Delon Armitage - hero or villain?

by MarcusHalberstram Sun 19 May 2013, 2:10 am

First topic message reminder :

In my view, Armitage's try "celebration" single handedly turned a team that no one really likes that much anyway - into the probably the most unpopular winners of a major rugby tournament of all time. Interested to know if you guys and girls found it as offensive and obnoxious as I did!

by HongKongCherry Thu 23 May 2013, 10:26 pm

Ozzy3213 wrote:Eliota Sapolu decided to get in on the act as well Pete, all very childish.

I don't think he could take the fact another player was getting more attention than him on Twitter. A great player, but a complete idiot

by 100%beefy Thu 23 May 2013, 10:49 pm

he's a plank. that sort of behaviour belongs on a football pitch, but standards in rugby are fast following it. rugby has always been the ultimate sportsmanship game for me - bash your oppo then buy him a jug - and sadly i think the loss of the bar is affecting that fraternal unity.

by red_stag Thu 23 May 2013, 11:01 pm

Beefy,

You have to wonder what will happen in time. Most young players now have never played "amatuer" rugby. They treat rugby as professional from their teens in order to get a career. Go straight into academies and professional rugby.

Protecting amateur values amongst players and fans will be vital.

by 100%beefy Thu 23 May 2013, 11:26 pm

stag

i think 2 games will evolve - you can already see players backchatting the ref; the amateur game based on the small club ethos will of course remain, but at the top level it simply has had its day. perhaps it is naive of me to expect pro players to be sportsmanlike but when i think of introducing my kid to the sport it is because of what it stood for back in the day, i just hope the game will deal with the primadonnas but pr2ts like delon - who squandered his international career - will always be there

by Irish Londoner Fri 24 May 2013, 8:57 am

Beefy - I'd like to think you're right about the amateur clubs holding up the old traditions and sportsmanship - a hard game and a pint afterwards, however the young kids take their role models and to some extent behaviour from the professional players, all you have to do is look at most Sunday League youth football games and the kids behave in exactly the same way as Rooney, Bale and co. - swearing, arguing with the referee, diving, etc.
I am concerned that young rubgy players will copy the professionals if we let this creep into the top level game.

by Luckless Pedestrian Fri 24 May 2013, 9:17 am

100%beefy wrote:stag

i think 2 games will evolve - you can already see players backchatting the ref; the amateur game based on the small club ethos will of course remain, but at the top level it simply has had its day.

It's too soon to wave the white flag. Referees are still respected in rugby and maybe all we need is for them to start marching teams back ten metres more frequently than they do now. There's a danger standards could slip, but only if we let them.

by thebluesmancometh Fri 24 May 2013, 9:19 am

Hang on a minute, lets not pretend a generatrion of kids will start acting like plebs because Armitage waved goodbye to Brock James, after all Delon Armitage isn't the most respected or looked up to player by kids at all, the likes of Ashton, North and Bowe are far better role models and are at the top of the game.

Delon will not be gracing the UK leagues week in week out, he won't be on regular high audience TV games, let him act the goat in France, let him act the knob on the highest stage he'll ever play.

Truth is kids will act how they are instilled to by their parents and local club, I'd have far more issue of senior players at my local club acting like this as kids would see it regularly.

A coach yelling at the ref from the touchline, a parent shouting abuse at the kids/refs/coaches all has far worse implications than this pleb, and sadly most junior coaches I see these days are failing in their duty to instill a sportsmanlike behaviour. And I mean a huge percentage I see!!!

by ChequeredJersey Fri 24 May 2013, 11:08 am

Blues makes a good point. Plus playing in the T14 in his self-imposed Exile from the English game and unlikely to ever wear the shirt again, kids aren't going to get much exposure to Armitage anyway

by Guest Fri 24 May 2013, 4:30 pm

How is this thread still going?

Everyone should have realised that I'm right by now! Very Happy

by Irish Londoner Mon 03 Jun 2013, 2:34 pm

Bumping this one up - if Delon Armitage behaved unacceptably what does that make Owen Farrell for appluading a yellow card given to a club team mate or the Lions player who on Saturday pointed at the touchline to show the BaaBaa player where he was going to touch down?

by Cyril Mon 03 Jun 2013, 2:37 pm

Irish Londoner wrote:Bumping this one up - if Delon Armitage behaved unacceptably what does that make Owen Farrell for appluading a yellow card given to a club team mate or the Lions player who on Saturday pointed at the touchline to show the BaaBaa player where he was going to touch down?

Followed by a swallow dive. Phillips really is an evil man Laugh

by **LondonTiger** Mon 03 Jun 2013, 3:04 pm

Irish Londoner wrote:Bumping this one up - if Delon Armitage behaved unacceptably what does that make Owen Farrell for appluading a yellow card given to a club team mate or the Lions player who on Saturday pointed at the touchline to show the BaaBaa player where he was going to touch down?

Did not see that by Farrell, and yes that is appalling.

