Justin Burnell tells Scott Johnson to "Get A Life"

Taken from Walesonline.co.uk

JUSTIN BURNELL fired an astonishing salvo at Scott Johnson as an inter-regional row broke out following Ospreys’ 17-12 RaboDirect Pro12 victory over the Blues at the Liberty Stadium last night.

Blues boss Burnell accused Ospreys chief Johnson of adopting boring tactics and ignoring the world-class finishing ability of Wales record try-scorer Shane Williams and Ireland star Tommy Bowe on the wings.

“They’ve got one major strength – their scrum,” blasted Burnell.

“They seem to have gone away from using Shane Williams and Tommy Bowe, who have got some outstanding attacking flair.

“We all know they are world-class players but the Ospreys don’t play a wide game any more.

“It’s as if they have just closed their game completely down just to get to a scrum. It’s pretty negative to be honest with you.”

Ospreys lost their recent back-to-back clashes with English league champions Saracens in the Heineken Cup to almost certainly book themselves an early exit from the European showpiece.

They haven’t scored the required four tries to pick up a bonus point in the Pro12 this campaign, despite lying second in the table behind Leinster with just 19 tries from 12 league fixtures.

Burnell claimed: “Saracens managed scrum-time and took their game away from them. It’s disappointing when you see world-class talents like Shane and Tommy being ignored.”

Ospreys coaching honcho Johnson leaves at the end of the season for a job assisting Scotland coach Andy Robinson in attacking play. Johnson had recently fired verbal bullets at top referee Nigel Owens, who was in charge of last night’s clash, for using social network Twitter to banter with players, accusing him of a conflict of interest.

And he had turned up the heat ahead of last night’s battle by claiming the Blues were the new “Galacticos”, a term which England and Lions great Jeremy Guscott coined to describe the Ospreys when they were blessed with world talents like Justin Marshall, Henson, James Hook, Lee Byrne, Marty Holah, Stefan Terblanche and Jerry Collins.

“What was it last week? Twitter, Nigel Owens,” rapped Burnell.

“Good luck Andy Robinson. “Crikey, when we read or listen to things like that (Galacticos) in our camp we ignore them.”

Burnell advised outspoken Australian Johnson to “get a life” and claimed the Ospreys knock the ball on purposely to get scrums.

“God knows what it will be this week before the Ospreys play the Dragons!” he added.

Johnson wasn’t the designated Ospreys coach for last night’s post-match press conference but their forwards guru, Jonathan Humphreys, the former Wales captain, responded to Burnell’s remarks.

“It’s a tough job, this one,” he said.

“I thought we started the game extremely strongly but there were a couple of opportunities we could have taken.

“It becomes a different type of game when you don’t. Derby games are very attritional and points on the board are huge.

“When you’re coming off the back of a few losses, things become a bit edgy and tight.”

Anyone agree with Burnell? I think he may have a point here.

SJ talks some tomkite sometimes but also talks sense, especially about bring young players through the system. So all this time we've been deliberatly knocking the ball on? and I thought it was poor handling. What a fool i've been...

Ospreys still won so...

I think this is a story that could run and run. Burnell tells Johnson to 'get a life'.

Johnson will today issue a press release along the lines of, 'whatev'.

Burnell will counter with 'bring it on'.

Johnson will deliver a decisive blow with a cool 'bovvered?'

Great to get 2012 underway with a scintillating battle of wits between two coaching legends.

Casartelli wrote:I think this is a story that could run and run. Burnell tells Johnson to 'get a life'.

Johnson will today issue a press release along the lines of, 'whatev'.

Burnell will counter with 'bring it on'.

Johnson will deliver a decisive blow with a cool 'bovvered?'

Great to get 2012 underway with a scintillating battle of wits between two coaching legends.

+1

Am waiting for Johnson's reposte that Burnell has "chubby ankles".

Who scored the only try? oh yes Tommy Bowe. Who did the Blues fetch on, the sidestepping free running try scoring Dan Parks. Says it all really

Burnell explained to the lovely Dot on S4C exactly why he had brought Parks on.

Again Parks let him down, a truly awful and pointless signing for the Blues the sooner he leaves the better they will do.

Dan Parks = Another NWQ waste of space.

I agree jim

I think Charteris mentioned something about these NWQs a week or so ago.

Strange that they didn't even attempt to bring Nick Macleod of Sale back.

gowales wrote:Strange that they didn't even attempt to bring Nick Macleod of Sale back.

Or let young Shingler go...! Or cant find a a flyhalf from the regions clubs.

Most amazing of all is that they didn't learn a thing from Sam Norton-Knight.

It would be interested to know t what time of night and in which public house this scam of an interview was made. I think it really lets Burnell down. Rather out of character too..