Euan Murray wants Sunday matches banned

First topic message reminder :

My two cents on this is that the guy is an absolute clown - he wants international rugby to ban Sunday matches because he cant play on Sundays due to his faith - unbelievable.

"I don't see why there have to be games on Sundays," said Murray. "I hope things will change in future."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15016776.stm

Kiwireddevil wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Michael Jones?

Yep Michael Jones. Ian Jones debuted in the '90s.

Michael Jones missed selection for the 1995 RWC because Laurie Mains felt not having him available for one quarter-final was risky

\

Didn't Josh Kronfeld start in his place? That guy was an animal. No real drop in talent there (but then again, that's par for the NZ course)

greybeard wrote:And here's what confuses me, Michael Jones is another famous example of a rugby player who refused to work on Sundays, missing some games in the 1987 tournament. Why didn't someone remind him he was an amateur? He wasn't getting paid, it wasn't work.

Apparently you can't do anything on Sundays. They used to tie up swing sets in playgrounds in NI so kids couldn't use them on a Sunday!

greybeard wrote:

Kiwireddevil wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Michael Jones?

Yep Michael Jones. Ian Jones debuted in the '90s.

Michael Jones missed selection for the 1995 RWC because Laurie Mains felt not having him available for one quarter-final was risky

\

Didn't Josh Kronfeld start in his place? That guy was an animal. No real drop in talent there (but then again, that's par for the NZ course)

Jones had switched to 6/8 by then. Mike Brewer got subbed off for Jamie Joseph at half time in the final - both were more than useful players, but Jones/Kronfeld/Brooke would have been some combo.

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

Notch wrote:

greybeard wrote:And here's what confuses me, Michael Jones is another famous example of a rugby player who refused to work on Sundays, missing some games in the 1987 tournament. Why didn't someone remind him he was an amateur? He wasn't getting paid, it wasn't work.

Apparently you can't do anything on Sundays. They used to tie up swing sets in playgrounds in NI so kids couldn't use them on a Sunday!

Yeah I remember a few people who wouldn't watch TV on a Sunday and there's a few pubs this way that still don't open on a Sunday. It's a presbyterian thing.

Notch wrote:

greybeard wrote:And here's what confuses me, Michael Jones is another famous example of a rugby player who refused to work on Sundays, missing some games in the 1987 tournament. Why didn't someone remind him he was an amateur? He wasn't getting paid, it wasn't work.

Apparently you can't do anything on Sundays. They used to tie up swing sets in playgrounds in NI so kids couldn't use them on a Sunday!

Insanity.....absolute insanity.

Lads,

I'm almost 48 years old, have lived all my life in NI and I have never seen a swing tied up on a Sunday.

I'm not saying it isn't true just that it was either a very long time ago or it was not widespread.

I grew up in West Wales and swings used to get tied up by bullies to annoy the little kids who couldn't reach to get them down.

Cari wrote:I grew up in West Wales and swings used to get tied up by bullies to annoy the little kids who couldn't reach to get them down.

Were the bullies of the right-footed variety? There may be a link?!

MrsP wrote:Lads,

I'm almost 48 years old, have lived all my life in NI and I have never seen a swing tied up on a Sunday.

I'm not saying it isn't true just that it was either a very long time ago or it was not widespread.

It must be just Notch who isn't allowed on the swings....

MrsP wrote:Lads,

I'm almost 48 years old, have lived all my life in NI and I have never seen a swing tied up on a Sunday.

I'm not saying it isn't true just that it was either a very long time ago or it was not widespread.

Really, only 48 like, I'd have said ...

Too late!

Damage done!



<whereisthatotherweesmilieweusedtohavewithsomeonecryingreallyhardonitwhenyouneedit>

Agreed, if yer going to hoo, do it properly lass!!

MrsP - this could always serve : wah : =

i have a massive amount of respect for the guy for putting his beliefs ahead of his sport/profession and he has been subject previously to a massive amount of ridicule for his own personal stance (prior to this statement).

I respect him massively in this regard. As someone who shares the same faith as him I dont agree with him on this issue of moving games however. i believe he is to be admired for putting his own faith before playing but i dont see the need to end sunday rugby.

I think its quite unprofessional, I would surely get sacked if I didn't show up for work because of religious beliefs.

Standulstermen wrote:I respect him massively in this regard. As someone who shares the same faith as him I dont agree with him on this issue of moving games however. i believe he is to be admired for putting his own faith before playing but i dont see the need to end sunday rugby.

Well, I have bad news for you, Stand. According to William you either haven't read your bible correctly, have been badly taught or you're just not a true Christian. One must assume Euan feels the same way.

Thanks Dreamer.

