How to win friends and influence me
Recalling the second-last visit we paid to the same establishment, when an inter-county player of our acquaintance wept openly into a large glass of golden liquid and then drank the contents, an oddly literal expression of disappointment.
We were confirmed in our suspicions that the Burlo was the Bok base when Bakkies Botha drifted past reception like an ocean liner that had slipped its moorings, so we swallowed our cuppa – €3 for a TINY cup, come on! – and headed in to meet Peter de Villiers et al.
There’s a reason we put you in this particular picture, a reason that harks back a couple of weeks ago to the Wallaby press conference following Ireland’s late and dramatic draw with same in Croke Park.
Australia coach Robbie Deans, captain Rocky Elsom, and man of the match David Pocock, he of the unfeasibly large biceps filed into the media room after the game to share their thoughts on what had happened.
Now we understand that it’s disappointing to concede a draw with the last kick of the game any day of the week, but it was a draw, after all, not a loss. It wasn’t that Deans was monosyllabic: he hardly spared a consonant with his testy answers – “No point, mate,” was one example when asked about the referee.
A colleague wrote that Deans was bordering on the rude. Bordering? We’d be inclined to say he had passed the customs post and was applying for residency.
In fairness to the Wallabies, they rolled out players after that press conference, and you might say in any event that journalists complaining about bad manners from people is an exercise in hypocrisy on a par with (insert banker/public servant/politican’s name here) complaining about (insert public odium/public odium/public odium here), but we have a point.
OR AT least a reason, like we said.
Flicking through the Springbok media guide – with names like Heinke Van Der Merwe and Chiliboy Ralepelle, what’s not to love? – we came across the Springbok Media Code of Conduct, and this paragraph in particular.
“Dealings between the Springbok team and the media should always be conducted in good HUMOUR (their capitals). Professional rugby is a serious business but there should always be an opportunity to share lighter moments with the media. Good humour is important to a happy team environment.”
Now, you could point to a couple of possible pitfalls there. Say Ireland were to beat South Africa with a late and controversial try tomorrow in Croke Park: chances are you wouldn’t find too many men in green and gold willing to “share lighter moments with the media” if you put the arm on Victor Matfield for a quick word before he gets on the bus.
Still, it’s an admirable commitment to make, particularly in your media code of conduct. We stopped short of mailing it on to the Wallaby coach as, in his own words, there’d be no point. Mate.
Elsewhere in the Bok code of conduct there’s a very simple rationale for their policy: “As Springboks we are aware of the role the media has to play in promoting the game of rugby as well as the Springbok team... The media is employed to cover this wonderful game and wherever possible we will aid them to do so honestly and without bias... while bearing in mind that their primary purpose is to perform well on the playing field, the players also realise that rugby as professional sport needs marketability through exposure.”
There you have it – a common-sense approach to media relations if ever we saw one. It doesn’t mean we’ll be cheering for the Boks against Ireland tomorrow, but we certainly know who we’ll be backing in next year’s Tri-Nations.
- michael.moynihan@examiner.ie Twitter: MikeMoynihanEx
