‘Take that monkey off your chest’
REDS coach Richard Graham this week arrived at a press conference wearing blindingly bright floral swimming trunks. After a few curious stares, he bent down and swiftly ripped them off and, thankfully, was wearing something underneath. Will Genia arrived moments later in a white T-shirt displaying a giant cap-wearing gorilla on the front. The Reds media man was not going to have any more monkey business and had a quick word with the scrumhalf, who quickly covered up with some standard issue.
THE Cheetahs’ defensive woes this year are small fry compared with those of English club Dorchester. They leaked 32 tries on their way to a 212-0 loss against fellow ninth-tier side the Dorset Dockers.
WE doff our caps to great Irish centre Brian O’Driscoll, who played his 141st, and final test match, against Scotland last week. BOD, as he is known, signed off with a second Six Nations title in a 15-year career that included 10 tests for the British & Irish Lions and 131 for Ireland. Even US president Barack Obama namechecked O’Driscoll in a St Patrick’s Day reception at the White House.
DUE to the lock crisis at the Stormers, with six players on the injured list, Bok and Stormers No 8 Duane Vermeulen was utilised in the second row last week against the Chiefs and again against the Brumbies yesterday. As a result, his teammates have taken to calling him “Cheese” after the former Free State and Transvaal lock/flank Cheese van Tonder. Vermeulen is apparently not amused and only the bravest — or stupidest — teammates say it to his face.
SPEAKING of locks, abrasive former second-rower Andy Haden was called by a radio station to discuss Frank Oliver following the death of the former All Blacks captain. However, host Mary Wilson asked Haden if he remembered his “infamous dive from the lineout” which earned the All Blacks a memorable but lucky win against Wales in 1978. Haden: “Yeah, I do, why don’t you talk about Frank?” Wilson: “I do want to talk about Frank, I do want to talk about Frank.” Haden: “There you go, there you go, you should talk about Frank rather than dig up all this stuff at this time. That’s pretty low.” Wilson: “How would you like to remember him?” Haden: “I would like to remember him as a very, very good All Black lock. Something you wouldn’t be familiar with.”