Players’ support ‘a very big deal’
When All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara took a stand against Israel Folau this week, he threw his support behind the NZ Falcons, an Auckland-based gay and inclusive rugby team who are raising funds to help with travel to a tournament in June.
Perenara kicked things off with a $500 donation to their Givealittle campaign on Wednesday night, and in the 36 hours since, $2400 more followed, money that shows his message has been heard.
Falcons player Alex Cairns said it was ‘‘a very big deal’’ to have someone such as Perenara supporting the LGBT+ community.
‘‘It’s pretty overwhelming actually, the amount of support that’s coming through, and even just seeing the notes attached to the donations, it’s a real boost to morale.
‘‘He’s put himself in a position of being a spokesperson for people who have that view of inclusivity and that’s why people are probably getting on board with it, because they’ve got someone who is high profile, who’s got a view that they can identify with.
’’Especially coming from someone as renowned and well-known internationally as TJ, it’s pretty awesome. It’s been a long time coming, having this kind of exposure, and that’s not to undermine any of the work that New Zealand Rugby or any other corporations have done in the past.’’
Perenara followed Chiefs halfback Brad Weber in speaking out against Folau, who has been under heavy scrutiny ever since his controversial social media post two weeks ago.
Weber wrote on Tuesday that he ‘‘can’t stand that I have to play this game that I love with people, like Folau, who say what he’s saying’’.
Perenara wrote on Wednesday that he was 100 per cent ‘‘against the comments that were made by Israel. It was not ok to say that. It’s not an attitude I want to see in the game I love’’.
Folau has avoided punishment from his Super Rugby team, the Waratahs, and Rugby Australia but has not been so lucky in the court of public opinion.
Cairns said it was a shame there hadn’t been more people of Perenara and Weber’s stature speaking up across the Tasman.
‘‘The three Australian gay and inclusive teams are trying to push for a similar effect to happen but we can only do what we can in New Zealand.
‘‘These incidents that happen, especially on the stage that Israel Folau has, where he’s seen globally, it doesn’t only affect Australians, which is why we’re seeing it in New Zealand, and also Nigel Owens from over in the UK.
‘‘TJ, Brad, Nigel Owens, even [Labour MPs] Louisa Wall and Grant Robertson – those have been people who have have stood up and said homophobia is not OK, and it’s got no place in sport. Some- one probably just needs to do that on the Australian side as well, and keep that message consistent. It is a worldwide thing, and it’s just unfortunate that it has happened close to home for us.’’
The tournament the Falcons are raising money to help send players to is the Bingham Cup, which will be held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in June, and describes itself as ‘‘the premier global event promoting rugby union as an inclusive, non-discriminatory sport’’.
Formed in 2002, it was named after Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player who died during the September 11 attacks in the United States the previous year, where he was one of the passengers who fought back against the hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93, which led to the plane crashing into a field, rather than its intended target.
When Raelene Castle walked into Rugby Australia’s shiny new building as its shiny new chief executive in mid-January, more than a few eyebrows were cocked in disbelief at NRL headquarters on the other side of the Moore Park carpark in Sydney.
Castle talked a big game in her five years as Bulldogs chief executive. In chief executive meetings, according to those in attendance, she and Souths counterpart John Lee would offer grand theories on how the game should be run but provide little substance.
‘‘They were like the two old blokes out of The Muppets who always thought they had a better idea how things should be done than the rest of us,’’ says one club boss, with a chuckle.
Lee eventually left the game. As for Castle, she’s now responsible for leading rugby out of the ugly mess it finds itself in.
Inexplicably, nobody from Rugby Australia spoke to the NRL or the Bulldogs about whether they thought she was up to it. Not NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg. Not Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib. None of them.
Castle may well go on to prove she is the right person for the job but, this week, she fell spectacularly at her first major hurdle in failing to sanction Israel Folau; not just for his anti-gay Instagram post but for his on-line column questioning Castle and her motivation over some reasonably banal comments about him at a media conference a week ago.
Let’s not under-estimate how weak RA has been in the past fortnight.
Two weeks ago, Folau said on social media that gays are going to ‘‘hell if they don’t repent of their sins’’. RA dithers about how to respond. Sponsors get twitchy. Castle and NSW Rugby Union boss Andrew Hore finally meet with Folau and his manager, Isaac Moses. Nothing really comes of it, except a Castle doorstop media conference about ‘‘having a conversation’’ with Folau and that more ‘‘conversations’’ will be had.
Late last week, major sponsor Qantas is told Folau will be sanctioned on Monday or Tuesday. Aside from a couple of cryptic Insta posts about the big man upstairs, Folau doesn’t say anything until Monday night when the Players Voice website publishes a column explaining his position. He quotes passages of the Bible to justify his remarks about hell and gays but then has a crack at Castle for ‘‘misrepresenting my position and my comments’’, which he says she did ‘‘to appease other people’’.
That’s the game’s highest-paid player, with the biggest profile, having a shot at his boss in a column.
WHAT DOES CASTLE DO?
She says good as Wallaby gold! That’s the ‘‘respect’’ we were looking for! Play on, Israel! And hopefully, at a later date but not much later, you’ll sign a big fat contract extension to stay in rugby and not take the big cash in European or Japanese rugby as foreshadowed in your column. Or, worse still, rugby league.
‘‘In his article, Israel clearly articulated his religious beliefs and why his faith is important to him and has provided context behind his social media comment,’’ Castle said in a media release. ‘‘In his own words, Israel said that he did not intend to upset people intentionally or bring hurt to the game. We accept Israel’s position.’’
NOW THAT’S LEADERSHIP, EH?
Actually, it’s not. It shows RA and Castle need Folau more than he needs them. It shows the tail is wagging the dog.
It also sets a dangerous precedent. Can a player from now on make discriminatory remarks with impunity as long as they are made ‘‘respectfully’’ and in line with their ‘‘religious beliefs’’? What if it’s just ‘‘respectfully’’? Or does this new edict only apply to those who can find the appropriate passage in the Bible to support their ‘‘respectful beliefs’’?
Castle would’ve won far more supporters if she had called Folau into her office on day one, told him to delete the post, reminded him he’s the highest-paid player in the game and that young kids hang off every one of his words and if he doesn’t like any of that he can go and play another code, or rugby, in another part of the world.
The game is supposed to be bigger than one person. This week, Castle has shown it isn’t.