Munster call in the cops to tackle offensive online harassment of their players
Munster Rugby have turned to police in Ireland to put an end to what they claim is the “offensive online harassment and abuse” of some of their players.
The club have claimed that social media accounts and offensive posts have been created in recent months “for the purpose of attacking and abusing players, while also falsely claiming to be Munster Rugby players online”.
The extraordinary story, published by the Limerick Leader newspaper, is completely against the grain for a club that so frequently praises the behaviour of its supporters who will travel in their thousands to next weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-final in Edinburgh.
A Munster spokesperson told the newspaper that the social media trolls are “actively looking to destroy reputations and falsely represent people” in their Twitter and Instagram posts.
“This is not rugby-related. This is targeted abuse and has moved beyond the players’ themselves. It has linked in to their family and friends. These people are actively looking to destroy reputations and falsely represent people.
(Continue reading below…)
“With the online world you cannot control most of it. It’s other peoples’ accounts, other peoples’ posts. We cannot remove, we can’t delete them. Obviously we report them. We use the mechanisms that are available to us with regard to reporting on the social media platforms, but it is on-going, it is continuing to happen.
“It’s the level and the nature of the posts, the commentary and the accounts and what they are trying to get across. This harassment is of a nature that warrants Garda investigation and intervention. Our players are people. While the public see them as sportspeople, there are people number one in our line of work and rugby players number two.
“It’s the person, our people who are being attacked here. That is who we are trying to protect. As a group everyone is being attacked. What they are trying to do to them, there is a human side to it. The abuse effects so many people. You see young people in the papers every week, you are seeing the ramifications of the online world, cyber-bullying, online harassment.
Munster Rugby report 'offensive' on-line harassment of players to Gardai via @ckSportLeader #LLSport https://t.co/MHTYniuDGM
— Limerick Leader / Limerick Live (@Limerick_Leader) March 21, 2019
“We are all united on this, have been addressing the group and working with the players closely. Obviously, the Gardai would have been brought in, so we have had detectives explain the process of how that all works. We are checking in constantly with the players. Actually venting these things unifies you because it maybe is an attack on one player this week and another player next week. Some players may not be getting it, but as a group you stand together on it.
“It effects all of us, but we all work together to try and get through it. This abuse has been going on for months and we haven’t seen that [negative] effect on the pitch. We had won seven in a row up to losing our most recent game. This is going on in the background for months and it hasn’t impacted on performance. As a group everyone is very strong and united on it.
“From a player welfare point of view, it’s constant communication with players, it’s talking to the Gardai, it’s bringing in external services where possible. We’re speaking with a forensic scientist at the moment just to talk about online behaviours.
“It’s education and is about coping mechanisms. That is a big thing from our side. That links back to the sports side of things. When they are playing they get negative commentary and opinions which comes part and parcel of being a professional sportsperson.
“Our biggest objective is to make sure players can cope with that, so that now is moving into another level that we have never seen before. Now we are trying to address that and see how we work with our players on this and make sure everyone is coming through the right side of it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments