Like and Loathe

This is a topic that's proved popular on other 606v2 sport forums, and is all just a bit of fun.
Basically, name a player that you like and a player that you 'loathe' and give the reasoning. Simples. Can be any player you like, from any team, from any country, but let's try to keep it civil.

I'll start:

Like: David Pocock. I admire his dedication and tenacity on the field, while off it, he seems like an absolute model sportsman.

Loathe: I absolutely, can't stand Bakkies Botha. I think there are guys who play with emotion, passion and relentlessness, but he takes it too far. His consistent foul play is something that in my eyes may makes good viewing, but does tarnish the game of rugby. I feel he is no more than an overgrown bully, who shrinks away when finally someone of equal or greater stature intervenes (Sheridan on the Lions tour, '09).

So, those are my picks, what are yours?

Like: Gonzalo Garcia. I don't know why, I just do. I tend to like most players so will only mention him to save time.
Loathe: Dylan Hartley, Delon Armitage, Chris Ashton, Dan Biggar, ROG,.

I dislike Biggar a lot too, I don't know what it is, but he seems to ooze arrogance. I loved it when he missed that kick in front of goal for the Ospreys.

I have a feeling Hartley might be on a lot of people's lists...

Like - Soane Tonga'uiha, never seems to be involved in pointless handbags like his front row colleague... and seems a great guy in general

Loathe - quite a few but for me it's Gordon D'arcy, he always seems to react angrily every time he get's tackled, cleaned out of a ruck etc..

like: Adam Jones. Great at what he does, comes across as a really top fella and never gets involved in the fights.

Loathe: BOD, ROG, Hartley, Ashton although loathe is probably too harsh a word...

Yeh I understand that it's a harsh word, but it's mainly for the topic title! What is it about BOD you can't stand? I agree with ROG.

Like: Adam Jones. As mckay1402 says, top player and seems a top bloke as well. Although retired Matfield - best in his position for many years but never seemed arrogant with it. Steven Jones, another who comes accross as a top bloke and possibly achieved more with his talent than expected.

Dislike: Henson. Waste of talent, obviously an idiot when drunk (throwing money at people, really?) Morgan Parra. Brilliant player but plays like a spoiled 5 year old when things are not going his way. Sonny Boy Williams. Seems totally in it for himself and nothing else. Although a great athlete seems to have absolutely no loyalty whatsoever. Heinrich Brüssow - seems a smart little so and so who's happy to get in the faces of others when Botha or somebody is behind him to back him up.

Why do people dislike ROG so much? So he made a mistake in the second Lions test and being a Saints fan beat us earlier in the year with a last second drop goal but he seems okay when interviewed to me.

By the way I'm English and a Saints fan (in case you were wondering why Hartley and Ashton were not in there ).

I've never seen the reason for disliking ROG either. Sure he can look a little surly at times, but I think he's got a decent sense of humour, it's just some people don't get it. Fantastic player.

mckay, what's the reason for disliking BOD? Don't understand that at all!

bluestonevedder wrote:Yeh I understand that it's a harsh word, but it's mainly for the topic title! What is it about BOD you can't stand? I agree with ROG.

The fact that he's so bloody good no doubt.

Irish Bylaw #6o6v2:

If you loath Ronan O'Gara you must like Jonathan Sexton and vice versa.

The law has spoken\

Like: ROG

Loathe: Sexton

Oh wait did I get that the right way round.... ...

SafeAsMilk wrote:I've never seen the reason for disliking ROG either. Sure he can look a little surly at times, but I think he's got a decent sense of humour, it's just some people don't get it. Fantastic player.

mckay, what's the reason for disliking BOD? Don't understand that at all!

I never really had an opinion on ROG until 2008 but I think he acted like a bit of a baby when he realised his tactics weren't working against Wales and then there was the Lions tour...

I just can't stand a whinger and there was far too much made of the spear tackle in new zealand. I know most people won't agree on here but that's my opinion.

