Campbell spinning out of all control
The row began when one of Fleet Street’s finest took it upon themselves to call the stricken back rower as he lay in his hospital bed in Auckland on Monday following ankle surgery the previous day.
This call pre-empted an arranged ‘pool’ interview with Dallaglio, when one reporter conducts an interview on behalf of the media and then distributes the quotes.
Far more damaging to tour harmony, however, was that the reporter shared his quotes with two co-conspirators, but neglected to invite their colleague from the newspaper which pays Dallaglio as a columnist.
Always happy to oblige the press, the English rugby icon gave the rogue journos a story about possibly returning to the international fold when he regained full fitness, leaving his own newspaper’s reporter, who had abided by the ‘pool’ arrangement, truly high and dry and declaring the end of all niceties from that point on. It promises to be a bumpy ride for the rest of the tour.
The row capped a difficult week for the British and Irish rugby journalists travelling on this tour, the previous focal point of discontent having been Lions communications advisor Alistair Campbell.
Tony Blair’s former spin doctor was brought on board the Lions touring party by head coach Clive Woodward to ensure his players and fellow coaches were presented in the best possible light.
In practice this has appeared to involve keeping the players as far away from the press corps as possible and when they are presented for interview, by keeping the interaction to a minimum.
Players are sent in to the press conference room for 25-minute media blitzes, accompanied by ‘media support’ staff who whisk them from radio interviewer to television spot to the written press before whisking them out of the room again.
All of which would be fine if the reporting of rugby had not always been conducted on the most relaxed and informal of terms by reporters and players alike. The Westminster Lobby this is not, but Campbell has brought his experience in the cut-throat political arena to bear on the Lions and it has all the subtlety of a tight-head prop dancing the Nutcracker.
AT press conferences he has ensured that the leading coach for each session opens the meeting with a prepared statement, the intention of which is to lead the direction of questioning into Lions-friendly territory.
Yet his most contentious role on tour has been to vet all newspaper columns written by players.
This is to prevent a repeat of some of the dirty linen that came out in the wash during the 2001 tour to Australia, when Matt Dawson attacked then Lions coach Graham Henry and Austin Healey unwisely called Australian second row Justin Harrison a plod and a plank.
Before he returned to England for 10 days following the Bay of Plenty game on Saturday, Campbell gave an insight into how he perceives his role to a New Zealand newspaper.
His oversight of the player columns, he said, was helping rather than censoring them, adding: “We can take the load off them.”
Yet one English broadsheet reporter has already seen a player’s description of going out “for a beer”, returned to him as going “for a stroll” while mention of Woodward’s knighthood has been dropped, returning “Sir Clive” to plain old lovable “Clive”.
Of course, none of this will matter to the thousands of Lions fans cheering on their team in New Zealand or the millions watching back home if Woodward upsets the odds and claims a test series victory over the All Blacks.
“None of us knows whether this stuff makes a difference,” Campbell told the local newspaper at the weekend, “but Clive is convinced that getting the media right helps the players on the pitch.”
Fine, and trifling the complaints may seem, too, but it is censorship nonetheless and indicative of high level of control freakery that scarcely does the British & Irish Lions any credit.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
