The Picture IRFU did not want you to see

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http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/international/the-picture-the-irfu-didn-t-want-you-to-see-1.1708722



Since beginning a series of columns for The Irish Times last month, Lynne Cantwell, Ireland’s most capped women’s rugby player, had nothing but triumphs to reflect on after a momentous 12 months for the national team, She has, though, also being giving a wonderful insight into the struggles the players have had to endure through the years to reach the level they have now attained.

All those efforts, of course, paid off beautifully last year when the team won the Grand Slam, and they opened the current Six Nations campaign with two more victories, a 59-0 drubbing of Scotland and a considerably tighter 14-6 defeat of Wales. All of which set up that Triple Crown match in Twickenham last weekend. It wasn’t to be.

“The game itself flew by,” wrote Cantwell on Thursday. “The overwhelming emotion was dictated by the scoreboard: 17-10. In the immediate aftermath nothing else mattered.”

After the initial disappointment, though, she was able to savour the experience. “One of the proudest moments as Ireland players was playing on the same stage as our male counterparts in the most famous rugby stadium in the world. It doesn’t lessen the disappointment of missing out on a Triple Crown, but it is something we can always say we were a part of. That matters.”

County jerseys
And, she wrote, what helped lighten the mood after the defeat was an idea that “our legendary secondrow Mary Louise Reilly” came up with. “She suggested we get a picture in Twickers with all our respective GAA county jerseys. When would we get such a chance again? We got to work organising this and, of course, Dan Sheridan [a photographer with Inpho] was there to take the shot. A few girls were missing due to random drug testing but it put a much needed smile across all our faces, snapping us out of the initial low of losing such a tight game.”

A beautiful, colourful photo it is too, the most striking aspect the display of the range of counties represented by this Irish team, when assumptions are often made that beyond Dublin 4, Cork, Limerick and Belfast rugby has little reach.

So, naturally enough, it was decided the photo would be perfect to accompany Cantwell’s column, seeing as she referred to it, the Irish Rugby Football Union was contacted to request a higher resolution for publication.

Are you sensing a “but”?

There’s a big one.

No can do, was the gist of the message, principally because the team is now sponsored by AON Insurance and the players in the photo were wearing GAA jerseys featuring sundry other sponsors. And because the photo was taken privately.

At which point our inner John McEnroe emerged, in a “you cannot be serious?” kind of way.

But Stephen McNamara, the IRFU’s director of communications, requested that the photo not be used, by now our heads sore from the scratching.

Newspapers have become accustomed to being requested to use photos featuring sponsors’ names, often in return for an interview with a sports star, but it’s rare enough to be asked not to use a particular image.

Last year, Bayern Munich fined their new signing Mario Gotze for, rather hilariously, wearing a Nike T-shirt to his official unveiling, when the club is sponsored and part-owned by adidas. They were, then, understandably peeved, but it’s unlikely that AON Insurance would be concerned about the names visible in the rugby team’s photo, among them “Hospice” on a Roscommon shirt and “Arnotts” on a dated Dublin jersey.

All a little silly, really. Especially at a time when women’s rugby, on the back of last year’s success, is making significant strides in attracting young girls in to the sport all around the country, and an image like this demonstrates that most of those young girls have very local heroines and role models.

Anyway, here it is: the photo they, eh, did not want you to see. Enjoy.

Cant you get every county jersey in Pink? For the girls.

Good idea actually.

http://www.oneills.com/gift-ideas/pink-jerseys.html

It's completely understandable why the IRFU don't like that picture. It's like a mugging in a multi-storey car park - just wrong on so many different levels. How are the IRFU going to convince potential sponsors to invest in a marketing resource that can't even ensure one of their teams know the importance of brand image?

Do the IRFU use sport's psychology? What does it say about a team's unity that they celebrate their diversity rather than their togetherness?
How it is they all have different jerseys? Do the selectors believe in tokenism rather than ability - given that the player numbers will be concentrated in a few highly populated counties it is odd that there isn't at least one pair?
Then there are only 15 players in the picture - was the rest of the squad forgotten or left out of the clique? It's totally ironic that they appear as a bunch of individuals in front of a wall with messages like "uniting a country". If their hearts are really with their counties rather than their country, do they have the equivalent of a Rob Kearney to raise the issue at an Enfield heart to heart?

