WRU complain to BBC over interviews conducted with Warren Gatland

Well, it looks like somebody is feeling the pressure, but it looks as though all his staff and the WRU have come out to defend him. Take a look at the following link, it makes for interesting reading:-

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/25/wales-bbc-interviews-warren-gatland

This been doing round for past day or two bless him (though she is a chob), just pity he wouldn't get rid opf some of his backroom staff.

bedfordwelsh wrote:This been doing round for past day or two bless him (though she is a chob), just pity he wouldn't get rid opf some of his backroom staff.

Who do you reckon should go ? I'll take a guess at Howley and McBride ?

LD,

Yeah and to be honest as much as I like Edwards and take away the 65 minutes against NZ our defence hasn't been at it best in receent season or two.

Pretty slow to catch onto this.

I thought it has been said that there wasn't a complaint now anyway. I can see both sides of the coin. There should be questions over Gatland's record and his coaching staff (particularly typewriter Howley and McBryde who couldn't even throw a straight lineout himself), but there should also be more complaints about Sonja and her interviewing technique and the fact she's pretty annoying.

I was thinking about Edwards the other day. This interview was what kickstarted my thoughts. Where has Edwards been? When he first came on board in 2007 he was all over the TV, in every interview. He was THE sidekick. He was being touted as a future head coach, said he wanted to coach England, etc. Then he seemed to disappear. Did he have a falling out? Was it because he was left off the Lions touring party? Was it because he was overlooked for head coach on the Japan tour when the rest were away with the Lions? Was he in a sulk?! It just seemed odd that he was so prominent but now we only see him sporadically, and maybe only in this interview as Gatland was irked and didn't want to do the press conference himself.

The WRU are right, it was cheap sensationalist journalism by someone who is rubbish at her job with little or no knowledge of the game she is suposed to be reporting on. What happened to the BBC actually employing journalists who actually knew a little about the sport?

Griff wrote:I was thinking about Edwards the other day. This interview was what kickstarted my thoughts. Where has Edwards been? When he first came on board in 2007 he was all over the TV, in every interview. He was THE sidekick. He was being touted as a future head coach, said he wanted to coach England, etc. Then he seemed to disappear. Did he have a falling out? Was it because he was left off the Lions touring party? Was it because he was overlooked for head coach on the Japan tour when the rest were away with the Lions? Was he in a sulk?! It just seemed odd that he was so prominent but now we only see him sporadically, and maybe only in this interview as Gatland was irked and didn't want to do the press conference himself.

He was with London Irish for a bit wasn't he? Not sure if he left when Smith came back.

When he joined Wales in 2007 he was on a dual role with Wasps but was still in the limelight. In fact it seems to have been since he relinquished the dual role with LI a while back to concentrate on wales that he seems to have disappeared into the shadows.

Hopefully Sonja is now getting a taste of what its like to feel the pressure.

It was a legitimate question and the way Gats answered it showed he is under pressure.
WRU don't need to complain about the question. Gats is used to being interviewed and has come out with some barbed comments pre match on many occasions and his defenders have said its because he gets bored......
Well you can't have it both ways.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/wales/11255156/Welsh-Rugby-Unions-complaint-to-the-BBC-is-a-pathetic-PR-stunt-and-Warren-Gatland-does-not-need-it.html

Im not so sure it was a legitimate question, what was the interviewer trying to achieve? To me the body of the question was more of a statment rubbing in Wales recent record against the 3 SH countries. in other words she was trying to niggle him.

That was just his opinion that Gatland was put under pressure by a silly wench's question. BigMac's opinion doesn't really count for much.

The Saint wrote:That was just his opinion that Gatland was put under pressure by a silly wench's question. BigMac's opinion doesn't really count for much.

What makes your opinion more relevant Saint? Most observers believe it was a legitimate question & I'm afraid your description of Sonja says more about you than her.

I don't blame the WRU for complaining. Sonja is an appalling interviewer. Seems too happy to stick the knife into whoever she is interviewing, twist the knife then rub plenty of salt into the wounds.

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

The Saint wrote:That was just his opinion that Gatland was put under pressure by a silly wench's question. BigMac's opinion doesn't really count for much.

What makes your opinion more relevant Saint? Most observers believe it was a legitimate question & I'm afraid your description of Sonja says more about you than her.

Sonya is clueless when it comes to rugby and a rather irritating person.

