NZ Herald Launch Pathetic Attack On Jimmy Gopperth, The Premiership & The Lions

This is beyond a joke.

New Zealand pride themselves on being a rugby nation and to be fair they’re pretty good at it. The issue however, is humility is not one of their strong points. And while you appreciate the rugby they play, their cockiness spoils it.

We’ve always been a fan of the All Blacks and the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises because they play some cracking rugby and set the bar for everyone else. Their media however, are absolutely full of shit at the best of times.

Jimmy Gopperth has had the season of his life at Wasps. The former Leinster playmaker bagged the Premiership, Wasps and RPA Player of the Year along with the Golden Boot and Try of the Season. The 33-year-old arrived on these shores back 2009 after stints with the Hurricanes and Blues back home in New Zealand.

Gopperth has never been capped by the All Blacks, but has forged an incredible career for himself in England and Ireland. You’d imagine back home in New Zealand the media must be delighted for him and maybe even think he’s a guy they shouldn’t have let slip away, given his consistency over the last few years.

Well you’d be wrong. Instead they’ve launched a pathetic attack on him and the Premiership. Have a read of this from the NZ Herald.

“Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Jimmy.

Jimmy who?

Jimmy Gopperth, England club rugby player of the year.

Yep, you read that right.

Little Jimmy Gopperth is officially the best player in the English club premiership.

The players decided that last week when they named him Players’ Player of the Year. And just today he won the overall gong for English Premiership Player of the Year.

Now I don’t know Jimmy from a bar of soap. He’s probably a decent guy.

But I do know that he wasn’t exactly eagerly sought after by New Zealand rugby at Super Rugby level.

And I don’t recall the All Blacks selectors showing much interest either.”

How about congratulate one of your own for an incredible season? No of course not, belittle him because he’s not part of your system anymore. Believe it or not, it gets worse. The Lions are also attacked.

“So Gopperth headed for greener financial pastures in England – and who can blame him.
But the fact he was won both premier individual awards in English club rugby says a lot about that competition.

It also says something about the British and Irish Lions.

If Gopperth has been able to poll more votes than influential Lions players like so-called match-winning No. 10 Owen Farrell and his Saracens team-mate Maro Itoje (another guy being massively talked up ahead of the New Zealand tour) then what chance are the touring party of winning?

Would Jimmy even get a Super Rugby guernsey anywhere in any of our teams right now?
Well, maybe the Blues.

In fact, I’d like a dollar for every Lions player who would make the cut in a NZ Super Rugby franchise. I’d be lucky to get enough to buy my lunch”

Yep you read that correctly. A pathetic attack, by a pathetic journalist. Jimmy Gopperth we salute you for an amazing season. Hopefully the Lions will shut this idiot up next month.