Pettiness of the British and Irish Lions reaches new low with Pete Samu paying a gutwrenching penalty
It’s splitting hairs at the best, heartless at worst but the impact is the same. The Lions have used some debatable rules to ban a player from representing his heritage.
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The hypocrisy and pettiness of the British & Irish Lions is breathtaking to witness.
One minute they are moaning that their opponents aren’t good enough, the next they are whining about their opponents being too strong.
Endlessly blowing their own trumpets about how great they think they are just because they’re playing against a heavily weakened Wallabies Test side they think they can wallop, the Lions are still bleating about the makeup of their regular tour game opponents.
Their latest beef is over the selection of Pete Samu in the First Nations and Pasifika team that the Lions will face in Melbourne on Tuesday.
As a contest, it’s not expected to be close with the Lions tipped to steamroll the local side, but this is still an important match with deep cultural meaning for all the First Nations and Pasifika players.
At least it was until the occasion was ruined by the Lions’ narrow-minded insistence that Samu be booted off the team because of the debatable rules over who could play.
One of the rules is that players must be playing Super Rugby.
Samu has just been signed by the Waratahs on a multi year deal after returning home from France but the Lions insisted on vetoing his selection because he didn’t play Super Rugby in the season that’s just finished.
It’s splitting hairs at the best, heartless at worst but the impact is the same. Samu has been stood down from the game and been left gutted by the Lions’ cold-hearted approach.
Towing a diplomatic line, Rugby Australia was clearly unimpressed by the decision.
“We are pleased with the First Nations & Pasifika XV’s preparation for their inaugural match against the Lions at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday,” a spokesperson said.
“Pete Samu is a valued member of the Waratahs and has added greatly to the First Nations & Pasifika squad since entering camp. We had naturally hoped he would be playing in this fixture.”
The Lions had previously shown how completely out of touch they are with reality after accusing the Waratahs of watering the Allianz Stadium pitch days after Sydney had been hit with a massive storm.
Samu has already played against the tourists without any objections after coming on for the AUNZ Invitational side that lost 48-0 in Adelaide, but the tourists showed no remorse when quizzed about it at Suncorp on Friday.
“I don’t know if the lines have blocked him,” the tourists’ assistant coach Jonny Sexton said.
“I think it’s more of the rules and regulations that were agreed to before the tour.
“We’re concentrating on tomorrow. I think Tuesday will look after itself. The most important thing for us as a group is concentrating on tomorrow and trying to get a good performance out there.”
Pressed on whether the Lions were worried about facing Samu, Sexton again ducked the question.
“Well, I’m not a player anymore. You don’t have to ask the players who’ve played against Pete already on this tour,” he said.
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