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Former All Blacks star slams veteran commentator Keith Quinn's 'harmful' Twitter post

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Former All Blacks star Zac Guildford has hit out at veteran rugby commentator Keith Quinn’s advice to New Zealand men to “harden up”.

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Quinn sparked controversy on Twitter on Monday night with the post in which he questioned “bloke- ism”.

“What’s happening to bloke-ism? In the TV news the last few days Dustin Johnson, Lewis Hamilton & Puma rugby players & coach all crying their eyes out. Would the sight of All Blacks wearing pink boots have moved Pinetree Meads? I doubt it. Harden up – blokes of today,” the broadcaster posted.

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      After a meteoric ascent into representative rugby, including being part of the victorious All Blacks squad at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Guildford has been plagued by off-field problems with alcohol and depressions, including a much publicised 2011 incident at a Rarotonga resort where he assaulted a patron while inebriated.

      Guildford also sensationally walked out on French club Nevers early last year – only months after signing a new contract.

      In an interview with NZME on Tuesday, Guildford described Quinn’s comments as “outdated” and “damaging”.

      “Having not been able to open up and keeping it bottled up, my emotions eventually boiled over and got the better of me,” Guildford said.

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      “One comment by someone like that, in a position of authority can undo a lot of good work that others are putting in, moving rugby forward.

      “It was a huge factor in jeopardising my career because all my feelings I had inside had no way to come out, except when I was drinking and when they came out, they came out in a bad way.”

      While not directly replying to Quinn’s tweet, All Blacks icon Sir John Kirwan also made his stance clear, posting, “My highlight from the weekend was the team and Mario Ledesma crying, made me cry. Beautiful,” he wrote.

      Dozens of other Kiwi Twitter users replied to Quinn’s tweet expressing their disappointment at his views.

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      “No Keith you’ve got this exactly backwards,” one Twitter user replied. “It’s great to see top sportsmen unafraid to express emotion, and explicitly rejecting the ‘harden up’ ethos of years gone by. More of this please.”

      https://twitter.com/Dean_Nimbly/status/1328223333314224129

      “This makes me really sad. I grew up watching rugby with my dad by my side and you in our ears. Dad’s gone now but he was learning to mellow as he aged and be less repressed about his feelings. I hope you can learn that too,” another Kiwi said.

      https://twitter.com/fascismdad/status/1328227413071777792

      Quinn eventually backtracked from the initial comment, posting: “Point taken everyone. For the record and in all seriousness I think it’s great these days that men can openly express their emotions. I often do myself. I was really just thinking of the differences from earlier times.”

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      J
      Jfp123 40 minutes ago
      Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

      It will be great if Jalibert improves in defence, but unless and until he improves substantially, I think he should be out of the running for the national team. If you look at the French A side, attack is not usually so much of a problem - they scored 200 points in the last 6 nations without MJ on the pitch. Defence however can be an issue, Penaud isn’t the greatest in that area for a start. So a 10 who is solid in defence is badly needed. And given his poor defence record, MJ would be bound to be targeted by shrewd coaches like Rassi and Razor, so he needs to be able to withstand that.

      Also, given sufficient improvement in defence, there are still factors which tell against MJ. I think the 7/1 bench has been a very successful experiment, and for that you need flexible backs who can play in more than one position in case of injury. Then there’s how well the 10 plays with France’s best 9, Dupont. And even if you think MJ is better when there’s no Dupont or 7/1 split, stability in a test team is important, so it’s better not to go chopping and changing the 10 needlessly. There’s also the question of temperament - MJ doesn’t shine at his brightest when it really matters, eg WC quarters and Top14 finals, and look at his test record over the past 2 years.

      I see Ntamack as by far the best option at 10. Rugby is a team game, and apart from his excellent defence, there’s his partnership with Dupont, his versatility, and all the other skills that go to making a great team player and a great 10. He’s excellent under the high ball, an area where France tend to have a weakness, and has fine strategic and team management skills, great handling skills and so on.

      While having star quality is important, it’s not the be all and end all, as illustrated by UBB this season. Imo, though undoubtedly very good, they underperformed. With best wings, best 9, as Dupont barely played in the Top14, with Jalibert and leading centres and 15, plus a strengthened forward pack, they couldn’t match ST in points scored, despite the latter’s huge injury list which left some positions seriously weakened, at least on paper.

      For next season, I hope ST are back to their scintillating best with injuries healed, that LBB is back to rude health for UBB, that the exciting promise of La Rochelle’s and Toulon’s new recruits bears fruit, Bayonne continue to defy their budget and we have a cracking, highly competitive Top14 and Les Bleus triumphant in the autumn internationals and six nations!

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