fair on some lads who are in that 50/50 spot to throw something out there, and some people don’t want the opposition knowing they are 50/50, do you know what I mean?
“I can dance around this. From my point of view, with all these conversations I can dance around in these interviews and say they are this and that but it is not my style to fluff things or try and back out of it. I’d rather say, ‘Listen, this is this and this is black and white’. It’s more the ones that aren’t black and white. We can talk about Jake Polledri and we all know he has got a (rehabilitation) process to go through and it will be a little while before Jake is back out there.
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But the 50/50 ones when the team has not been announced and certain players might be pushing to get in the team and we are sort of saying, ‘Well, let’s see how you are?’. Some lads will go as far as team run, we’ll give you the chance on team run. If we start talking about all those it upsets people and there is no real need for it. Making sure people know people have got niggles is probably a bit insensitive to the players.”
Asked about the new blackout policy and whether it could catch on elsewhere, Skivington added: “I haven’t been in too many places where they do do it, put the injury stuff out there. No one I have spoken to has said anything to me. I haven’t had anything said back to me that is overly negative.”
“To be honest I messaged him to say, ‘Well done, mate, well deserved and good luck on the tour’ and I haven’t spoken to him yet." @J0nnyMay on Leicester, Gloucester, Lions, competing for his England place and being challenged by LRZ, writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/aMh2omsROj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 19, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
I think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
4 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
3 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
4 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
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