I don't think I've really given my opinion on the interview. I just implied yours was crap

Some article on this topic (maybe indeed the one linked into this thread) - some article asked whether the attitudes to Sonja are because she's a she and men don't like a woman asking questions of a man who plays or coaches a 'man's sport'.................

Anyone feel that might be a hidden reason as to why Sonja can never seem to get a question 'right' whilst all sorts of male rugby eejits (be they players, coaches, pundits or journalists) get away with unadulterated crap but still are accepted as people who've "plyed the gyme and know things abowth the gyme at least, even if they're talking schit right now".

Schit is schit and I think the women get an unfair lick of the sneeringly dismissive snarls that might better be spread out to some of the crap talking 'past plyer types' too.

Meanwhile Gats snarls at an interviewer? Now that's unusual, he don't usually act that way

Bit precious from the WRU. She's a journalist, asking awkward questions is the point of her job. The more awkward the question the better she's doing. It comes with the territory. Under Gatland, Wales do have a remarkably poor record against SH opposition. The press is quite entitled to ask about this. Gatland said at one point the more they played these teams the more progress they would make, and yet they've had made zero progress. For a journalist to ask about that is totally fair.

Tbh, I think its a good thing. The Irish press have an incredibly servile relationship with the IRFU and the coaches of the day, they give them the easiest of easy rides. I wish we had people willing to ask harder questions.

I remember whan Wales won their first Grand Slam in 2005, Micheal Owen was jumping up and down lifting the trophy after just being handed it, he was chearing and celebrating and Sonja was trying to start an interview, for god's sake, let them lift the trophy first woman !!!!!!!

If I was the WRU i'd keep Gatland away from reporters and TV interviews, just let him do the job he is good at. (well, against NH teams anyway!!!!)

There she is look:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8812266.stm

Lets get a number of things straight
1) Gatlands record against the SH big 3 is CRAP compared to England, Ireland and Scotland especially with the players he has had available.
2) McLaughlan had EVERY right to ask the question she asked, she is NOT the Eastern Fail reporters who are too afraid to ask anything to probing.
3) The WRU have NOT complained to the BBC over this issue.
If Gatland cannot take criticism or answer a very simple question he SHOULDN'T be in that job, as I said in another article about a week ago, both Woodward and Henry only lasted in their jobs with England and NZ about the same length of time that Gatland would have been with Wales after next years WC. He should NOT have been offered the contract extension until the 2019 WC until AFTER next years WC.

Notch wrote:Bit precious from the WRU. She's a journalist, asking awkward questions is the point of her job. The more awkward the question the better she's doing. It comes with the territory. Under Gatland, Wales do have a remarkably poor record against SH opposition. The press is quite entitled to ask about this. Gatland said at one point the more they played these teams the more progress they would make, and yet they've had made zero progress. For a journalist to ask about that is totally fair.

Tbh, I think its a good thing. The Irish press have an incredibly servile relationship with the IRFU and the coaches of the day, they give them the easiest of easy rides. I wish we had people willing to ask harder questions.

"Joe, why did you only win against Australia when many fans are suggesting you should have smashed them to pieces?  Do you accept that fans will be dispappointed with that performance today?  is your position under threat?"


Irish Media and IRFU, Notch?  Irish media and coaches?   Easy ride?  
I think you might like to have a chat with Kidney about how easy of a ride he felt he was getting. Indeed, I think you could go back to Eddie. Indeed, I think you could easily go back to Gats himself.  
I think you could ask BOD and the boys who played through those years how they felt about the media and the Irish media's view of them...and how the players and coaches themselves often snarled at media intrusion and opinions as they felt the siege mentality grow around them. And how they themselves hinted at the idea of journalists asking dumb questions who never played the game.

I remember all those kinda moments through the years.  

I think the media (and certainly the Irish media) start hovering and sniping when negativity exists.  Gatland is in that phase.  I suppose the real problem for Gatland was that he probably sees the Interviewer as a BBC English based question - so in a sense, it's a question from a Foreign interviewer (in Rugby Nation terms) and therefore impudent and deserving of a complaint.
Had it been Johnathan Davies asking the question I wonder would the complaint have been issued?

I see it simply as the continuing verbal war games between Wales and their habitual rugby enemies England.  Sensitivities were tickled and they bit back.

