Job Marler racially abusing a Welsh player? No Sanction

[LE18]

Have you ever been in a Welsh pub when they were speaking English, order a drink in English and they all start talking in Welsh? It happens!

[Starburst]

Have you ever been in a Welsh pub when they were speaking English, order a drink in English and they all start talking in Welsh? It happens!

No I haven't.

I've been in plenty of Welsh pubs and that's never happened. To be honest you'll struggle to find a Welsh speaker in Cardiff never mind a pub full. I've visited North Wales a lot during my time in the forces and frequented a few village pubs where the opposite happened. I.e they were speaking Welsh when I went in (in parts of North Wales it is their first and predominant language apparently) but were happy enough to speak to me in English. Never had any problems.

I do find it sort of hypocritical that the majority of people who are critical of World Rugby getting involved in the Marler incident and are generally unhappy with the criticism of Marler for making those comments do think it's acceptable to condemn the whole Welsh Nation for being racists (how many have they actually met) and go on cite various upsetting incidents where Welsh people have called them "English".

If you were so easily upset by being called English and quite rightly complained and / or felt aggrieved, why do you find it unacceptable for people to criticize Marler for making his comments?

And as for the argument that far worse "sledging" goes on in cricket and football. So what. If we are going to take anything from those sports I'd rather it wasn't the constant swearing, bad behavior and abuse directed towards the opposition. Personally I'd rather see referee's and governing bodies clamp down on all swearing, bad behavior, winding up of the opposition. Whats this with tapping the opposition on the head or applauding when they mess up.

[jgriffin]

Have you ever been in a Welsh pub when they were speaking English, order a drink in English and they all start talking in Welsh? It happens!

Millers Arms, Ynystawe in the Swansea Valley in 1989 was the first time it happened to me, many more after that. I lived there BTW and witnessed cheery anti-brown skin racism all the time (the insults I got were knee-jerk chauvinism, which is what Welsh-English insults are). I have also been in North Wales where that happened, which is why my Welsh runs to pub orders, numbers and shopping, just to give them a parting shock.

[Noddy555]

As Welsh is now taught in Welsh schools and spoken on a regular basis by about 30% of Welsh people can I ask have any Tigers fans thought of learning the welsh language . I did for a time but as I haven't spoken or practised it for over 40 years, I'm now sadly down to the basics.
Perhaps you could consider enrolling on a course at evening class?

[jgriffin]

As Welsh is now taught in Welsh schools and spoken on a regular basis by about 30% of Welsh people can I ask have any Tigers fans thought of learning the welsh language . I did for a time but as I haven't spoken or practised it for over 40 years, I'm now sadly down to the basics.
Perhaps you could consider enrolling on a course at evening class?

On a regular basis I think you'll find it's more like less than 5%, predominantly North West Wales with outposts around the Swansea Valley. Many new speakers in West Wales are actually immigrants from England or even China. Diolch!

[Big Dai]

As Welsh is now taught in Welsh schools and spoken on a regular basis by about 30% of Welsh people can I ask have any Tigers fans thought of learning the welsh language . I did for a time but as I haven't spoken or practised it for over 40 years, I'm now sadly down to the basics.
Perhaps you could consider enrolling on a course at evening class?

When in France I spoke French, In Germany I spoke German. I Holland I tried to speak Dutch .........but it's too much in the throat. In Wales one speaks Wenglish, I'll tell you about that now, in a minute. Just after I've 'ad a tidy swill in the bosh!

[BeeJay]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/35921184

Getting back on topic, it would appear Damian Hopley at the RPA agrees with the witch hunt idea.

[tigercaspian]

And I agree with Hopley.
And I agree with Starburst: not all Welsh are so rabidly anti-English, some of them are very nice. One of them even bought me a free ticket to the European final that Saints lost.
It will be interesting to see if there was any provocation by Lee that the proceedings elicit or whether it was all Marler's own imaginative work.
Just think about how George Chuter would have written up Marler's thought process in his match day pieces ......

[BeeJay]

As a matter of interest, did any of you actually hear what Marler is reported to have said to Lee? I have listened very carefully each time the video footage has been played and I cannot pick it up.

[mol2]

I doubt Marler would have made an apology at half time had he not said what he did.
Whilst it is not acceptable it's hardly crime of the century.

[jonlin]

Marler is not attending a disciplinary hearing, he is to be crowned goodwill ambassador for English rugby.

[biffer]

As a matter of interest, did any of you actually hear what Marler is reported to have said to Lee? I have listened very carefully each time the video footage has been played and I cannot pick it up.

Nobody has made any denial it was said, but don't let that stand in the way of your revisionism.

[BeeJay]

Nobody has made any denial it was said, but don't let that stand in the way of your revisionism.

I'm not denying something was said. All I'm saying is every time they (whichever TV station) claim they're showing the video footage of the incident, I cannot hear anything.

[strawclearer]

Nobody has made any denial it was said, but don't let that stand in the way of your revisionism.

I'm not denying something was said. All I'm saying is every time they (whichever TV station) claim they're showing the video footage of the incident, I cannot hear anything.

Pardon?

[biffer]

Nobody has made any denial it was said, but don't let that stand in the way of your revisionism.

I'm not denying something was said. All I'm saying is every time they (whichever TV station) claim they're showing the video footage of the incident, I cannot hear anything.

So what's your point? Do you believe it was said or not?