POC gets off for kicking Kearney's head

GunsGerms wrote:

rodders wrote:I think its time to knock this overhyped Leinster v Muntser thing on the head. The fans and players have lost the run of themselves.

Sure its only a bit of craic to warm yees up for the 6N, yees are takin it way too seriously lads .......

Rodders you are a wise old sage. It is a load of nonsense isnt it. I think we can all agree on that.

Penney, speaking yesterday in Cork after Munster trained at Musgrave Park ahead of the trip to southern France, was asked for a reaction to Schmidt’s comments and he duly delivered.

“I haven’t read everything he said. I think there was a mention about people outside of rugby watching that. I’m not sure was it attributed to Joe.

“Look, Paulie has probably done more for the game in Ireland than anybody. For the young kids that are now loving the game, it’s on the back of a lot of what’s he done.

“So I was sort of a wee bit taken aback by just that one reference about it putting people off the game.

“What Paul does around the community and for people in the wider community, people in hospital and young people with illnesses and so forth is incredible. It’s just unheralded really.

“Otherwise I can understand completely what Joe is saying about wanting to protect his player and make sure that his player is dealt with in the right way.”

Penney went further, suggesting his fellow New Zealander’s comment might have an extra element to them.

“And, you now, hopefully they (Leinster) feel under a bit of heat now because Munster is on the rise and he’s trying to put some ammunition back this way to put pressure on alternative areas outside of the game itself.

“There might be a bit of gamesmanship too, intertwined with some real concern and thoughtfulness around his player and his need to support him which I can understand.”

O’Connell, though, rowed back considerably on his initial post-match comments, in which he spoke only of his relief at not being cited.

Yesterday he revisited the Kearney incident, saying: “All I can say is it was 100% an accident and I never thought for an instant I was going to make a connection with David’s head.

“I was hoping to poke the ball through, or kick the ball through and get a turnover for the team but having said that, my comments last week, I’d regret them.

“They didn’t help the situation and probably gave the impression I was a bit, I don’t know, indifferent to David’s injury.

“That wasn’t the case at all. I had spoken to him after the game and during the week and was in contact with him in various other ways but I certainly didn’t help the situation last week.

“It’s certainly not ideal that David’s out, missed last week’s game, and I just hope he’s back playing soon. But it was a frustrating few weeks and just disappointed it happened.”

Penney also suggested the ongoing storm in the French media over the failure to cite O’Connell was all being fuelled by another Kiwi, Clermont’s head coach and Schmidt’s former boss Vern Cotter.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Penney said, “Vern’s no fool.

“Where’s it come from? Look, it’s Ireland versus France. People will use any ammunition they can to try to inflict distractions before a game. You guys know that better than me. This will be a bit of that.”

GunsGerms wrote:Nobody was questioning the great work POC does off the pitch so Pennys comments are a bit illadvised there IMO. It is the example that not citing him sets was the comment JS made.

In fact Joe Schmidt hadnt said anything at all to the media until Penny had made some comments to the press on the incident so on balance it was fair for Schmidt to respond.

The whole thing is much ado about nothing if you ask me. O'Connell's interview last night sort of backs this up. He says it was an accident and he said sorry to Kearney. Case closed if you ask me.

SecretFly wrote:Case closed. I knew Paulie would get a chance to think about things when the drama cooled down a little.

That's the only thing that niggled me, the idea that the actual victim of the mistake Paul made was overlooked to a large extent - as 'citing', and the fear of it, and what it might have done to Munster's hopes in the HC semi was considered the more important topic to comment on.

I'm glad Paul said what he did now. It's all I was looking for.

Penney? - he's coming at the whole thing from a different perspective. He's feeling the growing competitiveness as Irish Provinces have been virtually taken over by SH coaches...who probably have little areas of spark between them that us Irish won't ever fully appreciate.

Imagine the four top sides in Top14 suddenly being placed under the command of four Irishmen. The French would be oblivious to the subtle little battles going on there between them that had little to do with the sides they commanded. Personal battles of will defined by their Nationality.

So nothing much there either for me.

greytiger wrote:

Agreed. The case is closed.
Let's hope that all rugby fans will deal with it in the same equanimity as Lions' fans did with BOD's topsy-turvy tackle in New Zealand.

Mickado wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:Nobody was questioning the great work POC does off the pitch so Pennys comments are a bit illadvised there IMO. It is the example that not citing him sets was the comment JS made.

In fact Joe Schmidt hadnt said anything at all to the media until Penny had made some comments to the press on the incident so on balance it was fair for Schmidt to respond.

The whole thing is much ado about nothing if you ask me. O'Connell's interview last night sort of backs this up. He says it was an accident and he said sorry to Kearney. Case closed if you ask me.

The case of POC kicking Kearney in the head, is most certainly closed.

The case of Rob Penney being a goon, has just been swung open.

Poor BOD...all he has to do is show up either on a field, the stands or a studio and he's already quilty of bringing it all back up again raspberry - the broken-record aséhole. Yahoo