Quote: IR80 "they can try, agreed. But Vunipola shares the same bigoted views. It always amazes me that radical Religion seems to be at the heart of most hate, yet it is supposed to be all about love and tolerance. (steps quietly away from getting anywhere near a debate about religion)'" Seems there were plenty of others too https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/ ... -cashes-in https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/ ... f53d95d909

Quote: IR80 "they can try, agreed. But Vunipola shares the same bigoted views. It always amazes me that radical Religion seems to be at the heart of most hate, yet it is supposed to be all about love and tolerance. (steps quietly away from getting anywhere near a debate about religion)'" Seems there were plenty of others too https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/ ... -cashes-in https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/ ... f53d95d909

Just dropped you something from the other side of the world so you don't think im a Guardian reader

Just providing you some balance as you appear to have adopted a position where by you feel you can speak on behalf of everybody.

There really is something wrong with people who are up in arms about Folau’s signing.
Bird was convicted of smashing a glass in his girlfriends face, Lui beat his wife up, Monaghan performed a sexually explicit act on a dog and the list goes on....yet all were allowed to resurrect their careers over here.
Folau spoke out about what his beliefs are and what his religion states, and it is the crime of the century !
To make matters worse Wigan announce a LGBT day to show they don’t agree with him playing in SL yet they are the biggest foster home for bad boys !
I can’t wait to see Folau tear it up in SL, but I certainly won’t be going to the charade at Wigan !

Because of the power dynamics. What would you be more outraged over - me punching Mike Tyson as hard as I can or me punching a newborn baby as hard as I can?

If you can see a difference in that, you can see why all violence is not equivalent - there is a spectrum.

And they were all widely condemned for it.
His religion also states the his elders can stone his son to death if hes rebellious. He can also stone his wife to death if shes not a virgin. and he also shouldnt wear polyester. and he cant work (play rugby) on a saturday.

i look forward to seeing him stick to every single thing his religion states...

People who look for consistency in religion and its practise are wasting their time.

His words are repellant and it's a shame one of our clubs have given him the opportunity to earn handsomely in light of those words, but they have and there is nothing to stop them or him from doing so.

RL supporters (including those at Catalans I imagine) and the other clubs and players will make their own thoughts and feelings just as clear as he has, and that's the end of it.

I am never one for tying to cut down on Debate by trying to stop people airing their views no matter how odious. Much better to challenge them.

In that sense I would not agree with trying to ban him from playing sport.

But

in the real world this is a major PR disaster for RL. When pretty much every other viable sporting option has said non, Catalans have said Oui. This may be a good signing for Catalan on the playing front (although I would question his fitness after being out of RL for so long but it damages the game of RL and may make sponsors think again as well as a new TV deal harder.

Publicity wise RL wlll go from that northern version of Rugby to that game tHat lets homophobes play.

It is clear that most of RL teams are against it but what they can do is show their hostility to the decision and disagreement with Folau by Doing what. Wigan did by pulling off a marketing coup by designating games in solidarity. With LBGT Rights.

We don't know that yet - the story may end up being the reaction of the sport of RL being universally supportive of the communities Folau's words target.

The wider sport can't control Folau's legal right to work for Catalans Dragons. It can, however, control its reaction to it and the early signs are that it will do so pretty well.

FWIW I think that the sport should set itself higher standards generally.
We are already viewed as a small time Northern sport played by thugs and signing players like this (and some of the bad boys that have come over before) just entrenches how we are viewed by the rest of the sporting world and let's face it, the only time that we gain any national press is with things like this.
The bigger picture is of course how sponsors and advertising exec's view the game and our image just doesn't improve.
Not helped by any positive output from our publicity machine (not sure if we actually have one but, you get what I mean).

On those points we agree (and I am fairly sure pretty much everyone else will)