Editorial: Rugby pair's tweets leave a sour taste

Reuters

TWITTER WHO?: All Blacks coach Graham Henry laughed off suggestions Neemia Tialata and Cory Jane would be reprimanded for revealing their non-selections first via Twitter.

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Online comments landed All Blacks Neemia Tialata and Cory Jane in hot water this week, but it's their reaction to being found out that disturbs the most.

The two Wellington stars jumped the gun by announcing on microblogging site Twitter that they hadn't made the cut for tomorrow morning's big match against England at Twickenham.

Fuelled by either frustration or boredom, the men let slip that they weren't going to play before coach Graham Henry announced the squad.

The news filtered back to New Zealand fast and headlines were soon splashed everywhere.

I have no issue with the players posting their updates on sites like Twitter and Facebook, it shows they are human, and it's a way of connecting with family, friends, and fans.

What I did have a problem with was the petulant way both reacted to the story being picked up.

Tialata, under the username neyza3, had several digs at the media for doing so. One tweet (update) said: "Good morning Twitter world. Yes I have been informed about me and soup [Jane] with our tweets in the media again! Well to be honest it's no big secret." Jane, under username soup15, had a dig by writing: "Big story, well done media."

While Henry played the matter down by joking that he thought Twitter was England's new first-five, the reactions of the two players reeked of naivete with a touch of arrogance.

They must be out of touch to think that letting it slip that they weren't in the starting 22 wasn't a big deal. Of course it is.

Every week the All Blacks lead up to a test match there is massive interest in who's in and who's out. Many fans stop what they're doing to see if there own picks have made it, and debate ensues once the team is named.

I hope this kind of churlish reaction is something that will pass over, but I get the sense it is part of big rugby's biggest failing – the disconnect between the star players and their fans.

By bagging the media, in this case, they are also bagging their fans.

The All Blacks are adored by thousands, and I hope they wallop England tomorrow, but the petty behaviour of late leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Good luck to Bonnie Slater, who's trying to get enough money together to make a film based in Palmerston North.

It's going to take a huge effort and a decent amount of cash to put it together, but by all accounts she is one determined woman.

Not only will it be the first full-length movie filmed in the city (so I'm told), it will serve as a great snapshot of life in the city, and will one day be looked back on as a slice of the city's history.