Like: Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll for raising the bar in Irish rugby out of sight. Stephen Ferris for his awesome physicality and commitment. Jonny Wilkinson for being a gentleman and a model pro. Johann Muller, Doug Howlett and Isa Nacewa for making Irish rugby a better place. Shane Williams for making rugby fun to watch. Too many others to mention.

Loath: Chris Ashton, Ben Youngs, Dylan Hartley, Mike Phillips and Gavin Henson for being arrogant plonkers. Thomas O'Leary for being rubbish. Declan Kidney for being clueless. Warren Gatland for having a big mouth.

Like - Brian Mujati. Had a torrid time in the springboks jersey, political reasons etc. But seems a very decent guy and he makes his own cider

Loathe - Nick Easter. Useless bas****, really didn't like the 35k comment. Completely rubbed me the wrong way.

Like Adam Jones
Very grizzly, comes across as nice off the field, but quite sly and clever on it. that clever punch during the touch part of the scrum in the Saracens game on Rhys Gill then when the scrum broke up, he again open hand smacked him in the face before walking behind Ian Evans, who Rhys wasn't going through, when he tried to go after Adam. Good player going to be an all time Welsh legend.

Dislike Brian O'Driscoll
Sorry I just can't stand him, not only does he look like Sean Holleys long lost twin brother. but he is a terrible loser also, rarely do you ever hear him giving credit t the opposition when they beat his team, Brian is always moaning about a ref, or trying to find a reason for the loss, he simply won't admit his team were beaten by a better one.
Did you know Ireland have not lost a legitimate game of rugby fairly since 1999? It's true, funnily enough it's also the year Brian started playing for Ireland!

Like: Shane Williams, Johnny Wilkinson, Danny lydiate - All true hard workers, put in a lot of effort to improve their games and seem completely genuine.

Fumiaki Tanaka - Smallest player in the World cup, brilliant service, really energetic and seemed to love playing rugby.

Gavin Henson - Gained my respect for the way he's conducted himself over the past few games, didn't react to Evans's late hit, just got on with it.

Dislike: James Haskell - Sheer arrogance.

Anyone that's gouged, especially Julien Dupuy.

Can understand why people dislike BOD, but i'm indifferent.

AlynDavies wrote:
Did you know Ireland have not lost a legitimate game of rugby fairly since 1999? It's true, funnily enough it's also the year Brian started playing for Ireland!

Really?? I can remember losing quite a few!

Like: Jamie Cudmore - reminds me the human race evolves at different rates. Makes me feel good about my place on the evolutionary ladder.

Dislike: Scrum halves. Nuff said.

Like:

Ritchie Pugh - grease lightening, hugely under rated, especially by his team the Scarlets. Shane Jennings - a prophet is never recognised in his own land

Dislike (I don't loathe rugby players I've never met)

Nikki Walker and Chris Czekaj. They get paid for being professional rygby players but have about as much football in them as a small cardboard box.

doctor_grey wrote:Like: Jamie Cudmore - reminds me the human race evolves at different rates. Makes me feel good about my place on the evolutionary ladder.

Dislike: Scrum halves. Nuff said.

Living here in Redneck Alberta there are plenty of Jamie Cudmore's around, more need to take the game up maybe (or maybe not if you want to finish games with 15 players still on the field).

Most of them work in the oil industry and are often referred to as 'Rig-Pigs'.

like: peter stringer for the comedy, rodrigo roncero for playing in a world cup at the age of 249.

loathe: owen farrell for being mouthy and annoyingly good for a child, alesana and manu tuilagi for being successful with skill levels of zero, george north for the irritating hype.

roddersm wrote:Really?? I can remember losing quite a few!

Well Brian never loses a game fairly, Ireland are always screwed!

SafeAsMilk wrote:I've never seen the reason for disliking ROG either. Sure he can look a little surly at times, but I think he's got a decent sense of humour, it's just some people don't get it. Fantastic player.

mckay, what's the reason for disliking BOD? Don't understand that at all!

