All Blacks do raid Pacific Islands

[morepork]

FFS...

[J Dory]

Mikey is from England and therefore likely an expert on poaching. Lets hear him out.

[morepork]

If you handed Mikey the truth, he would probably drop it, or maybe fling it into the stands.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

If you handed Mikey the truth, he would probably drop it, or maybe fling it into the stands.

the other option is run with it then refuse to pass the truth on...

[Mikey Brown]

I don't even know how to respond to that without prompting some cunt to start quoting Al Pacino.

[Mikey Brown]

Damn. That one is better.

[canta_brian]

That Rowan equates high school scholarships with the grannygate situation shows how desperate he is to make a point that doesn't really exist. Shane Hogarth was all black number 939 before he moved to Wales.

[rowan]

That Canta-brian dismisses the obvious comparison between the Grannygate situation and high school scholarships shows how desperate he is to deny the obvious. The comparison relates to personal choice, not prior test caps, as anyone can see.

Fifita's was as clear a case of poaching as you can get. It doesn't get any more blatant than offering a teenager a contract when he's touring with a foreign high school team. If that's not poaching, absolutely nothing is.

[rowan]

What contract?

"Fifita was born and raised in Tonga. He attended Tonga College and toured New Zealand with Tonga Schools, which is when he was spotted by Tamaki College, who offered him a rugby scholarship.

I've never heard of a scholarship that didn't involve paperwork and signiatures. Looks like you're down to the splitting hairs approach now.

[rowan]

Are you honestly trying to suggest that a scholarship and enrolment forms are tantamount to a professional sporting contract?

It depends on the type of scholarship, actually. But, again, you're splitting hairs, because you are so entrenched in your denialist stance on what was about as blatant an example of poaching as it is possible to get.

[canta_brian]

Are you honestly trying to suggest that a scholarship and enrolment forms are tantamount to a professional sporting contract?

It depends on the type of scholarship, actually. But, again, you're splitting hairs, because you are so entrenched in your denialist stance on what was about as blatant an example of poaching as it is possible to get.

Yeah, because all talented high school rugby players will definitely end up being all blacks.

Again back to original point re Shane Howarth. Don't conflate the 2. 1 was an established international player. The other was a kid who may not have ever made it in Rugby, but would have got a high quality education regardless.

[rowan]

More splitting hairs - and taking comments out of context. The comparison to Howarth was to illustrate the fact that a player being entitled to make his own choice might not always justify the situation itself. If that conflation confuses you, you're probably just not very smart. In fact, you also do not seem to have a particularly solid grasp of the English language. Poaching is not defined by the players' chances of making it to the top. It's defined by a player being enticed away from one team, club, province or nation by another. That's all. So Fifita's case is about as clear-cut as they come.

[canta_brian]

I would never presume to consider myself smart. I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating in that regard.

[scuzzaman]

I would never presume to consider myself smart. I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating in that regard.

I'd say you're holding your own ...

[rowan]

Scuzzaman's endorsement speaks volumes

[rowan]

Is this poaching?

[Doorzetbornandbred]

Viliami Ofahengaue, any views on him?

[morepork]

Oz pounced on that shit Doorz.

[rowan]

Why is Moronpork talking like a gangsta rapper?

Yeh, I remember Viliami Ofahengaue. When the Wallabies played at Eden Park the ground announcer introduced him to the crowd as a 'former Aucklander.' The Aucks just had their heads so far up their own arses in those days they could hardly walk straight...

[morepork]

Your definition of gansta may differ somewhat from mine...

[rowan]

You have to play the video, hapless one. It's not just a photograph...

[rowan]

Nothing like a little intellectual discussion to start your day