Great story, this! Looks like sarcastic All Black coach Graham Henry
wasn't the only one to deal out the humiliation to the Lions' inept
spin doctor Alistair Campbell. As British people read these accounts
of Campbell's humiliation, some of them will no doubt ask the hard
questions: how come a bunch of football players could see through
Campbell's bullshit and treat him with the contempt he deserved?
And: why didn't some of the political media debag this creep like the
Lions did? They debagged him TWICE.
wasn't the only one to deal out the humiliation to the Lions' inept
spin doctor Alistair Campbell. As British people read these accounts
of Campbell's humiliation, some of them will no doubt ask the hard
questions: how come a bunch of football players could see through
Campbell's bullshit and treat him with the contempt he deserved?
And: why didn't some of the political media debag this creep like the
Lions did? They debagged him TWICE.
As the guys on New Zealand's Radio Sport breakfast summed up this
morning: "He just had no idea... The man's an idiot... He's
just pathetic."
morning: "He just had no idea... The man's an idiot... He's
just pathetic."
Campbell tells how he became Lions' prey
by MARK SOUSTER
by MARK SOUSTER
ALASTAIR CAMPBELL was a figure of fun to many players on the
ill-starred Lions tour to New Zealand, with the former Downing Street
media guru mocked for his perceived lack of knowledge of rugby and for
his close association with Tony Blair and new Labour. Having stalked
the corridors of political power, it transpires now that Campbell was
lampooned and called Sebastian after the gay character in Little
Britain, the BBC comedy series in which a prime ministerial aide fell
in love with his master.
ill-starred Lions tour to New Zealand, with the former Downing Street
media guru mocked for his perceived lack of knowledge of rugby and for
his close association with Tony Blair and new Labour. Having stalked
the corridors of political power, it transpires now that Campbell was
lampooned and called Sebastian after the gay character in Little
Britain, the BBC comedy series in which a prime ministerial aide fell
in love with his master.
In a revealing diary he kept during the six-week tour, which ended in a
humiliating 3-0 series defeat, Campbell was twice subjected to ritual
debagging, had his BlackBerry "stolen" and was condemned for an
inappropriate speech he gave to the squad before the second
international against the All Blacks in Wellington.
humiliating 3-0 series defeat, Campbell was twice subjected to ritual
debagging, had his BlackBerry "stolen" and was condemned for an
inappropriate speech he gave to the squad before the second
international against the All Blacks in Wellington.
While defending Sir Clive Woodward, the former Downing Street spin
doctor also had to contend with an increasingly sceptical media that he
said could not countenance change. But one issue he does not address is
that of the allegedly snatched photograph of Gavin Henson talking to
Woodward after the Wales centre had been omitted from the first
international. Henson maintains he was unaware his picture was being
taken and Campbell was accused of setting up the stunt on June 20.
There is no reference to the incident in the published extracts.
doctor also had to contend with an increasingly sceptical media that he
said could not countenance change. But one issue he does not address is
that of the allegedly snatched photograph of Gavin Henson talking to
Woodward after the Wales centre had been omitted from the first
international. Henson maintains he was unaware his picture was being
taken and Campbell was accused of setting up the stunt on June 20.
There is no reference to the incident in the published extracts.
The diary, which is published in this month's Esquire magazine,
traces the optimism of the tour when the squad gathered in Wales before
departure, through the early games and the loss to injury of Lawrence
Dallaglio and finally to the miserable climax as the expedition
descended into acrimony and recrimination after the injury to Brian
O'Driscoll, the captain.
traces the optimism of the tour when the squad gathered in Wales before
departure, through the early games and the loss to injury of Lawrence
Dallaglio and finally to the miserable climax as the expedition
descended into acrimony and recrimination after the injury to Brian
O'Driscoll, the captain.
The disdain in which Campbell was held by some players was evident as
the squad was being driven by coach to Heathrow for the flight to
Auckland. "Most of the players tuned into a Little Britain video,
which led to some of them asking if Sebastian, the gay private
secretary in love with the Prime Minister, was based on me," Campbell
wrote. "Some of them started to call me Sebastian, which I resolved
to nip in the bud. But its quite hard to intimidate Steve Thompson and
Danny Grewcock." The tone for the tour and the opprobrium heaped on
the Lions by the New Zealand press was set the day they landed. "One
of the Sunday tabloids had a cut-out picture of Clive to put on
dartboards and fill with 74 pricks - one for every member of the
squad."
the squad was being driven by coach to Heathrow for the flight to
Auckland. "Most of the players tuned into a Little Britain video,
which led to some of them asking if Sebastian, the gay private
secretary in love with the Prime Minister, was based on me," Campbell
wrote. "Some of them started to call me Sebastian, which I resolved
to nip in the bud. But its quite hard to intimidate Steve Thompson and
Danny Grewcock." The tone for the tour and the opprobrium heaped on
the Lions by the New Zealand press was set the day they landed. "One
of the Sunday tabloids had a cut-out picture of Clive to put on
dartboards and fill with 74 pricks - one for every member of the
squad."
As for the attitude of the players, he said: "I noticed I had very
quickly become fair game for the players' banter." After addressing
the squad for the first international and making a joke about Grewcock
and Thompson, "Paul O'Connell tried to debag me, and my BlackBerry
fell to the floor. By the time I had got my trousers up, the BlackBerry
was gone and for the next half-hour I was convinced a journalist had
picked it up."
quickly become fair game for the players' banter." After addressing
the squad for the first international and making a joke about Grewcock
and Thompson, "Paul O'Connell tried to debag me, and my BlackBerry
fell to the floor. By the time I had got my trousers up, the BlackBerry
was gone and for the next half-hour I was convinced a journalist had
picked it up."
And before the second international? "I did my talk to the team and
although some of the coaches and players came up afterwards and said it
was the right message at the right time, I could tell some of them felt
it was inappropriate coming from someone who had not played rugby at
their level."
although some of the coaches and players came up afterwards and said it
was the right message at the right time, I could tell some of them felt
it was inappropriate coming from someone who had not played rugby at
their level."
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"Walter Mitty" <mitt...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3ou53oF7q6qoU1@uni-
> didgerman wrote:
>> "Lindsay" <rat...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:4329d889@clear.net.nz...
>>
>>>
>>>didgerman wrote:
>>>
>>>><morriss...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>>news:1126637280.311268.
>>>>
>>>>All a bit after the fact isn't it?
>>>>Are you still crowing about it all?
>>>>Surely you should celebrating the TriN instead of beating the British
>>>>Barbarians on holiday....
>>>
>>>Aren't there a bunch of fellahs still celebrating a win of some sort in
>>>1966?
>>
>>
>> Yeah, the Scots mention it everyday, they'll never recover....
> LOL. And thats a fact. I never hear anyone referring to 66 except for
> those looking for an easy angle of attack.
And face it, you guys are easy.
Actually I get the BBC news here on Fox and since the Ashes they've been
going on about 1966 like it was yesterday.
going on about 1966 like it was yesterday.
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