Had you been in the stands in Pretoria like i was in 2009 you would loathe ROG, his wife, his wife's friend's tennis partners and his wife's friends tennis partner's dogs.

Like - Geth and Adam

Loathe - ROG and Haskell

B91212 wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:Like: Jamie Cudmore - reminds me the human race evolves at different rates. Makes me feel good about my place on the evolutionary ladder.

Dislike: Scrum halves. Nuff said.

Living here in Redneck Alberta there are plenty of Jamie Cudmore's around, more need to take the game up maybe (or maybe not if you want to finish games with 15 players still on the field).

Most of them work in the oil industry and are often referred to as 'Rig-Pigs'.

I think all your Jamie Cudmores are probably all very close first cousins. A little too close.
Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXQTr_3IVw

Love the expression rig-pigs. Classic.

doctor_grey wrote:Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXQTr_3IVw

Can't believe I forgot Jamie Cudmore! He epitomises everything wrong with the game, and I loved it when Tuilagi smashed him a few years back. Also, when O'Connell destroyed him in the fisticuffs.
Gatts what happened with ROG's family and friends? Were they just rude?

Oh, and the accolades for Adam Jones are completely just, he's such a nice bloke. He bought me a coffee once when I ran into him in Starbucks in Swansea! Legend. He's an americano man if any of you are wondering. Milk. No sugar.

bluestonevedder wrote:Oh, and the accolades for Adam Jones are completely just, he's such a nice bloke. He bought me a coffee once when I ran into him in Starbucks in Swansea! Legend. He's an americano man if any of you are wondering. Milk. No sugar.

Liar. There is no way the racing snake that is Adam Jones got that svelt on americano, milk no sugar!

He had a plate full of muffins too. The sugar was spared because he was dieting. Instead he chose Sweet N' Low.

You've ruined everything

Reasons to dislike O'Driscoll? Well, I'd say they're pretty much the same reasons why people have disliked Wilkinson, disliked Williams, disliked McCaw.

People who do what it says on the tin, that's frustrating to the suppoters of the opposition and a deeply unlikeable trait. Oh add O'Gara and Milke Phillips to the list.

Like: Colin Charvis. Had my respect since he got cornered by about 15 of us in a club not long after the 05 GS, obviously, we were getting leary. so what did he do, instead of try and quickly get out of that situation, he bought us a round of beers and had a few drinks with us before heading back to his mates, he was a proper joker and just seemed like a real down to earth guy.

Loathe: Gavin Henson/Mike Phillips: I've seen the way they act with bouncers and people in the street in general when their out drinking. Me and a mate ended up chasing Mike phillips and 3 girls down queen street in cardiff, he was clearly twice our size and if he had noticed probably could have held us back by our foreheads, but its funny how quickly someone will cack it and start running off at speed however small you are if you start running at them shouting "GAARGHFGHGHWEIGHGHGHGGH". jokes. We managed to get about 40 people chanting "Henson you're a *banker" outside a club on St Marys Street in cardiff at about 3am cause he was acting like a tart.

I think me liking or loathing you as a rugby player depends on how steaming I am when I meet you on a night out drinking in Cardiff.

*exchange the letter b for w.

Comfort wrote:
Loathe: Gavin Henson/Mike Phillips: I've seen the way they act with bouncers and people in the street in general when their out drinking. Me and a mate ended up chasing Mike phillips and 3 girls down queen street in cardiff, he was clearly twice our size and if he had noticed probably could have held us back by our foreheads, but its funny how quickly someone will cack it and start running off at speed however small you are if you start running at them shouting "GAARGHFGHGHWEIGHGHGHGGH". jokes. We managed to get about 40 people chanting "Henson you're a *banker" outside a club on St Marys Street in cardiff at about 3am cause he was acting like a tart.

