'Get us the **** out of here' - Cardiff player's deleted URC tweet causes stir

A deleted tweet by Cardiff Rugby’s Matthew Morgan – in which he heavily criticised the URC – has caused quite the stir on social media.

Morgan, who was among a number of Cardiff players caught up in the URC’s ongoing South Africa fiasco, which appears to be drawing to a close nearly a week after the country was put on the UK’s red list.

Cardiff yesterday confirmed that a travelling party of 42 players and staff are due to fly out of Cape Town today [Thursday, December 2nd]. All of that group have returned negative coronavirus tests, but an additional six individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 have been transferred to a South African quarantine hotel.

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A 10-day period of quarantine on arrival in the United Kingdom means that the 28 players and 14 staff members leaving South Africa can play no part in the European fixtures.

However Morgan is clearly not happy with how the situation is being handled by the competition, the latest iteration of the PRO14.

Morgan tweeted: “What a shambles of a league the URC is. Shocking they dragged us out to South Africa in the first place and can’t even fly us home. And the Welsh government is getting more of a joke day by day. GET US THE FUCK OUT OF HERE YOU CLOWNS.”

The tweet was eventually removed, but not before it has been given significant exposure on Twitter.

While there was some sympathy for the frustrating situation Morgan and his fellow players have found themselves in, many were taken by surprise at his clear contempt for the URC.

South African journalist AP Cronje wrote: “Don’t care what you think of the situation, this is absolutely not on. Not by a long long way. Shocking they ‘dragged’ you out?? To a country with less than 1/10th of the daily cases? *Before* the new variant was sequenced? For a competition you’re contracted and paid to play in?”

Don’t care what you think of the situation, this is absolutely not on. Not by a long long way. Shocking they ‘dragged’ you out?? To a country with less than 1/10th of the daily cases? *Before* the new variant was sequenced? For a competition you’re contracted and paid to play in? pic.twitter.com/FPP761vE2i

— A-P (@rugby_ap) December 2, 2021

Welsh journalist Robert Rees wrote: “Bit of an odd post that from Matthew Morgan. Blaming the government fair enough, but don’t get the league point he’s making. *whips out #ItsthePro12sfault*”

Bit of an odd post that from Matthew Morgan.

Blaming the government fair enough, but don't get the league point he's making.

*whips out #ItsthePro12sfault* https://t.co/Keij8FiWLp

— Robert Rees (@Rreesrugby) December 2, 2021

Others backed the former Wales star. Popular Cardiff Rugby fan account: “FWIW I absolutely back the deleted Matthew Morgan tweet. “It was entirely predictable that pushing inter-continental travel during a global pandemic would lead to some sort of chaos, it was spoken about all through the Rainbow Cup and the delayed fixtures announcement.”

FWIW I absolutely back the deleted Matthew Morgan tweet.

It was entirely predictable that pushing inter-continental travel during a global pandemic would lead to some sort of chaos, it was spoken about all through the Rainbow Cup and the delayed fixtures announcement.

— Cardiff Rugby Life (@CardiffRugbyWeb) December 2, 2021

The saga has certainly thrown a spanner in the works a number of the involved URC sides’ plans to compete in the Heinkeen Champions Cup on the weekend of December 11th.

Cardiff DoR Dai Young has said the region would “do everything in our power” to play their Heineken Champions Cup games against Toulouse and Harlequins.

“Anyone from this trip will be ineligible to face Toulouse and Quins, but we have got a number of internationals back home and we will do everything in our power to honour these fixtures,” Young told Cardiff’s official website.

“The team will be made up of the internationals who haven’t come with us and some of our best academy players.

“I am confident they will do the jersey proud, but we need the Cardiff support to get right behind us.

“Gruff Rees will lead the team and he will be assisted by Thomas Rhys Thomas and Richie Rees, who remained in Cardiff to coach those not travelling.

“I know they and the boys will want to do it for the boys in quarantine. We will be watching from our rooms, and it will be a real boost if we see a packed Arms Park.

“They will be supporting the boys, those of us in isolation and the club during what has been the most stressful and challenging period I have experienced as a director of rugby.”

– additional reporting PA