World Cup latest – Wales suspend Phillips
17 Jun 2011
Keo.co.za brings you the latest World Cup news.
Wales suspend Phillips – Wales have suspended scrumhalf Mike Phillips indefinitely from their World Cup training squad due to ‘unacceptable’ behaviour.
According to reports, Phillips was photographed by the Welsh media in an altercation in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
‘We have suspended Mike Phillips on the clear evidence of a level of behaviour we regard as unacceptable,’ Wales manager Alan Phillips said. ‘It is clear there has been a breach of our disciplinary standards.’
Cardiff Blues scrumhalf Lloyd Williams has been called into the World Cup training squad as a replacement and will report for duty on Monday.
ABs get RWC Twitter ban – All Blacks head coach Graham Henry has revealed that his players are not allowed to go on Twitter during the World Cup.
Henry confirmed this in a recent interview with Sky Sport when he was asked about the All Blacks’ Twitter policy. His reply was: ‘We haven’t had a policy up until now. We’ve just asked them to make good decisions about that and in the All Blacks camp most of the time, they’ve made good decisions. But, at Rugby World Cup time, zilch.’
All Blacks manager Darren Shand confirmed that the initiative was driven by the senior players.
There are several All Blacks that are are keen Twitter users. Fullback Cory Jane and prop Neemia Tialata were in trouble with All Blacks management during the end-of-year tour last year when they tweeted they were dropped from the side to face England a day before the team announcement.
At the time Henry said: ‘I had to find out what bloody Twitter was. I thought it was a new guy playing five-eighth for England.’
12 Comments
17 Jun 2011, 08:13 am
father ted has spoken!
17 Jun 2011, 08:16 am
‘I had to find out
what bloody Twitter was. I thought it
was a new guy playing five-eighth for
England.’ – classic Ted.
17 Jun 2011, 08:56 am
How stupid is it to tweet that you have been dropped before the team announcement?
17 Jun 2011, 09:46 am
Watch the suicide rate hike in the Cape…
17 Jun 2011, 09:51 am
Twitter is for twits
17 Jun 2011, 10:07 am
@BishopsOD(BishopsOD)-4:
lol
Good riddance!
17 Jun 2011, 12:46 pm
@jondood(jondood)-6: It will be much appreciated. Attention-seeking punks.
17 Jun 2011, 15:04 pm
This probably weakens wales at the world cup and they are in our group.
From BBC Sport.
Scrum-half Mike Phillips has been suspended indefinitely from Wales squad duties after a late night incident in Cardiff.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said he had been told not to report for training with the rest of the players on Monday.
It is seeking clarification about an incident outside a fast food restaurant in the early hours of Tuesday.
Police attended and said a man was taken away by officers but no arrests were made.
The WRU said while the player, aged 28, was on an agreed holiday period from pre-Rugby World Cup training it operated a strict code of conduct covering behaviour both on and off the field.
WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis said: “The player has been suspended due to a clear breach of the standards which we expect to be maintained by someone involved in one of our national squads.
“Discipline and acceptable behaviour are issues which run to the core values of the Welsh Rugby Union and we cannot tolerate any compromise of those standards.
“Mike Phillips is an exceptional player, but there is irrefutable evidence … that he was engaged in behaviour which falls below the standards we set.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
It is clear there has been a breach of our disciplinary standards”
End Quote
Alan Phillips
Wales team manager
“It is vitally important that we send out a clear and unambiguous message to one and all concerning our views on matters of this sort.
“That message must be heard clearly by all players, coaches, administrators, volunteers, supporters and, of course, the parents and guardians of any child attracted to take part in the national sport of Wales.
“Our senior national squad players are highly visible because of the profile which accompanies the success of our national sport and it is made clear to them that they are the ambassadors we rely on to foster and sustain our image.”
The incident occurred outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Queen Street.
Footage taken by bystanders shows Phillips being restrained by police before being led away in handcuffs to a police van.
South Wales Police say he was not arrested.
The player was recently released by the Ospreys regional rugby team after securing a move to French club Bayonne.
The WRU said the suspension has been approved by Wales head coach Warren Gatland and agreed by the senior squad management team.
Wales team manager Alan Phillips said: “We have suspended Mike Phillips on the clear evidence of a level of behaviour we regard as unacceptable.
“It is clear there has been a breach of our disciplinary standards.”
Cardiff Blues scrum-half Lloyd Williams has been called into the Wales Rugby World Cup training squad as a replacement and will report for duty on Monday.
17 Jun 2011, 18:44 pm
I need to meet the person who convinced Gavin Henson, Mike Phillips and Danny Cipriani that they’re all that as rugby players.
17 Jun 2011, 20:17 pm
@ Bishops.I feel you there.Cipriani and Henson are tw#ts of note! theyd be right at home playing league in Aus.
18 Jun 2011, 01:31 am
Good riddance – he´s a real ***** on the field and is often the one to instigate fights. One less pain to deal with come match day.
18 Jun 2011, 02:19 am
ag shame arme ou Bakkies now there none on the field to flirt with, his world cup hopes and dreams just got decidedly less exciting
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