I think me liking or loathing you as a rugby player depends on how steaming I am when I meet you on a night out drinking in Cardiff.

*exchange the letter b for w.

I'm not sure that the above paragraph doesn't reflect worse on you and your mates than Henson and Phillips?

Comfort wrote:
Me and a mate ended up chasing Mike phillips and 3 girls down queen street in cardiff, he was clearly twice our size and if he had noticed probably could have held us back by our foreheads, but its funny how quickly someone will cack it and start running off at speed however small you are if you start running at them shouting "GAARGHFGHGHWEIGHGHGHGGH". jokes. We managed to get about 40 people chanting "Henson you're a *banker" outside a club on St Marys Street in cardiff at about 3am cause he was acting like a tart.

You hate mike Phillips because he ran away from two rabid nutters? I think that's admirable survival instincts from Phillips and his chorus girls!

roddersm wrote:

Comfort wrote:
Loathe: Gavin Henson/Mike Phillips: I've seen the way they act with bouncers and people in the street in general when their out drinking. Me and a mate ended up chasing Mike phillips and 3 girls down queen street in cardiff, he was clearly twice our size and if he had noticed probably could have held us back by our foreheads, but its funny how quickly someone will cack it and start running off at speed however small you are if you start running at them shouting "GAARGHFGHGHWEIGHGHGHGGH". jokes. We managed to get about 40 people chanting "Henson you're a *banker" outside a club on St Marys Street in cardiff at about 3am cause he was acting like a tart.

I think me liking or loathing you as a rugby player depends on how steaming I am when I meet you on a night out drinking in Cardiff.

*exchange the letter b for w.

I'm not sure that the above paragraph doesn't reflect worse on you and your mates than Henson and Phillips?

oh dear, another valley commando

in danger of getting off topic, so I'll kick start it again with a few others!

Like; David Wallace. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I love the man. He's my favourite all time player. He's goes about his role in an unassuming way, but does so at such a high level. His carries are magnificent, and he rarely misses a tackle. His ability to cover all 3 backrow positions (and wing!) at such a high level is a testament to his talent and skill. When he went down injured against England before the WC I almost cried. Such a shame for him and hope he just comes back stronger for it.

Loathe; Dan Bigger for being arrogant and cocky.
Brussow for being so pugnacious on the Lions tour 09.
Henson because he could be so good but doesn't care enough.
Stringer for being such a good SH.

Like:

Quite a few I could put but Jason Leonard and Wilko came across as really nice blokes when I met them.
Duncan Bell and Chris Budgen for being so old school.
I have real respect for Bobby Skinstad, he was playing semi pro rugby in SW London and then made it back for a RWC final.

Dislike:
Anyone who comes across as a arogant so and so, so most scrum halves!
Haskell, Ashton, Biggar, ROG to name a few...

i would like to confirm I am not a valley commando, neither am i a rabid nutter, jeeeeez guys! I am a 22 yr old from Cardiff. I'm a DJ, so I'm out and about a lot in the nightlife, you see some players out more regularly than others and Phillips/Henson I've seen act like complete knobs on a few occasions.

The times in question:

Phillips was threatening someone half his size (the guy was clearly bricking himself) to impress his lady friends, funny thing was, the guy he was threatening was bigger than both of us aswell.....

Henson was just being a Holly Wilaboobie to people, hence why so many caught on to chant so quickly!

back on topic.....

like: Ben Foden. comes across as a cocky at times, but i think his interviews come across well, hes funny, and he tends to be pretty gracious and more than happy to offer praise when talking about other players. not to mention hes great to watch.

loathe: Dan Parks. where do i start, his sideburns? his inability to throw a pass when theres an overlap of any kind? his "defence"? his lack of anything other than a foot to go along with said sideburns? Im a blues fan, and he has his merits, but they only tend to cover his deficiencies, I cant believe no coach has sat him down to try and round out his game a little more. Dan Biggars going the same way.