The Saint wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

The Saint wrote:That was just his opinion that Gatland was put under pressure by a silly wench's question. BigMac's opinion doesn't really count for much.

What makes your opinion more relevant Saint? Most observers believe it was a legitimate question & I'm afraid your description of Sonja says more about you than her.

Sonya is clueless when it comes to rugby and a rather irritating person.

I don't think I've really given my opinion on the interview. I just implied yours was crap

Unusually, I have to agree with Saint, Sonja McLaughlan has never asked a non scripted rugby question in her life. She probably has two sets of questions; one if the side being interviewed win, one if they lose. Whichever they are they will be delivered without any knowledge of what the question means, literally or from a personal point of view to the interviewee.

I would sooner see ASIMO do the interview, it's programming probably gives it more knowledge of the game than Sonja McLaughlan will ever have.

The issue is not whether Sonja is a good interviewer or not as that is avoiding the issue.

It's

1)whether the question was legitimate and

2) was the subsequent criticism of the BBC by the Welsh warranted.

and the clear answer in my view is YES & NO.

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:The issue is not whether Sonja is a good interviewer or not as that is avoiding the issue.

It's

1)whether the question was legitimate and

2) was the subsequent criticism of the BBC by the Welsh warranted.

and the clear answer in my view is YES & NO.

So you're on the fence on this one, Trev??

An international coach should be able to deal with a question however asenine it is and I just wish the interviewer who had the 'run in' with Edwards had had the balls to ask if he thought a record of 27 losses out of 28 was ok (instead of backing down) - it would have been entertaining if nothing else

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:The issue is not whether Sonja is a good interviewer or not as that is avoiding the issue.

It's

1)whether the question was legitimate and

2) was the subsequent criticism of the BBC by the Welsh warranted.

and the clear answer in my view is YES & NO.

Or rather YES and N/A, particularly with the way you've worded it as "the Welsh".

It was a fair question. If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

nlpnlp wrote:An international coach should be able to deal with a question however asenine it is and I just wish the interviewer who had the 'run in' with Edwards had had the balls to ask if he thought a record of 27 losses out of 28 was ok (instead of backing down) - it would have been entertaining if nothing else

He did though, didn't he?

Edwards said pressure happens in every sport.  Every game you play, there is pressure.  His attitude was that it's nothing new and therefore why should it be a subject of a question.
I think the interviewer than said Yeah, pressure is there but 27 losses from 28 is a special version of it.  Edwards then replies by listing off Gatland's successes - GSs , Lions tour.  
The interviewer then backed down and said he had a point.

He did have a point.  Gatland is a successful coach.  But I suppose the idea of the link with the SH sides and Gatland's personal record with Wales against those sides is that the WC contains SH sides and you usually have to get past one or two of them to win the thing.  If I was an Internviewer that's the point I'd make.  The question is legitimate because there is always a few SH sides between NH ones and the Cup.

WELL-PAST-IT wrote:

The Saint wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

The Saint wrote:That was just his opinion that Gatland was put under pressure by a silly wench's question. BigMac's opinion doesn't really count for much.

What makes your opinion more relevant Saint? Most observers believe it was a legitimate question & I'm afraid your description of Sonja says more about you than her.

Sonya is clueless when it comes to rugby and a rather irritating person.

I don't think I've really given my opinion on the interview. I just implied yours was crap

Unusually, I have to agree with Saint, Sonja McLaughlan has never asked a non scripted rugby question in her life. She probably has two sets of questions; one if the side being interviewed win, one if they lose. Whichever  they are they will be delivered without any knowledge of what the question means, literally or from a personal point of view to the interviewee.

I would sooner see ASIMO do the interview, it's programming probably gives it more knowledge of the game than Sonja McLaughlan will ever have.

Yep. A lot of that is what I was thinking, but I couldn't be bothered to type it all out this morning . I have come across good female reporters, particularly a few in Wales, so this isn't a gender thing. It's a sonja thing...

Risca Rev wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:The issue is not whether Sonja is a good interviewer or not as that is avoiding the issue.

It's

1)whether the question was legitimate and

2) was the subsequent criticism of the BBC by the Welsh warranted.

and the clear answer in my view is YES & NO.

Or rather YES and N/A, particularly with the way you've worded it as "the Welsh".

Its stupidity and generalisations like this that make his opinions score 0/10.

