Looking forward to seeing this on the Lions DVD!

Simon Zebo asked Rob Penney to make him Munster captain
We can imagine Penney was chuffed to take the surprise phone call.
17 hours ago 7,941 Views 2 Comments


HE MAY BE the new poster boy of Munster Rugby, but most would struggle to see Simon Zebo stepping into the breach left behind by Doug Howlett and becoming the province’s captain.

Still, that didn’t stop Simon Zebo calling up Rob Penney a fortnight ago and asking for the job. From what we learned today on LegalWeek.com, it sounds as if Penney politely declined.

One of the staple pieces of any modern rugby tour is the ‘fines committee’; a means of keeping morale high by keeping player morals and standards in tact.

‘Fines’ will rarely take the form of a monetary payment. Instead a punishment is levied on the player. One such punishment found its way to Zebo, according to the Lions’ legal officer Max Duthie in his column with LegalWeek.com.

Duthie alleges that Zebo’s crime was roaring ‘put it out’ to Conor Murray when the pair were in the Lions side playing the Melbourne Rebels two weeks ago (the incident comes after 47 minutes here).

The Lions had just won possession back 20 seconds before half time. Knowing Murray had his eye on the ruck rather than the clock, the wing conned his provincial team-mate to put the ball in the stands rather than run the following play.

   “Conor did as instructed and kicked the ball into touch,” Duthie writes, “and waited for the referee to call time and run into the changing rooms for the half-time break. But instead the referee called for a line out and the Lions coaches and management scratched their heads as to why Conor had kicked to touch.

“Conor looked up at the clock and saw that there were still 30 seconds left to play and then looked over at Zebo who was chuckling away to himself, shoulders rocking, at having spoofed his team mate.”

That explains this moment then. YouTube screengrab.

Crime and punishment time, and in place of the scales of justice come a pair of furry dice courtesy of the fines committee; Geoff Parling, Richard Hibbard and Rob Kearney. The Corkman rolled, and struck number four:

“When the dice stopped on the number four, the room erupted with cheers because punishment number four required Zebo to telephone his club coach, Rob Penney, and tell him that he wanted to be captain next season.

   “Within a few seconds, Jamie Roberts had dialed the number and rigged up the speakerphone, and there was Zebo making his case for Munster captaincy to his coach, while 80 players and management stifled their laughter in the background.

“It did not last long, as the hoots and squeals from those in the room gave the game away, but is was a wonderful piece of comedy.”

Let this be a lesson to all you backs looking to embarrass your poor innocent scrum-half.

http://www.thescore.ie/zebo-munster-captain-987132-Jul2013/

Brilliant. I had read about Zebo doing that, but not the story.

That's pretty funny

 

Rob Penney should have played along and said yes!

Paul O'Connell was on the Ray Darcy show this morning telling that story. Really hope someone had a camera rolling.

Am I going to be a awful killjoy here by saying the right kind of fine for that particular infringement might have been more along the lines of a scaffold, a noose and a blindfold?

So he deliberately did something that would be to the detriment of his team for 'a laugh'? Nice one.

HammerofThunor wrote:So he deliberately did something that would be to the detriment of his team for 'a laugh'? Nice one.

Well if you want to think of it another way, he could have created another attacking opportunity by causing a lineout   Its not like he stopped Murray making a try saving tackle, is it?

He shouldn't have done it, Sin.  It made Murray look bad at the time.  Lots of people were criticisng him for it.  You don't playact during games.

I can't believe he did it for fun.  I think he simply must have made a mistake calling on Murray to kick it out...and then the fines committee turned it into fun in the aftermath.

It was the last game in the tour for most of that team - Zebo was looking forward to 2 weeks of holding tacklebags for the Welsh lions - can you blame him trying to amuse himself. The match was against the Rebels so it really didn't matter. Its not as if Gatland showed he cared much about what the results would be with the team he put out against the Brumbies.

It didn't affect Murray chances anyway as he didn't get selected for the 1st Test and probably thought his tour was over as well as the coaches were certainly not picking on form.

Hahaha!!

Gotta admit, a bit cheeky from Zebo initially. It was 35-0 at that point lets remember, but Murray was pushing for a test spot... If he had no hope of starting the second or third tests I might feel more sympathetic. Kind of a d!ck move.

Punishment fitted the crime.

Sin é wrote:It was the last game in the tour for most of that team - Zebo was looking forward to 2 weeks of holding tacklebags for the Welsh lions - can you blame him trying to amuse himself.  The match was against the Rebels so it really didn't matter. Its not as if Gatland showed he cared much about what the results would be with the team he put out against the Brumbies.

It didn't affect Murray chances anyway as he didn't get selected for the 1st Test and probably thought his tour was over as well as the coaches were certainly not picking on form.

I wish it was the Welsh Lions. Wouldn't be half as much bellyaching and putting players up on such a pedestal, that it's such a crime when they're correctly dropped.

Risca Rev wrote:

Sin é wrote:It was the last game in the tour for most of that team - Zebo was looking forward to 2 weeks of holding tacklebags for the Welsh lions - can you blame him trying to amuse himself.  The match was against the Rebels so it really didn't matter. Its not as if Gatland showed he cared much about what the results would be with the team he put out against the Brumbies.

It didn't affect Murray chances anyway as he didn't get selected for the 1st Test and probably thought his tour was over as well as the coaches were certainly not picking on form.

I wish it was the Welsh Lions. Wouldn't be half as much bellyaching and putting players up on such a pedestal, that it's such a crime when they're correctly dropped.

