Once is careless, twice recklessly stupid, but three times? That speaks of a much bigger problem, writes Paul Ackford in The Telegraph.
"The latest scandal to engulf England, James Haskell verbally abusing a female hotel worker at the team hotel in Dunedin, preceded Mike Tindall’s drunken night out which itself came before Dave Alred and Paul Stridgeon were rebuked for trying to get preferred balls on to the pitch in the Romania game.
"In isolation each of these incidents could be explained away, excused even.
"Martin Johnson leapt to that defence when he tried to play down the Tindall incident. “Rugby player drinks beer shocker”, the England manager said. And some of us bought into that rationalisation because it was Johnson and he has credibility as a grumpy bloke who frowns on errant behaviour."
RSS feed
