With the utmost respect, Ardie Savea, you are wrong and that’s why

OPINION: Hurricane Captain Ardie Savea has objected to Stuff’s coverage of the Josh Ioane story, criticizing my colleague Hamish McNeilly and me on social media.

Much of this is just water from a duck’s back. Frankly, when you read what our colleagues have to suffer regularly, the journalist’s situation is good.

However, there are claims made by Savea that need to be addressed, in particular that my colleague went out of his way to “waste” the players and “make them look like criminals” and invited a lot of “hatred” towards the players, potentially endangering his mental health.

There’s a lot to that, so let’s break it down into three parts and then expand it more generally to the protection that rugby players in New Zealand actually get, with their issues frequently swept away by NZ Rugby and the players association.

READ MORE:
* The great Ben Smith of the All Blacks hopes that the Super Rugby division with South Africa is not final
* Super Rugby: Not everything is ‘robotic’ and predictable: Scott Robertson
* All Blacks captain Sam Cane was out of the game for 4-6 months due to a pectoral muscle injury.
* All Black’s party house in suburban Dunedin is revealed when residents say ‘grow up’
* Super Rugby: Tony Brown drops six Highlanders, including All Black Josh Ioane: ‘They’ve let the team down’

First, on mental health. I admit that from time to time I have not placed as much importance on the injury status of some players, when rugby officials have explained to me that doing so would have an impact on their mental health.

These occasions are rare, but I have no interest in harming someone who is having a difficult time. So it is demonstrably false that he plays fast and relaxed with mental health.

Second, in terms of providing a safe place for players to talk about their experiences and report on them in a positive way, check out recent stories with Freedom Vahaakolo and Mitch Hunt. Nobody is perfect, of course, but journalists try and frankly, gamers are often their worst enemies when it comes to coverage.

Third, to Ioane’s own story. The critical voices missing from Savea’s critiques are those of history: older women: a massively underrepresented group in our communities.

They have no real platforms, status or privileges, so when someone finally asks them how things are going on their street, they speak up – and I listen to them.

When they say that they have to close all their doors at night to sleep because of the mountain party, or not sleep at all, I am listening.

What I will not do is listen to them and not report their stories, and give the players a free pass. It’s not my job.

Players are constantly entertained, but must accept that, at times, not everyone in their community likes them or their behaviors. If they can’t take criticism, perhaps the bubble around them has become too much.

The reality is that New Zealand rugby players have a pretty good time with the media here. I grew up in the UK and have worked a lot in Australia, and New Zealand players get away with what would be considered murder abroad. Stripper-gate for the Chiefs in 2016 is a case in point.

Players exert a silent influence on journalists in New Zealand. In this small market, access matters. Ardie, the journalists you know (and possibly consider the ‘good guys’) have contacted me privately in support today, but they know better not to do it out loud.

But there comes a time when you have to draw a line, especially when they call you publicly. We always try to be better, but we are not the ones who keep the street awake at night and apparently we do not give a thing to whoever bothers us.

* Note: Before this article was published, I reached out to Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee to let him know what’s to come and that my line is always open to Ardie Savea or any other player.