Sport stars often leave Press corps needing snookers

IT was like trying to get blood from a stone as one reporter fired a few questions at Celtic’s next big thing.

Without giving the game away, he’s now a Scotland international but guess away as there will be no public shaming.

A bit like searching for a needle in a pine Forrest.

Anyway, he was asked what he did to relax away from the game.

The attempt to bring some colour to what had been a monosyllabic few minutes brought some brief relief as the kid said: “I like to play snooker with my mates.”

That was to be that until the tapes were switched off and the interviewer asked the lad where he played snooker.

Quick as a flash the hooped Hurricane Higgins said: “I don’t play snooker, I just made it up as I knew I had to say something.” And then he was off.

Reminiscing in Rome last week with the rugby Press corps was pretty illuminating. After days of having player after player wheeled out to say the same thing, it was good to lift the mood with a tale or two.

Without exaggeration, having to write piece after piece in the build-up to our win over Italy was a test of the journalistic skills as nobody dared stray from the script.

Dull as dishwater, lock, prop, wing and centre after centre came out with all the same lines about uniting as one out on the paddock.

The SRU have media training down to a fine art and former boss Vern Cotter used to lament that his time as a boss in French club rugby was made more difficult due to players going native on him and defying his wish for them not to speak to reporters who phoned them.

Big Stern, as he was known, found Scotland much more to his liking as he went off the record on one occasion and admitted his squad had across-the-board ‘obedience’.

Edinburgh wing Blair Kinghorn proved a point in case. Lovely big fellow and can run like the wind but a man of very words last week when asked to elaborate on anything beyond the mantra of togetherness, unity and blah de blah on the paddock.

He was asked one searching question and looked aghast before swivelling around and shouting to some of his team-mates: “They’ve just asked me about Finn Russell again.” And then he was off.

Stonewalling the media doesn’t sell the sport but apparently

I don’t play snooker, I just made it up as I knew I had to say something

positive PR these days is to say nothing.

So here’s a personal favourite from the days when Rod Wallace was at Rangers.

After scoring an Old Firm winner he made a cradling-the-baby celebration otherwise known as the Bebeto.

In he came after the game and the first question was about the significance of his moment of joy and its background story.

He said: “It’s private.” It was then pointed out he’d done the Bebeto in front of 60,000 fans and millions around the TV.

That had no truck with him. “It’s private,” he repeated and he was off.

At least he didn’t just make something up about snooker.

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