SecretFly wrote:I suppose the real problem for Gatland was that he probably sees the Interviewer as a BBC English based question - so in a sense, it's a question from a Foreign interviewer (in Rugby Nation terms) and therefore impudent and deserving of a complaint.
Had it been Johnathan Davies asking the question I wonder would the complaint have been issued?

I see it simply as the continuing verbal war games between Wales and their habitual rugby enemies England.  Sensitivities were tickled and they bit back.

It's got nothing at all to do with England.

Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

You would be wrong on most counts then.

Cyril wrote:

SecretFly wrote:I suppose the real problem for Gatland was that he probably sees the Interviewer as a BBC English based question - so in a sense, it's a question from a Foreign interviewer (in Rugby Nation terms) and therefore impudent and deserving of a complaint.
Had it been Johnathan Davies asking the question I wonder would the complaint have been issued?

I see it simply as the continuing verbal war games between Wales and their habitual rugby enemies England.  Sensitivities were tickled and they bit back.

It's got nothing at all to do with England.

Perhaps not in your mind, Cyril.  But in the minds of Welsh people and the team and their continuing yearly niggles with the BBC coverage when rugby is concerned, I'd say it very much does have an English angle.

Fly, if you want to be lazy and see BBC as English then fair enough.

Cyril wrote:Fly, if you want to be lazy and see BBC as English then fair enough.

Not my point.  Not my observations.  Not my concern about any 'Englishness' of the BBC.  But don't tell me that a big section of Welsh fans here often claim a particularly 'English' bias in coverage and comments and emphasis.

You inhabit the same space here as I do and you've been here as long, and you've been through the campaigns.  You know I'm not lying.  It's the truth.

My comments are not based on what I think but on how substantial sections of the Welsh rugby following public DO believe there is an English preferment slant in BBC Rugby coverage.

Do you understand the point I'm making now?  It's not what is true or false, it's simply about a real perception that exists.

Cyril wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

You would be wrong on most counts then.

But not the part on the English liking to put the boot into the Welsh.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It was a fair question.  If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

i

Thankfully Saint doesn't speak for the "Welsh"

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It was a fair question.  If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

i

Thankfully Saint doesn't speak for the "Welsh"

Glad to see you've learnt a thing or two, it took you long enough.

The Saint wrote:

Cyril wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

You would be wrong on most counts then.

But not the part on the English liking to put the boot into the Welsh.

Please f*ck off. Mods, do your job please.

Cyril wrote:

The Saint wrote:

Cyril wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

You would be wrong on most counts then.

But not the part on the English liking to put the boot into the Welsh.

Please f*ck off. Mods, do your job please.

I suggest some relaxation is in order before you get banned by the mods for directing profanities at other users.

Cyril wrote:

The Saint wrote:

Cyril wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Cyril, I thought Sonja Mclaughlan was English, living in England, working in England for a predominantely English based broadcaster.

I heard (somewhere) that the English like putting the boot into the Welsh.

You would be wrong on most counts then.

But not the part on the English liking to put the boot into the Welsh.

Please f*ck off. Mods, do your job please.

Come on Sonya, toughen up.

The Saint wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It was a fair question.  If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

i

Thankfully Saint doesn't speak for the "Welsh"

Glad to see you've learnt a thing or two, it took you long enough.

I know that not many are 'village idiots' but you keep the description valid on this forum.

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

The Saint wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It was a fair question.  If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

i

Thankfully Saint doesn't speak for the "Welsh"

Glad to see you've learnt a thing or two, it took you long enough.

I know that not many are 'village idiots' but you keep the description valid on this forum.

It's better than being the only gay in the village.

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

The Saint wrote:

BigTrevsbigmac wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It was a fair question.  If it were fired off at someone like Roy Hodgeson (or whoever the England Wendyball coach is) then it would have been seen as fair.

i

Thankfully Saint doesn't speak for the "Welsh"

Glad to see you've learnt a thing or two, it took you long enough.

I know that not many are 'village idiots' but you keep the description valid on this forum.

But to be fair Wales is made up of tiny villages, and each one by law requires an idiot to be classed as a village, so obviously we are going to have lots of village idiots.

Am I missing something here? I get referred to as an idiot and the get told off for posting a lighthearted response. Someone also directs a profanity at me and has no action taken against them. One rule for Saint and different rules for everyone else?

Light hearted comments can be taken as sexist and homophobic I guess.