North staggered by the social media abuse Alun Wyn Jones gets
George North has revealed the extent of social media abuse aimed at Wales’ Test players. Captain Alun Wyn Jones came under fire on social media after England prop Joe Marler, who was subsequently banned for ten weeks, grabbed Jones’ genitals during last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
And Wales wing North, who has scored 40 tries for Wales during a glittering 95-cap career, has often been a target, even surrounding the concussion issues he has experienced during recent years. “To be honest, that social media stuff, it’s a nightmare,” said North.
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“It’s a great platform, to be so accessible to fans and vice versa, to sponsors and players alike. But the flipside is hard. Someone like Alun Wyn, he gives so much every day and people can just send him something that is not true because they have misread it.
“It wears down on you. He has got a young family and he doesn’t need that when he goes home. No one in their right mind would ever say it to his face. I don’t understand why he is getting the abuse he is if I am brutally honest.
“If you look at the situation he was put in (at Twickenham), I thought he dealt with it extremely well. It is easy enough when you are on a keyboard to say what you want.
“If they were to come into the environment, see the preparation we are doing, the lengths we go to – not just physically, but mentally – I would hope they would think differently about what they say and do.
“You put yourself in the shop window, you expect to have some of it, but when it is unjust or without any real knowledge or information behind it, it does drain hard.”
North has praised the Welsh Rugby Union’s work in helping them deal with social media negatives. He added: “The union are looking after the boys in a great way and try to turn a negative situation into a positive and have a laugh and a joke about it.
“They [trolls] only see that game on a Saturday where they think they could have done better if they hadn’t blown their knee out when they were twelve, they would have played for Wales, obviously.”
North failed a head injury assessment during Wales’ defeat against France three weeks ago. It was the latest such episode to affect him during his career, although it was his first head-related matter since 2016.
“Even walking around the supermarket, I get told I should retire,” he said. “People comment without ever seeing me, treating me, knowing my symptoms, my history. People pluck the ones from 2015 and 2016 like it was yesterday, and the story goes round again.
“I take care of myself, I go to see a specialist and keep an eye on what I am doing. The general consensus with concussion is that we are in a much better place, but you put the social media fire in there and it goes through the roof.
'It was an honour for me to play for Scotland, but it wasn’t how it should be, you could just tell.'
– @danparks10 on Scotland, being booed at Murrayfield, Six Nations, Thom Evans neck-break, Finn and much, much more #WALvSCO; with @JLyall93 https://t.co/kSmFVdF7Bo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 13, 2020
“Weirdly (being on the pitch) it is the happiest place. There are no distractions, you are just doing your job. That is where you were playing when you were six or seven years old. Sometimes, I do think I will just can it [social media] and become a nomad.
“I have logged out a few times, for like a week or two weeks, and I have actually really enjoyed it. It has been quite nice not to know what is going on, not to be told you are rubbish.
“The majority of people are really good. They interact, they want to know what you are doing, they want to know positivity.”
– Press Association
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Comments on RugbyPass
I do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
4 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
6 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
20 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to comments