Wanganui will win Shield off 'poofy' Stags - Laws
BY SAM MCKNIGHT
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The Wanganui rugby team are how the Southland Stags used to be "before they got all poofy", Whanganui Mayor Michael Laws said yesterday.
Laws, along with his two daughters Lucy and Zoe, will head south for the Stags' second Ranfurly Shield defence tomorrow night and he believes the Southland team has lost its heartland feel and become a bit soft.
"The reality is you [Southland] are a professional team. You go from training to the hairdressers, training and back to the hairdressers again.
"Our guys are real men with real jobs – farmers, meat workers, factory workers."
The Wanganui team was not even professional enough to have a nickname, he said.
And you would be hard pressed to find a Wanganui player with gel in his hair, Mr Laws said.
Despite the Stags' failings on the machismo front, he predicted it would be a tough ask for the Heartland champions to beat the Shield-holders on their home turf in "the fridge".
"I've seen the forecast, three degrees. My fridge doesn't even get that low." But he refused to predict a scoreline.
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt leapt to the defence of the Stags.
"I see the psychological warfare has started. He [Laws] doesn't pull any punches, does he."
Although there has been some criticism of professional rugby players wearing makeup, he did not think the Stags were in that camp.
"I think we have the perfect combination of professionalism and heartland spirit."
Shadbolt predicted a 40-12 scoreline in favour of the Stags. "I think our fitness will prove too much." After all, the Wanganui game was just a curtain-raiser for the big one against Otago, Mr Shadbolt said.
In a parting shot, Mr Laws criticised Southland for not taking the Shield on the road.
"It's extremely expensive for the heartland unions to travel and I know the Wanganui union thought long and hard about coming down."
For the airfares he paid for himself and his children to come to Invercargill, all three could have travelled to Australia twice, he said.
"Make no mistake. I was pleased when Southland won last year but if I can make one plea if they hold on to the Shield next year – tour the minor unions, you have the money to."
It was not only the exertion on Mr Laws' wallet that proved difficult to absorb, he is also battling a case of the flu, but was at pains to defend his mettle.
"It's not the man flu, its very serious stuff, voluntary euthanasia stuff. If we win the Shield and I die the next day – I'll die a happy man."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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Laws u cant have a crack the team for being professional! its their job and the do a bloody good job of it! and can we please not bring up netball! its a joke of a sport and the sting/steel are made up of players from outside of the province anyway! the sting were an average outfit and that has shown since the game has gone professional( well if you can call it that) what with their maternity leave and stuff what a joke get rid of it all together!
A CAREER POLITICIAN calling out rugby players saying they're not real men and should get real jobs?? HAHAHA.. shut the hell up, Laws!!
Just in case my earlier post is too rude to publish, here is a response to people responding to my "perhaps he ought to take a tip from Michael Jackson" comment. Read the sentence after that.
Maybe he should start with the man in the mirror. Do you get it now?
If not, let me re-phrase. Before he starts using words like "poofy" and referring to people not being "manly", maybe he should look at himself first.
The simplest way for Southland to upset Laws is to ensure that they post the name Whanganui on the official rugby ground score board. I truly hope they do this.
Mr Laws is an idiot and has given Southland the motivation to really pummel Whanganui
To those who didn't get my Michael Jackson comment, try reading the sentence straight after it.
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror"
Sheesh. I thought I was being too blunt.
I am astounded by the ignorance of people saying "it is all said in good humour". When you use words like this, you marginalise people. As some have said, you legitimise the bullying use of the term.
If I referred to you by some vile, unprintable term referencing your incestuous relationship with your mother, parentage (or lack thereof), fellatio interests and female genitalia, and said "Oh I was only having a laugh", how would you feel? (With luck this will be published).
The attitude shown by Laws (and many of the respondents here) is extremely destructive. To anyone who isn't their view of "masculine" is led to feel inferior. That you have to be a certain way to be a man. Maybe a touch of Joe Jackson (not MJ's father - this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Jackson_(musician) ) will help.
Words matter. I couldn't give a toss about rugby, and have no idea who people are talking about. Nor do I want to. What I am angry about is the ignorance of so many people towards what their words mean to others.
Ah yes Michael Laws.
I went to the same school as him, Wanganui Boys College, although I was a year ahead of him. I played rugby against him. He couldn't pass, couldn't catch, couldn't tackle and couldn't kick. He could run though - mostly 'away from the opposition'.
And could he talk! I see nothing has changed. If talking bull was tar seal he would be the road from Sydney to Perth.
pretty sure laws used to wear make up in parliament, so what's he on about?
Just Mikey trying to deflect attention from his own "Gayness".
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Final Score: 62-6 Stags. Not bad for a bunch of "poofters"