Better people making better All Blacks ...
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@rotated said in Better people making better All Blacks ...:
@machpants said in Better people making better All Blacks ...:
If I was in charge, those sort of people would never play for their country (in Reece case it's a double whammy, he's not even a kiwi). Drunk drivers, spousal abusers, pissed up public assaulters, etc.
It's strange that the Better People Make Better All Blacks mantra was preached the most publicly around the 2011 RWC win. If that rule was in place at the time, especially in retrospect, it would have been pretty tough to cobble a squad together. Where do you stand on seals?
I have always thought it was more of an aspirational statement than part of the job description - basically, the hope that taking a decent rugby player and making them a better person would make them an even better rugby player.
That said, I am likewise uncomfortable with picking guys like Reece etc. who have done some unsavoury / illegal things in the past before they became ABs. However, I am more uncomfortable with the likes of Frizzell whose indiscretions came while they were in the ABs.
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@rotated said in Better people making better All Blacks ...:
@machpants said in Better people making better All Blacks ...:
If I was in charge, those sort of people would never play for their country (in Reece case it's a double whammy, he's not even a kiwi). Drunk drivers, spousal abusers, pissed up public assaulters, etc.
It's strange that the Better People Make Better All Blacks mantra was preached the most publicly around the 2011 RWC win. If that rule was in place at the time, especially in retrospect, it would have been pretty tough to cobble a squad together. Where do you stand on seals?
Tough but nice guys like Mealamu and Thorn would have kept everyone in line.
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I am uncomfortable with writing off people who make mistakes.
On Sevu Reece for example. I haven't seen the court docs but I gather it was a rather low level incident against his partner after which he attended an anger management course, turned his life around and has remained with the same partner ever since.
I don't have an issue with him being an All Black. Reeces story is not uncommon in my experience. People do dumb things, get the help they need and don't get in trouble again and end up in fulfilling relationships with the person they abused.
The last thing we want to do is cut that pathway off for people, whether they be All Black's, nurses, lawyers or whatever. There's nothing more guaranteed to cause conflict than evonomic deprivation and stopping people from earning a living.
Full disclosure - I am a family lawyer.