Must admit, I thought of this thread as Phillips ran his try in, pointing the way and splashed.

by Guest Mon 03 Jun 2013, 3:15 pm

Irish Londoner wrote:Bumping this one up - if Delon Armitage behaved unacceptably what does that make Owen Farrell for appluading a yellow card given to a club team mate or the Lions player who on Saturday pointed at the touchline to show the BaaBaa player where he was going to touch down?

Team mates aren't they (Phillips and Joe R), so it isn't quite as bad as you make it out to be. Plus Phillips at least explained himself after, that it was banter, unlike Armitage swearing on his twitter account (to Brian Moore) and showing no remorse, or Ashton never justifying his dives.

by Irish Londoner Mon 03 Jun 2013, 3:24 pm

Risca, I'm sure it was just "banter", just wondering how it's unnaceptable behaviour by one player but not another Whistle

And as for young Farrell, behaviour more suited to the round ball game.

by SecretFly Mon 03 Jun 2013, 3:28 pm

Risca Rev wrote:
Irish Londoner wrote:Bumping this one up - if Delon Armitage behaved unacceptably what does that make Owen Farrell for appluading a yellow card given to a club team mate or the Lions player who on Saturday pointed at the touchline to show the BaaBaa player where he was going to touch down?

Team mates aren't they (Phillips and Joe R), so it isn't quite as bad as you make it out to be. Plus Phillips at least explained himself after, that it was banter, unlike Armitage swearing on his twitter account (to Brian Moore) and showing no remorse, or Ashton never justifying his dives.

Em, so are Farrell and the guy who hit him full blast (boxer clean) on the jaw. So much for the idea that team mates only resort to banter when playing against each other.

I believe Phillips though but still I'd prefer if he kept the 'banter symbolism' for before and after games over a pint.

by HammerofThunor Mon 03 Jun 2013, 3:48 pm

Given that a lot of guff over Armitage was about him being a role model and showing the sport in a bad light I fail to see what difference it makes regarding them being teams mates (either group). Average Joe and Jo watching with mummy and daddy aren't going to know that. Think of the children!

by SecretFly Mon 03 Jun 2013, 4:04 pm

Two points deducted for activity that might annoy children or make them mimic what they've seen.

So that's two points off for Phillips try, Brits fist, Armitage's finger, Healy stamp, and points off for contact in the ruck, a points off for bullying in the scrum and points off for rough tackling.

The situation should be that if you score 35 in the first half, some child repellant stuff in the second half should knock you back to zero.

That'd learn 'em!

by HammerofThunor Mon 03 Jun 2013, 4:11 pm

That'll learn 'em good

by ChequeredJersey Mon 03 Jun 2013, 9:30 pm

We could introduce the "douche" rule. If you are a douche in the act of scoring, you lose the attempt at the conversion

by Guest Mon 03 Jun 2013, 9:44 pm

ChequeredJersey wrote:We could introduce the "douche" rule. If you are a douche in the act of scoring, you lose the attempt at the conversion

by wales606 Mon 03 Jun 2013, 11:16 pm

I was impressed with the interview Phillips gave

He seemed pretty humble, saying other performed better than him, and I was glad he explained what he had done and tried to explain that he wasn't arrogant

by Guest Tue 04 Jun 2013, 12:06 am

wales606 wrote:I was impressed with the interview Phillips gave

He seemed pretty humble, saying other performed better than him, and I was glad he explained what he had done and tried to explain that he wasn't arrogant

Which is the point most people seem to keep missing as the difference between Armitage, Ashton and him.

by 100%beefy Tue 04 Jun 2013, 12:09 am

Philips still has a few image problems after McDonalds happy meal incident and he is abrasive which is somewhat unusual for a scrum half.

by SecretFly Tue 04 Jun 2013, 12:38 am

Risca Rev wrote:
wales606 wrote:I was impressed with the interview Phillips gave

He seemed pretty humble, saying other performed better than him, and I was glad he explained what he had done and tried to explain that he wasn't arrogant

Which is the point most people seem to keep missing as the difference between Armitage, Ashton and him.

People aren't missing that point. People realise he was giving his team mate a little salt in his wounds in a 'playful' way...but people are saying it would probably have been better that he just didn't do it rather than feeling the need to explain it post-match.

I'm a real champion of Phillips. I'd certainly have him in my side..he has the right amount of intensity and his constant drive to keep the opposition on edge can often be the spur his team mates need to keep their own emotions high and adrenalin levels churning.

We and he just doesn't need any 'unsporting' attention from the Australian media. Just score their tries quietly - all of them.

by MarcusHalberstram Thu 18 Dec 2014, 1:31 pm

Hmmm... perhaps this poll needs reviving Wink

by nathan Thu 18 Dec 2014, 1:51 pm

MarcusHalberstram wrote:Hmmm... perhaps this poll needs reviving

Not really, it won't tell us anything new that this poll hasn't already told us

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