LIST | Top 5 Fallouts Between Players and Coaches

It’s become one of the most prolific fallouts in recent times between a player and a coach, with Scotland’s Six Nations campaign being jeopardised as a result. But how many famous fallouts can you remember off the field?

Here are five times players and coaches locked horns in the public eye.

Toulon’s controversial owner Mourad Boudjellal has never been shy of making his voice heard, but this was one occasion where him rearing his head managed to really kick the cauldron. France had endured a tricky Six Nations in 2019, and were now touring Japan where they would embark on a World Cup run to the quarter finals, where they were eventually eliminated by Wales following a controversial red card.

England were up next for Les Bleus, but a rumoured fallout between captain Guilhem Guirado, and former coach Jacques Brunel in the build up led to Boudjellal’s call to arms for the French players to take action and bring home what would have been a famous World Cup victory.

“You’re there for your career and for your country. You’re there for French rugby and to try to go as far as possible, to see if you can win this World Cup – but we will only get there if you take control. Japan is a magnificent country to visit. Our coaches who are there, I invite you to treat yourself and leave the players to tell their own stories because for years I’ve not understood the game plan of this France team.

"Something is going wrong, so it’s over to you guys [the players] there are guys in this group who will be major coaches in the future kick the coaches out, take control, because we are ready to follow you.”

It was a damming statement to say the least, but it never mattered in the end, as their final pool game was scrapped following Typhoon Hagibis. Their three wins over Argentina, USA and Tonga had sent them on their way to the knockouts regardless of the result. French fans probably won’t mind a rebellion though, as the 2011 World Cup fallout between coach Marc Lièvremont and this players led them to a final which they eventually lost 8-7 to host nation New Zealand.

Danny Cipriani has never quite had much luck when it comes to England selection, and his omission from the 2015 World Cup squad can only be looked back on in a bad light following the fallout with attack coach Mike Catt. For England fans, this was a World Cup to forget for so many reasons, but the fact that a bust up between a player and a coach was a minor fly in the ointment shows just how disastrous Stuart Lancaster’s tenure really was.

Lancaster was quick to sweep this row under the carpet, and declare that the two had a “good working relationship” even though Catt had told Cipriani he would “end his England career” hours after he had been omitted from the team. It was rumoured that other players hadn’t stepped in, and that a swift resolution had occurred shortly afterwards, but this event coupled with the Sam Burgess situation wasn’t exactly doing Lancaster any favours.

Of course this isn’t the first time Catt and Cipriani have fallen out. Josh Lewsey punched Cipriani in 2009 following a disagreement, and Catt came out to say that he understood why he had punched an “arrogant” Cipriani in their own training ground at Wasps. Poor Danny. Rugby just hasn’t been kind to him at all.

George North had a funny old relationship with Saints fans in the final months of his time in Northampton. He was struggling with injury and failing to match the form that made fans love him from the get go, but by the November of 2017, North decided to return home to Wales. However, interim boss Alan Gaffney took a bit of a disliking to him in March the following year when North skipped a training session ahead of their Premiership clash with Sale Sharks.

Saints eventually lost the game which was heavily marred by the poor weather conditions and the news surrounding North at the time after the club had internally dismissed the winger for failing to attend training. The decision was made that North would see out the rest of the season at Saints, and he would leave for Ospreys in the summer, but Gaffney wasn’t quite finished there with the incident. In an interview where North was heavily mentioned, Gaffney lashed out at North and questioned his commitment to the club, saying ”We picked the side that actually wanted to be out on the pitch and the best side for Northampton. I haven't spoken to George personally about it, but I'm just disappointed he wasn't here.”

No one wants to leave a club on bad terms, but Saints were enduring a torrid time in the Premiership. They had crashed out of the Champions Cup, suffered multiple heavy defeats to Saracens, and now were having internal disputes with a star player in their squad.

Things have changed now however, with Saints making themselves contenders for back-to-back play-offs under new coach Chris Boyd. North meanwhile continues to feature for Wales and is thundering towards his century of caps; a decent effort if you ask me.

England survived what was arguably the worst Six Nations match in recent history, as they won back the Calcutta Cup from Scotland for the first time since 2017 at Murrayfield. Storm Ciara swarmed the ground in a mere matter of minutes, with goalposts swaying and drenched fans moaning and groaning as both teams fought through near unplayable conditions. It was a tough watch, but step up Ellis Genge who crossed the whitewash for the game’s only try, which did just enough to seal the victory.

As is with such occasions, Genge was rather popular in the post-match interviews given his efforts on the field, but it was his criticism of “sausages” and his beer drinking that caught the eyes of most folk. As the interviews went on, it eventually came to light that Genge wasn’t just aggressive on the field, but off it as well, as he admitted himself and Eddie Jones had been having arguments following some tough criticism from the England boss.

Jones was fair to criticise Genge following last years much more exciting Calcutta clash. Scotland mounted a heroic comeback at Twickenham, and the try which sent Sam Johnson under the sticks to go 38-31 clear was caused by a loose pass from Genge himself. During the game he also missed several tackles, and Jones was quick to question his fitness in the aftermath. Any player would react to that, and Genge wasn’t afraid of confirming they had had spats over the criticism, but ultimately it’s worked out alright for the pair, as Genge secured the first Calcutta win in three years, and Jones got his much needed victory following their horror show of a trip to Paris.

It’s been the saga on everyone’s minds regardless of your national persuasion. Scotland’s greatest talent Finn Russell has left the squad after revealing in an interview with The Times that he has no relationship with head coach Gregor Townsend, and that he is unhappy with the current set up in the Scotland team.

The issue stems back to a night drinking at the team hotel where several senior players suggested he call it a night, but instead he returned home to his parents house in Stirling, and skipped training and meetings the following day.

Gregor has been excellent at swerving the major issue in that his maverick fly-half has questioned his abilities as head coach and the atmosphere he has created, but the outlook is pretty clear. Neither side is going to back down from this fight, and it could all well end in tears for the Scots.

It doesn’t exactly help they’ve still got a resurgent French side and a trip to Cardiff to deal with, never mind the recently crowned World Champions and a first trip to New Zealand in 20 years this summer. Lose either coach or player, and it would be fatal for the dark blues.

There is a feeling that something is being missed, and that either party has left out a significant event or detail that has sparked this meltdown. The argument at half time during last years Calcutta cup clash can’t exactly be pinpointed however, as this clash only led to a heroic comeback, so if anything this incident has become a needle in a haystack of issues Townsend has to deal with in the coming weeks.

If a resolution can be sought, then perfect, if not, then the straw that breaks the camels back in this instance will be one of either Russell or Townsend not stepping out at Murrayfield for a very long time, and both circumstances would be fatal.