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'This is disgusting' - Rugby reacts as a police called in to investigate racist abuse directed at Ashton Hewitt

By Ian Cameron
Nigel Owens (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The rugby community has come out to roundly condemn racist abuse directed at Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt, who has asked for help to track down the person or persons behind a fake account that has been directing vitriol in his direction.

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Hewitt, who has been at the forefront of championing the anti-racism movement in the sport, was tagged by an account that presented itself using racist imagery and words, following the Dragons defeat to Scarlets in the PRO14.

Hewitt responded to the Tweet, asking Twitter to help track him down the person responsible: “This is what a Rugby fan somewhere (in Wales I think) wants me to see after a game.

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Goodbye to 2020:

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Goodbye to 2020:

“Pleaaase someone find out and tell me who it is.”

Hewitt received windfall of support from the rugby community on Twitter, who roundly condemned the behaviour.

“This is disgusting,” wrote Nigel Owens. “Stay strong mate and hope they find this person and he is dealt with and name and shamed too. Some of these idiots like this one on social media should be banned for life from it.”

Dragons hooker Richard Hibbard wrote: “It is wrong on so many ****ing levels, about time you need Identification to sign up to social media, and be accountable to the awful things you say and do!
Ashton Hewitt should never have to put up with awful shit like this!”

South Wales Police have asked Hewitt to report the matter: “Hi Ashton. We’ve been made aware of your tweet, and we’re very sorry to hear about this. If you’ve not done so already, please don’t hesitate to contact police and we can discuss. Take care.”

“This is disgusting!,” wrote Scarlets player Marc Jones. “What plonker would go out of their way to create this. Stay strong and hopefully the person gets a good roughing up by the guards.”

Hewitt’s former head coach at Dragons, Bernard Jackman wrote: “So sorry [Ashton Hewitt] that you have to face this nonsense. Twitter can you help trace the owner of this account and get the police involved ?”

The matter has now been reported by Dragons Rugby to the police. The region issued the following statement: “Dragons Rugby is disgusted and appalled at an abhorrent racist post on social media yesterday evening targeting Ashton Hewitt.

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“Dragons finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour totally unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

“The individual who expressed these views does not represent the values of our game. We thank supporters who have also condemned this post on social media and shown their support for Ashton.

“Dragons take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously. Such behaviour has no place online, in our stadium, in our community or in our game.

“As a region, Dragons Rugby celebrates equality, diversity, respect and inclusion, we firmly stand behind Ashton and continue to fully support his outstanding efforts when trying to eradicate racial prejudice wherever it exists. This is a constant battle for Ashton and the region recognises how difficult the past few months have been for him.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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