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Lions pick Watson sweetly hits back at 'badmouthing' Stephen Jones
Lions tour back-rower Hamish Watson has hit back at last April’s newspaper criticism by Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones who claimed that the Six Nations player of the tournament was too small to play for Warren Gatland’s team. The soon-to-be 30-year-old flanker had blazed a championship trail with the much-improved Scotland, helping them to much-admired away wins versus England and France.
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Those performances generated a huge public momentum for Watson to get chosen to tour South Africa but one journalist attempted to shoot down the Scottish player’s credentials by claiming: “Lightweight Hamish Watson is no match for the Springboks. The Scotland flanker may be the best in the Six Nations but he shouldn’t be on the Lions tour.”
As it turned out, Watson was picked to tour by Gatland and he went on to feature in the first Test as a second-half replacement when the Lions defeated the Springboks in Cape Town. That selection was very much one in the eye of the critics who reckoned that the Scotland forward was too small for that type of an international stage.
The thing is, though, Watson has now admitted he never knew who Jones was until the controversy erupted in the wake of last April’s “he’s too small to tour” article, quipping that he initially thought it was ex-Wales out-half Stephen Jones who had taken a pop at his size and not a seasoned journalist who has long been on the rugby media circuit.
Watson was appearing on the first episode of the new RugbyPass Offload season in the company of Ryan Wilson and Max Lahiff when the criticism from Jones was read out to him, prompting his amusing reaction about how he hadn’t a clue who the journalist in question was.
RugbyPass Offload Season 2 is here ?
Our rugby podcast is back with Max Lahiff, Ryan Wilson & Marc Edwards leading our panel ?
We're joined by @hamishwatson7 who lifts the lid on pre-season in rugby & he tells us Lions stories!
?? – https://t.co/EZwo1a2kRJ pic.twitter.com/S3tSByWrfp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 15, 2021
“When I saw a lot of stuff coming through on my social media I had no idea who Stephen Jones is,” said Watson on the show less than six weeks after the Lions tour ended in a 2-1 Test series defeat to the Springboks. “I thought it was the old Wales 10 badmouthing me and I thought that was just weird from another rugby player. I don’t really care about the opinion, to be honest. He has done his job because he is a journalist and it is what it is blown into.
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“Anyone who has played me on the field, without being an arse, anyone who knows me, sees the stuff in the gym and all that sort, people know it [the article] is a load of rubbish. It’s just funny how stuff like that has suddenly spiralled into stuff like this and people having debates on podcasts. That is him well played I guess but do I care about his opinion? Not really.”
Watson was similarly unruffled by the infamous post-first Test video rant by Rassie Erasmus, the South African director of rugby, who is now facing a World Rugby misconduct charge for his criticism of the match officials. “I didn’t actually watch it, I saw little snippets,” continued the Lions forward.
“I’m sure the coaching staff watched it. The reaction in camp was just to let him get on with his business, he is focusing on the wrong thing. For me personally, I found it quite funny all the stuff he was saying. The fact of the matter is anyone can do what he did and go through 80 minutes of rugby and pick out probably 100 penalties that didn’t get seen.
“Whether people like it or not, that is rugby. There are going to be so many little penalties, so many yellow cards, even red cards that people miss and that is the game. What he did I suppose any coach could do after a game and any coach could vent like that after a game. But I didn’t hold anything against him. I thought it was quite comical, to be honest.”
- Listen to the whole RugbyPass Offload episode on iTunes (click here) and Spotify (click here)
"I was having a drink of Red Bull thinking he [Biggar] will be fine. Then he went back down again and I was like, ‘He is going to come off so I better stand up and shake a leg a little bit’."
– Finn Russell was in sparkling Lions form on @TheRugbyPod https://t.co/2g4uIvwdhS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 14, 2021
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Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on the @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to comments