Courtney Lawes, the ex-England forward, recently reflected on the social media uproar that surrounded him back in the summer of 2020 due to a Tweet that drew significant online attention.
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
At that time, Lawes stirred controversy by responding to a Tweet from Marcus Rashford, the former Manchester United footballer, who was advocating for food vouchers to support underprivileged children in the UK.
The former England forward suggested in a since-deleted Tweet that financial stability and a preference for marriage could potentially help remedy the problem, writing: “Great win mate, you’ve done a [sic] incredible thing for a lot of young people! Maybe now would be a good time to bring some attention to the importance of being financially secure and preferably married before having kids?”
Speaking on the Crisis What Crisis podcast with Andy Coulson, Lawes doubled down on views despite deleting the tweet.
“It’s [the Tweet] something, again, that kind of made sense to me from my experience and also looking at the data, that people, or children growing up with married parents do much better in life. And therefore hopefully won’t need food stamps and whatever else to kind of get through life,” said Lawes.
“So you know, we can help the people who are in the situation whilst trying to help people stop people from getting in the situation in the first place.
“It was quite eye-opening in a lot of ways. I found it so ironic that there’s people that feel like they stand on this pedestal because they support a certain view or they think a certain way, and they think they are very good people because of this opinion. But they will try and get you fired.
“You know, I’ve got four kids, I’ve got a family to look after and I’m the main breadwinner. Yet they’ll try and destroy that, bring that down, just because I’ve said something that they don’t like.
“I found that really eye-opening. And they think they are good people for doing that. Better people. Better people for doing that. So I think that these kinds of people need to actually have a think about why that is, and why they feel that way so strongly that they should try to destroy somebody’s life just because they’ve said something that they don’t like.
“We’re never going to agree on everything as a society, as people, but you know, we can disagree without hating each other. Better yet, we can find common ground. So yes, that’s the massive thing for me; we haven’t got to be enemies.”
NIGEL OWENS DREAM XV:
In his remarkable lineup, Owens features three Welsh luminaries – Alun Wyn Jones, Shane Williams, and Gethin Jenkins. Additionally, he acknowledges the contributions of Lee Byrne, Dwayne Peel, and Leigh Halfpenny to the sport.
Notably, a striking facet of Owens’ chosen players is their collective leadership qualities, with the majority of the selected individuals having served as captains for their respective nations.
Fullback: Israel Folau (Australia)
Owens said: “For me, it’s nip and tuck between Halfpenny and Folau, next to nothing to choose between them. Leigh is brilliant because under the high ball and with his kicking at goal under pressure. He may not always break the line when running but puts his body on the line in defence and is a top-notch match-winner.
“But I go for Folau – only just, I should stress – because of his ability to seemingly beat his man every time he gets the ball in his hand. He’s such an exciting player and like Leigh he is one of the best under the high ball.
“It’s a toss of a coin for me… and it’s come down in Folau’s favour.”
Winger: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
Owens said: “How can you fail to be impressed when watching Hogg play. He’s so exciting as he burst into that line and, of course, was named Six Nations player of the tournament.
“I know he’s a full-back for Scotland, but he is so quick and direct he could easily play on the wing. He reminds me a bit of Shane Williams with some of the things he does.
“When you see who is on the other wing in my team, you’ll see how they would work brilliantly in tandem.”
Outside-centre: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
Owens said: “Not only is he one of the greatest centres in the history of rugby union but he’s a fantastic man off the field as well. O’Driscoll has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport and a real leader. He always respected referees and set the right example for others to follow.
“A legend of the game who conducted himself superbly, on and off the pitch.”
Inside-centre: Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
Owens said: “He’s another brilliant player and after every game, win or lose, he would come up and give me a hug. Ma’a has always found time at after-match functions or at breakfast if we’ve been staying at the same hotel to come over and have a chat.
“What a player, mind, too. One of the stalwarts of the New Zealand side for so many years.”
Winger: Shane Williams (Wales)
Owens said: “When people ask me who is the best player I have refereed it’s pretty much an impossible task to pick one because I’ve been lucky enough to take charge of so many greats.
“But if I’m pushed, I would pick Shane for what he achieved after coming from football at 17 or 18 years of age.
“He was in the mould of Gerald Davies in how he left defenders gasping for air as he beat them with those dazzling sidesteps. Nobody would fancy defending against a back three of Shane, Hogg and Folau, I can tell you that.”