UKC

I know there's a fair few rugby fans on here.

Just caught Nigel Owens on BBC News24's Hardtalk.

Very good and interesting interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34796775 (Follow the iplayer link for the full thing)

To be honest I hadn't really heard about him getting as much abuse as he seems to have had to put up with from fans, although I was aware that he was "out" about being gay and it is often mentioned when referring to him in the press, I was actually under the impression that Rugby had kind of shrugged and got on with it without any unpleasantness.

Didn't know anything about his suicide attempt either.

I've long been of the opinion that he is the best Rugby Union Ref, and its interesting to know a bit more about him and a good bloke it seems... (even if he does like the sound of his own voice a bit too much but then he is Welsh so you have to forgive him for that)

In reply to balmybaldwin:

So which is worse: homophobia or racism?

In reply to john arran:


Presumably Nigel Owens doesn't find himself subjected to that much racism.

In reply to Removed UserBwox:

I think it was the OPs joke at the expense of the Welsh that triggered the comment, although I guess that is xenophobia rather than racism, although I suspect it isn't really that either.

In reply to The New NickB:

Ah yes, I hadn't twigged that. I'll have to bump my offenseometer up a few notches.

In reply to Removed UserBwox:

I assure you that no offence was intended and I hope none was taken. I'm quite surprised though that the irony wasn't apparent to more people. Maybe I'll have to bump my ironymeter up a few notches.

In reply to john arran:

None taken at all - I'd like to think I'd have recognised the irony had I properly spotted the crack about the Welsh!

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Blimey I didn't realise a little quip about the Welsh would cause any offence.

Any way, the point was it's an interview worth watching.

In reply to balmybaldwin:


I don't think it did.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

It's OK: it's the kind of thing we've come to expect from you English.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Is that the link to the programme the BBC showed on him just before (the night before I think) the World Club final? I thought that was excellent, and it was good to see a number of well known Rugby players supporting him and talking about his coming out. Football has a lot to learn from Rugby!

In reply to Bob Moulton:

No, at least I don't think so - and was that not about (arghh mind blank - Welsh ex captain starring in some kind of corporate adds during the rwc on the subject of the support he got from his team)

This was a sit down one to one interview....hard talk tend to concentrate on political figures, and are pretty good at not letting interviewees weasel their way out of answering.

In reply to Martin not maisie:

That more like it.... (How do you know I'm not a Scotsman?)

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Because you were still sober enough to type at twenty to five on a Friday afternoon.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Gareth Thomas, they were Guinness adverts!

In reply to The New NickB:


Of course. Cheers.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

From what i understand he's had very little abuse in rugby (there was some incident at twickers a couple of years ago). His suicide attempt and depression were a long time ago well before he became well known.

In reply to balmybaldwin:
Here's how he actually came out (of the closet!) - on Jonathan Davies's light hearted rugby tv programme on S4C, in about 2007

At about 19:20

youtube.com/watch?v=LFttUVXgsuA&

Documentary in Welsh, well worth watching.
My girlfriend tells me that he used to be the photocopier man in her secondary school!

In reply to balmybaldwin:
No, it was a full profile of Nigel Owens from his school days to the present, and it included the clip of him coming out on Jonathan Davies's show.