Comfort wrote:i would like to confirm I am not a valley commando, neither am i a rabid nutter

greatest start to a post ever.

Agree about Foden Comfort, he seems like a genuinely top bloke and came across well on Haskell WC video diary thing.

Comfort wrote:i would like to confirm I am not a valley commando, neither am i a rabid nutter, jeeeeez guys! I am a 22 yr old from Cardiff. I'm a DJ, so I'm out and about a lot in the nightlife, you see some players out more regularly than others and Phillips/Henson I've seen act like complete knobs on a few occasions.

The times in question:

Phillips was threatening someone half his size (the guy was clearly bricking himself) to impress his lady friends, funny thing was, the guy he was threatening was bigger than both of us aswell.....

Thanks for clearing all that up, Comfort, but you'll agree you never Did bother with a reason-for in on your first account. You just told us you chased him and three girls down the street, barking wildly as you ran. That's rabies in France, and a still dangerous putdownable dog in Britain!

Comfort wrote:i would like to confirm I am not a valley commando, neither am i a rabid nutter, jeeeeez guys! I am a 22 yr old from Cardiff

Like: Stephen Jones.
Not a traditional Welsh OH and disliked by a lot in Wales (mainly those over the Lougher bridge) but he is a great player and to see off so many other outside halves during his career shows how good he was/is. To earn over 100 caps at OH in Wales when the OH is almost always blamed if we lose is a feat that may never happen again despite the increasing number of internationals. Plus he seems like a really nice bloke.

Dislike:
Shane Horgan. Probably a bit irrational and its not because I think he is overrated (although he is). Its because he wants, for some reason, to be a forward. Whenever trouble starts to kick off in a game he appears in the middle of it. Some may say he is just committed but he just seems to have a real attitude.

i did realise after reading it back without the explanations i came across like some crazy Jamie Cudmore-Bakkies Botha-devil spawn frothing at the chops wielding a bottle of white lightening running around with painted bits and nothing but the urge to replicate the vikings.

im not though, really.

like: Dan Lydiate. Thoroughly hard-worker, came back from a broken neck at the age of 19/20 to be the player he is. Still improving and is a genuinely exciting 6, potential and ability to be the welsh ferris.

loathe: O'Gara. For no other reason than the amount of times I've seen him sink welsh regions/the international side. still the best kicker under pressure in the NH for me, i dont want to see him on the pitch if his sides losing by less than 7 going in to the final 10 minutes. (unless he's counterattacking with up n unders )

Like: Adam Jones. The right look, right attitude. A genuine 'article' to borrow from O'Driscoll. But because of his size - and what parts of him it rests on - he has a tougher time than most players chasing around for 80 mins in the ultra fast game rugby has 'sometimes' become. But he always gives it his all and seems like a nice, quiet man when I hear him interviewed.

Of course Comfort will now blow my sweet image of the man asunder by saying he had to chase him down the street with a cleaver one night because he was stealing some kid's tricycle and lollypop!

Dislike: too strong a word but mostly opposition scrumhalves who are necessarily goading, quick footed, relatively little guys with big egos. Parra would be a prime example. But it's his skills I dislike when it's directed at Irish sides so that isn't at all justified.

Agree about Foden. In interviews he comes across as really decent and gracious. Always willing to heap praise on opposition as well as his team mates.
However loathe him for having a stupidly attractive missus.

Like: Pocock, Hook, Williams, Paterson, Hines, Wilkinson, O'driscol, S Lamont, Foden

Loath: Hartley, Haskell, Ashton, Byrne... generally just arrogant, dirty players who lack sportsmanship.

Best Team (sportsmanship) = SA or Ireland

Best Fans = Irish

Like: Jamie Roberts. He runs hard and always comes across as a great guy off the pitch.

Loathe: Tom Waldrom for being too fat for the backrow and overrated (that's what I'm sticking to until the match on Friday anyway).