It was the Welsh Lions. So be happy

SecretFly wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:

Sin é wrote:It was the last game in the tour for most of that team - Zebo was looking forward to 2 weeks of holding tacklebags for the Welsh lions - can you blame him trying to amuse himself.  The match was against the Rebels so it really didn't matter. Its not as if Gatland showed he cared much about what the results would be with the team he put out against the Brumbies.

It didn't affect Murray chances anyway as he didn't get selected for the 1st Test and probably thought his tour was over as well as the coaches were certainly not picking on form.

I wish it was the Welsh Lions. Wouldn't be half as much bellyaching and putting players up on such a pedestal, that it's such a crime when they're correctly dropped.

It was the Welsh Lions.  So be happy

This! Leave it now. You 'won'.

Ha ha funny story, I like it.

For the more serious minded folk on here I wouldn't think its exactly true. Probably more a case of getting each others wires crossed. Zebo most likely meant 'put it out' as in clear the ball out of the 22 as deep as possible(Rebels had just lost the ball so I bet they had no full back deep in their half). Murray obviously just kicked the ball out thinking it was half time.

When they went back to the changing room at half time, Murray probably asked Zebo why he said that and some other team member overheard and this incident then got passed over to the Fines Committee for further embellishment.

Dont let the truth get in the way of a good story!

I reckon so, tom. I reckon so.

Notch wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:

Sin é wrote:It was the last game in the tour for most of that team - Zebo was looking forward to 2 weeks of holding tacklebags for the Welsh lions - can you blame him trying to amuse himself.  The match was against the Rebels so it really didn't matter. Its not as if Gatland showed he cared much about what the results would be with the team he put out against the Brumbies.

It didn't affect Murray chances anyway as he didn't get selected for the 1st Test and probably thought his tour was over as well as the coaches were certainly not picking on form.

I wish it was the Welsh Lions. Wouldn't be half as much bellyaching and putting players up on such a pedestal, that it's such a crime when they're correctly dropped.

It was the Welsh Lions.  So be happy

This! Leave it now. You 'won'.

I'm not petty enough to think like that, nor call them the Welsh Lions or Wions. I don't/didn't see it like that. I'll say however if they were the Welsh Lions as you guys want to class it, then SuperBod is still missing that win he craves for his cv.

Risca Rev wrote: I'll say however if they were the Welsh Lions as you guys want to class it, then SuperBod is still missing that win he craves for his cv.

He is.  It's gone.  Behind all the half smiles and "what might have beens" from both BOD and Gatland in the aftermath,  the episode spolied it for both men.  That's the fact.  And no moaning or whinging from either side in this debate will change that for either man.  The players and coaches who felt totally part of it all (including young guys who know they'll have another crack at it if they do themselves justice in the next four years and players who were injured and couldn't play rather than not being picked to play) will be full of joy and happiness.  But one player and one coach will have mixed feelings about the whole tour now - as both player and coach already alluded to.

I just watched the incident- it was the end of the first half and it was 14-0. IF it happened as described Zebo was a bit of a fool to be messing with Murray, who was trying to play his way into the second test. Unprofessional?

If this is true then it's remarkably unprofessional by young Zebo.

This may not have come across on the TV coverage of the Rebels game here, but Zebo went close to scoring in the corner in front of us.

The chant went up 'Zebo, Zebo , Zebo'. Zebo was milking it and throwing his arms up encouraging the chant.

It did not go down well with some of his fellow players.

An undoubted talent is Zebo, but he needs to rein in his ego.

 Zego

I think he surmised he had no chance of a test place and just treated it as an extended holiday.

I wonder if the BOD/Heaslip confrontation with Gatland will make it onto the DVD? Sexton was apparently bullied into filming it by his past and present Capt hence why Gatland stuck by him.

Scrumpy wrote:I wonder if the BOD/Heaslip confrontation with Gatland will make it onto the DVD? Sexton was apparently bullied into filming it by his past and present Capt hence why Gatland stuck by him.

When Sexton was playing the game, Gatland had a few of his bodyguards ransack Sexton's tent (downgraded after the confrontation).  They found the camera and filmed footage, burned the lot, reported back to Gatland mid game and...............  Sexton was off in a jiffy.

You all saw him mouthing the words: "The f**ker got me stuff!!!  He f**kin' perished our insurance goods."

Who's to say Zebo knew that wasn't the end of the half too. Probably just crossed wires. Wouldn't get me jocks in a twist. And they won, which is the most important thing in the world.

Mickado wrote:Who's to say Zebo knew that wasn't the end of the half too. Probably just crossed wires. Wouldn't get me jocks in a twist. And they won, which is the most important thing in the world.

The most likely scenario. Zebo probably thought it was over, told Murray to kick it out, then laughed about it when he realised there was still time. He and Murray talked about it in the changing room, the other guys overheard it and he got punished for it. Anyone who thinks it was unprofessional or malicious should stop looking for things to be annoyed at and lighten up.

Pre order now

http://store.rfu.com/stores/rfu/products/product_details.aspx?pid=138309

looks like that is just the games. is there definitely a "living with Lions" version coming out.

GoodinTightSpaces wrote:looks like that is just the games. is there definitely a  "living with Lions" version coming out.

Yes there are two versions. Both are being released on iTunes for the first time too. Will be far better having it on my hard drive rather than having discs to lose/get scratched.

Risca Rev wrote:

GoodinTightSpaces wrote:looks like that is just the games. is there definitely a  "living with Lions" version coming out.

Yes there are two versions. Both are being released on iTunes for the first time too. Will be far better having it on my hard drive rather than having discs to lose/get scratched.

great