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Ospreys and Wales winger Alex Cuthbert admits he ‘has no time’ for players turned commentators who dish it out to their former teammates in the media.
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Cuthbert was the subject of significant criticism in Wales – both from the media and the Welsh public – during a dip in form for Wales between 2014 and 2017. The social media abuse, in particular, got to the point where the 6’4, 106kg winger admits he hurt his on-field performances.
Cuthbert turned his back on the infamous ‘gold fish’ bowl of Welsh rugby in 2018 and refound his form and love for the game with the Exeter Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership, before returning to Welsh regional rugby last year with the Ospreys.
But the 32-year-old hasn’t forgotten the flak he received and admits he doesn’t always appreciate his fellow professional who’ve morphed into hard-bitten pundits . Cuthbert admits he has now cut ties with former Wales teammate Andy Powell after the No.8 came after him in the press and online.
“I’ve sort of fallen out with him really. I remember after one of the World Cups he gave me quite a bit of s***. I was sort of done with him really.”
The winger says Powell criticised him in both the press and on social media.
“A bit of both [in the press and in the media]. I just wiped my hands of him. There’s a few boys who did over the last couple of years. I haven’t got time for that you know.”
But it isn’t just Powell. Cuthbert says he’d never go in the commentary and feels many former players don’t realise the effect their words have on younger players.
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“There’s a lot of boys commentating now that do that [criticise their former teammates in the press]. They’ve forgotten that they’ve all been the same position, when they get paid to say some of the s*** they say. A lot of them have a very short memory.
“They think they can say anything they want without any repercussions when they forget that everyone believes what they read or hear.
“It’s not great for a lot of young boys especially. Just what they go around saying. They think it’s harmless but I don’t think they have the right to say some of the s*** they say. It’s just the way it is.
“I don’t have time for a lot of that. Hence why I don’t think I’d ever go into commentary. I wouldn’t want to fall down that same road.
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“You’ve got people with columns and articles and they saying stuff willingly, ‘Oh, I’ve got to say something stupid. Oh, I’ll say that.’ There’s quite a bit of that.
“Some people are pretty good at it. I feel like Ugo [Monye] is pretty good at it. He’s always quite positive.
“With the Welsh public it’s not positive at all. Ever. When I was at Exeter it was always positive, whether we lose or win.
“The Welsh press always go in on everything. This tour now, the whole of the Welsh media will be saying we are always going to be hammered. We’ve got no chance, stuff like that.Ci
Cuthbert now deals with the online abuse far better, a coping mechanism that allowed him to recapture some of the form that had seen him become a British & Irish Lion in 2013. Now back in the Wales set-up, he says know only looks to close friends, family and coaches for feedback on how he is playing.
“It’s not just me, that’s the thing. I got friends and family on those platforms.
“I was quite young everything went upwards and then I had a blip and it went down. I didn’t know how to deal with it. We’re rugby players, we’re not people who know how to deal with social media.
“It’s tough to know how to react to that. It’s hard not to take it to training and the game week.
“I had a tough couple of years but I actually ended up being positive in a weird way.
“I’m not on social media but I’m on Instagram with my business and that. It just developed me as a bloke in terms of how I react to situations in games. Whereas before I’d have been quite bad. Now I react differently. I’m on to the next job.
“I must be doing something right as I end up playing for every team I’ve played for. I have that mentality now, whereas they try to do as best as I can.”
“It’s especially bad in Wales. Whoosh.”
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
10 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
10 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
10 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments