A typically blunt response from New Zealand.
Gordon D’Arcy’s excellent columns have been gaining plenty of deserved recognition during the World Cup so far and his most recent one about the struggles of England centre Sam Burgess was the subject of attention from all over the world.
D’Arcy didn’t exactly go easy on Burgess, but considering that the man was part of one the all-time great centre partnerships for more than a decade, it wasn’t as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.
You can’t please everyone, of course and while there was some tetchy reaction to D’Arcy’s comments across the water, perhaps the most stinging criticism of all came from New Zealand.
The New Zealand media are never afraid to ruffle a few feathers – particularly if someone has had a go at their precious All-Blacks – and Steve Deane didn’t hold back on D’Arcy in a column titled ‘World’s Cup: Doomsday scenario for Wales’.
Commenting on D’Arcy’s criticism of Burgess, Deane wrote:
Former Ireland back Gordon D’Arcy is proving significantly more incisive in print than he ever was on the field. Best known for not being anywhere near as good as Brian O’Driscoll, D’Arcy’s savaging of English league convert Sam Burgess in the Irish Times went around the planet in a nanosecond.
According to Mr D’Arcy, Burgess’ “naivety embarrassed those around him and severely damaged England’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals”.
D’Arcy, of course, knows plenty about RWC quarter-finals – it being the stage where Ireland tended to exit the tournament during the 16-odd years of mediocrity that coincided with his international career.
Given they were leading by seven points when he was subbed and then conceded 10 unanswered points without him, Burgess appears a curious fall guy for England’s traditionally useless back play in the defeat by Wales. Good old-fashioned anti-league prejudice, perhaps?
A couple of things we’d like to point out to Deane: Granted, Ireland didn’t do great in World Cups in D’Arcy’s time but given all he did win in a green jersey, it was hardly a mediocre international career.
Also, Brian O’Driscoll himself would say that he wouldn’t have been the player he was if it wasn’t for the man playing beside him for all those years.
Never mind him Gordon and keep up the good work.
