1
'Just ****ing drink it' - Footage emerges of rogue Barbarians pub outing
By PA
Footage has emerged of a number of Barbarians players including former England captain Chris Robshaw drinking alcohol in a London pub.
The video that has been circulated on social media is believed to be from one of the two night’s out that forced the cancellation of Sunday’s annual fixture at Twickenham for a breach of coronavirus protocols.
Robshaw, Sean Maitland, Jackson Wray, Joel Kpoku and Manu Vunipola are among the group who appear to be playing a drinking game at the pub, which is understood to be in Mayfair.
A Rugby Football Union investigation into the players’ misconduct is ongoing with a view to bringing disrepute charges against any wrongdoing.
So far Robshaw, Richard Wigglesworth, Jackson Wray, Joel Kpoku and Fergus McFadden have used social media to express their remorse.
England’s World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward has described their conduct as “ridiculously stupid”, and the consequence of their actions is being felt at Twickenham in the shape of a substantial rebate to Sky Sports, who were due to broadcast the match.
It comes at a time when the RFU is battling a financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has resulted in 140 people being made redundant amid a predicted £60million loss in revenue.
“We are incredibly disappointed to be calling a halt to this fixture, we know how much fans were looking forward to seeing the teams play,” RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said.
“However, our priority is to protect the health and safety of the England squad and the other international teams they will go up against this autumn.
“There has been a great deal of effort put into Covid codes of conduct and planning for games, including co-operation with Premiership clubs to release additional players to fulfil the fixture safely, and we are all incredibly frustrated and disappointed that the actions of a number of Barbarians players mean we no longer feel it is safe for the game to go ahead.”
The cancellation is a significant blow to Eddie Jones, who was due to name a strong team on Friday morning as preparation for Saturday’s clash with Italy when a conclusive victory should be enough to secure the third Six Nations title of his reign.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Bath Rugby turnover breaks £20m but losses increase
3
Edinburgh face anxious wait over Duhan van der Merwe
4
Multiple clubs swarming to lure Chris Harris from Gloucester
5
Latest Comments
Cane shouldn’t have been one last year, based purely on performances. Lakai is as close to a like for like of swap of Savea you’re ever likely to find, based on his short career so far at least. He has many of the same qualities - very strong ball carrier, great at the breakdown, and an absolute work horse on defence. I feel like he and Sititi could lead the way in the loose at the next WC.
I think we have become obsessed with replacing Kaino with someone exactly like him. Kaino was a perfect foil for the other loose forwards we had at the time. Based on the talent we have around at the moment those players could be made up in the aggregate by three players who are all exception all rounders - Lakai, Sititi, and Savea. Missing some height for sure but Sititi’s defensive work in the line out last year was phenomenal. He gets off the ground so quickly and was able to steal a couple of balls off the top of the springbok line out.
If our young locks coming through can actually stay fit long enough to get selected, it seems inevitable that Va’ai could end up in a hybrid 6/lock role.
Go to commentsWas strange game, full of errors and the usual refereeing decisions. Both teams suffered as a result but Ospreys discipline was a major factor. I think this weekend will be different as the Ospreys will pick a full strength team but Scarlets will gain confidence in the fact that only Tipuric was missing in the forwards and they dominated that pack for the whole 80 minutes. If they can repeat that dominance at scrum and breakdown then the Scarlets backs will always have more to offer on the front foot.
Go to comments