That's the one!

greybeard wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:I respect him massively in this regard. As someone who shares the same faith as him I dont agree with him on this issue of moving games however. i believe he is to be admired for putting his own faith before playing but i dont see the need to end sunday rugby.

Well, I have bad news for you, Stand. According to William you either haven't read your bible correctly, have been badly taught or you're just not a true Christian. One must assume Euan feels the same way.

Havent read the thread and dont want to get into a debate on that on a rugby forum. Suffice to say i dont believe in preaching at anyone and that kind of debate doesnt belong on here

Is rugby Christian? England has a cross on their flag, Richie McCaw wears a halo, Wayne Barnes is the devil according to Grey Ghost but there has never been any reference to religion in the game of rugby.

Good on the man for sticking to his beliefs but it´s like Iran saying the IRB has to allow our their women´s rugby team to wear bhurkas instead of the traditional kit. You can´t have a secular organisation catering to religious beliefs. Sunday is a day where people don´t work and there are televised audiences that can watch the game in great numbers. This is a professional game catering to the selling of the highest figures. Friday night games, Sunday games may not be popular with many people in the 6N. But they are popular with TV audiences and that´s what the sport caters to at the moment otherwise these matches would be played during the daytime. I don´t like night games in NZ because they don´t make for good handling or games like the S12 final where both teams had difficulty seeing one another let alone the ball can happen. But the TV gods are the ones the IRB worship now and that´s not going to change.

The reality is, whether Mr Murray likes it or not, you can't remove Sunday games in rugby - domestically or internationally. You just wouldn't fit all the fixtures in if you stopped playing on Sundays. If he doesn't want to participate in Sunday matches, then that's up to him, but it's very unrealistic of him to suggest they remove Sunday fixtures altogether.

IronMike wrote:I think its quite unprofessional, I would surely get sacked if I didn't show up for work because of religious beliefs.

No you wouldn't if it was a Sunday

Out of interest, does anyone know if Scotland can replace Murray because of his religious beliefs? I only ask because if Scotland come second in the group, all of their games up to the final will be on a Sunday (yes, I know the chances of them getting to the final are slim).

It’s not like it’s an injury preventing him playing. Any ideas?

No idea, mate. I would guess not because its not an injury.

They just wouldn't pick him in the squad for future fixtures.

Cari wrote:They just wouldn't pick him in the squad for future fixtures.

I mean the 30 man world cup squad, not just the match day 22.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Is rugby Christian? England has a cross on their flag, Richie McCaw wears a halo, Wayne Barnes is the devil according to Grey Ghost but there has never been any reference to religion in the game of rugby.

Good on the man for sticking to his beliefs but it´s like Iran saying the IRB has to allow our their women´s rugby team to wear bhurkas instead of the traditional kit. You can´t have a secular organisation catering to religious beliefs. Sunday is a day where people don´t work and there are televised audiences that can watch the game in great numbers. This is a professional game catering to the selling of the highest figures. Friday night games, Sunday games may not be popular with many people in the 6N. But they are popular with TV audiences and that´s what the sport caters to at the moment otherwise these matches would be played during the daytime. I don´t like night games in NZ because they don´t make for good handling or games like the S12 final where both teams had difficulty seeing one another let alone the ball can happen. But the TV gods are the ones the IRB worship now and that´s not going to change.

Great post Kia.

No. There is no need for Sunday matches. Whether for religious or other purposes a "day of rest" is a cracking idea.

Is this thread still trundling on. Poor Euan says virtually nothing which gets overhyped by the beeb and then he gets flailed on 606v2

Anyway didnt someone say "render unto caeser what is caesers, render unto Bill what is Bills"?

That's 'investigative' journalism for you....take a response to a question and turn it into an controversial agenda.
That said is is indicative of the inflexibility of strongly held religious beliefs that is concerning, there is no place for them in a secular society. The UK and it's constituent states are not religious states and long may that continue.
If EM doesn't want to play rugby on Sunday that is his choice, as it is his choice to preclude himself from that by being so pious in his observance.

Hey Gatts,

whilst i personally agree with the sentiment, Wales is the only part of the UK where the church has been disestablished. There are obviously too many antidisestablishmentarians in the rest of the UK.

I got to use the longest word in the english language in a rugby thread!

Nope

What you should have said is that there is a sentiment of

antidisestablishmentarianism

in the rest of the UK

Thanks for playing!

Although not in a dictionary, the longest word in the English language is actually the chemical name for titin (it's about 190,000 letters long).

The longest word in the OED is Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism & floccinaucinihilipilification are also all longer than antidisestablishmentarianism.

radelven wrote:Although not in a dictionary, the longest word in the English language is actually the chemical name for titin (it's about 190,000 letters long).

The longest word in the OED is Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism & floccinaucinihilipilification are also all longer than antidisestablishmentarianism.

have things really deteriorated to this....