What about the whole context of the picture? Is it meant to look like a bunch of rebellious Irish GAA women putting two fingers up to the flag behind them? Hopefully not, but given the importance placed on flags and emblems in certain political quarters it could be construed as a snub to their hosts and therefore politically naive. High jinx are all very well - just ask Willie Anderson after he spent three months in jail for "demeaning a patriotic symbol" (i.e. a flag).

The IRFU really ought to instruct this team in 21st century PR and how to promote the "Ireland" brand.

Spot on aukster. Very unprofessional stuff indeed...albeit from a bunch of amateurs.... but a representative team has to behave accordingly.

Down with this sort of thing.

Not sure the sponsors are too worried about the womens team. Sorry harsh but true.

Ausker, there are plenty of photos of them in their full Ireland gear with sponsors logo prominent for the IRFU to use.

As you point out yourself, its not even the full team (only the ones who had their jerseys, and if they didn't they could have wore their provincial jerseys as it looks like two players did).

I have a feeling that the IRFU are trying to keep their head down because they don't want to annoy the GAA about poaching their players. One of the girls (a former inter country gaelic player for Kerry) took up rugby at the age of 27.

You can count on one hand the number of girls that didn't come from a GAA background, so its only normal that they would acknowledge it (and the counties they hail from).

There are girls on that team from well known rugby strongholds like Waterford, Laois, Cavan & Monaghan. Let them be proud of that.

PS - comparing what the girls did to Willie Anderson* Wee weeing on the Argentinian flag is just way off.

*He didn't do it, he took the wrap for someone else.

Leinster have banners around the RDS and advertising on bus stops that promotes the “12 county army”. I see this as a development of the same idea.

Look at where we all come from, and we play together. If you’re looking for something to be annoyed about in here you’ll probably find it though.

As for, why aren’t all of them in the photo, it does say in the article “A few girls were missing due to random drug testing”.

They should all have been tested! You'd have to be on something to be part of such a flagrant and outrageous show of defiance to the IRFU and the good sponsors.

Mickado wrote:
As for, why aren’t all of them in the photo, it does say in the article “A few girls were missing due to random drug testing”.

Why didn't they wait to take the photo then, it doesn't take that long to wee in a cup. If I was a conspiracy theorist I'd say there is more to this story - this is a dark day for Irish rugby   ,

Well, maybe some of them didn't bring a jersey with them that they could wear (like their provincial one if they didn't have a GAA one).

Though, judging my the reaction from some of the Ulster fans here (who are generally reasonable), I'm not surprised that the Ulster girls might be afraid to pose in a picture wearing their Ulster jersey with others wearing GAA jerseys.

The battery was running out on the camera/phone, I hear. Which probably adds to the suspicions I harbour.

Sin é wrote:Well, maybe some of them didn't bring a jersey with them that they could wear (like their provincial one if they didn't have a GAA one).

Though, judging my the reaction from some of the Ulster fans here (who are generally reasonable), I'm not surprised that the Ulster girls might be afraid to pose in a picture wearing their Ulster jersey with others wearing GAA jerseys.

Are you suggesting the authorities only asked the Ulster girls to wee into the cup? Scurrilous accusation there Sin! But probably a grain of truth in it considering the bad example being set by the SAs up there.

SecretFly wrote:Are you suggesting the authorities only asked the Ulster girls to wee into the cup?  Scurrilous accusation there Sin!  But probably a grain of truth in it considering the bad example being set by the SAs up there.  

Were they asked to wee into THE cup?

That would explain a lot - the cup was situated just in front of that big red and white flag, so it looks as thought the girls at the front are just a cover for the random test going on behind. There obviously aren't any Ulster ladies up front as due to their history they make the best squatters and are at their most powerful with backs to the wall.

GunsGerms wrote:Typical Munster fan in the middle wearing a Munster jersey. She didnt get the memo? Do the women from Munster wear munster jerseys under their Ireland jerseys too?

Is that leinster top beside that

thebandwagonsociety wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:Typical Munster fan in the middle wearing a Munster jersey. She didnt get the memo? Do the women from Munster wear munster jerseys under their Ireland jerseys too?

Is that  leinster top beside that

         Oh bandwagon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

That made me laugh..... a Munster jersey beside a Leinster one - arm in arm????????????????????????????????  Are you kidding me????

It just has to be some kind of optical illusion or some other kind of devious false colour 'joke'.  Must be.  Now if only the IRFU had sanctioned a blow up.......................