‘Social media a trap’, says Kiwi Solomona
Denny Solomona is driving home from Sale Sharks’ training base with his mind set on a three-hour dog walk in the sun. Bella the doberman and Bruce the dalmatian are waiting.
‘‘I’d rather be out with nature,’’ says the 25-year-old. ‘‘I don’t want to be sitting indoors on my phone.’’
Idle hands and all that.
It has been a busy and unsavoury week in the relationship between rugby and social media, headlined by two of the world’s best players. The fallout from Israel Folau expressing his strongly held Christian beliefs, before Billy Vunipola appeared to endorse them on Instagram, has not escaped Solomona.
‘‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion but, for me, social media is a trap,’’ he says. ‘‘People become fixated on the negatives of it. There might be thousands of positive comments towards you but if there is one negative, it can rile you.’’
The Auckland-born Solomona is proud of his Samoan heritage. He was raised into a Christian family, in a similar manner to so many peers with Polynesian and Melanesian ancestry, but admits he has never encountered the same level of hostility that laced Folau’s Instagram post, which informed drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters that hell awaited them unless they repented.
Nor has Solomona witnessed religion divide a dressing room. However, across a code-hopping career spanning Melbourne Storm, London Broncos, Castleford Tigers and now Steve Diamond’s Sale, he has needed to lean on his own faith.
‘‘I believe in God, but I’ve probably done six of the other seven of the things [Folau] listed,’’ Solomona adds. ‘‘What I think he’s saying is that it’s never too late to turn to faith if you want guidance.
‘‘I’ve been in the media for a lot of controversial things, but my faith has led to me being a better person now. I’ve learned my lessons and that’s what I think [Folau and Vunipola] are trying to say, that whatever you believe in – Mother Earth, whatever – you can turn to it.’’
One of those ‘‘controversial things’’ arose from a match against Worcester Warriors 13 months ago. Following a tangle between the players at a breakdown, Solomona was accused of calling opponent Jamie Shillcock a ‘‘f ..... g f .... t’’.
Despite Solomona strenuously denying any sort of homophobic slur, a disciplinary panel found him guilty on the balance of probability and handed down a fourweek ban. He maintains his innocence, stressing that he never mounted an official appeal because it could have jeopardised his place on England’s tour to South Africa last June.
‘‘I have a lot of gay relatives,’’ he says. ‘‘Gay people aren’t an issue for me – I accept people for who they are. And anyone can play rugby, no matter who they are. I don’t even know why that is a conversation. Everyone should live their life and be loving.
‘‘It was one man’s word against mine. I know what I said. [Shillcock] knows what he thinks I said. I was found guilty, but I’m not going to be worried about my past because I’m all about my future.’’
Next on the agenda is Sale’s European Challenge Cup semifinal against La Rochelle tomorrow.
An eye-catching end to the season might yet convince England coach Eddie Jones to find a space in his pre-World Cup training squad. Solomona is not holding his breath, though.
‘‘Eddie is Eddie,’’ he laughs. ‘‘He does what he wants. Before I made my debut, I hadn’t heard anything from him. I found out when my mum texted me congratulations.
‘‘You never know what Eddie is planning. I’ll focus on myself and if he picks me, he picks me. That’ll be great and I’ll be grateful for it. If he doesn’t, I’ll still have a job to do for Sale.’’
Folau’s contradictions