LEAGUE OF HER OWN...

Nad’s a code breaker

ANOTHER week and another gaffe from the Government’s blunder woman Nadine Dorries.

I’m pretty sure Bozo Johnson brought her in to make him look less of a clown.

This week the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s cunning plan was to make a speech about the social impact of the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.

Only she didn’t bother to find out what sport she was supposed to be talking about. In the epicentre of rugby league heartlands, St Helens, she stunned the audience by confusing the 13-player game with the rival code of union.

She opened with a reference to Jonny Wilkinson’s match-winning drop-goal for England in union’s 2003 Rugby World Cup final. “I’ve always quite liked the idea of rugby league,” she said. “My longstanding memory is that 2003 drop goal. I’ll let you into a secret. I think we were drinking Bloody Marys at the time. It was 11 o’clock in the morning but wow what a moment that was.”

The least shocking thing here was that she likes the odd Bloody Mary.

To be fair it’s easily done. I remember being on the sauce when I first saw Pele score that 180 at Wimbledon to help Scotland win the Ashes.

And it is bizarre that there are two different kinds of rugby. A bit like football. There’s the game most of the entire world plays. And the kind Man Utd play.

The Rugby League World Cup is held in England and starts in October.

But there is plenty of Super League action to look forward to before then and I fancy Wigan to be crowned the Grand Final winners: Paddy Power – 7-2