Remember John Mitchell? That bald oke that apparently used to be considered something of a saviour in Lions country, but very quickly turned pariah, with the union opting to suspend their coach towards the end of Super Rugby? Well, it seems his disciplinary hearing is finally due to get under way, after being postponed a month or so back.
According to Pieter Jordaan from Beeld, the hearing will start again next Monday and Mitchell’s agency has finally shed some light on the charges that he will face, while insisting that all charges will be fought and that the coach is determined to part ways with the Lions with his name cleared.
The charges appear to allege that Mitchell, inter alia:
– used derogatory language towards players
– placed undue pressure on injured players to train and to play
and
– breached the terms of his contract by making unauthorised public statements
There we go – now we know at least exactly what Mitch is meant to have done. Now let’s see whether he can afford a better legal team than the Lions can. Then again, given that union’s recent run of poor form in the courtroom, it can’t be hard, can it?
Tweet
That’s it?! That’s what they brought up against him?! The phrase “Trumped up charges” come to mind.
Let me tell you something else. A friend of mine is Frans Ludeke’s cousin and he used to tell her of some of the issues at the union. When he was the Lions’ coach, he sometimes had trouble getting the players to take the field from the bench. There is such a bad culture at that union. I have no doubt in my mind that those “injured players” were ready to play. And the unauthorised statements probably means that he actually spoke the truth.
Speaking of injuries: I remember Andre Joubert playing with a brace on his broken hand. Makes you wonder where they dug up these bloody panzies.
I am yet to meet a coach that doesn’t use derogatory language…
Spoiled brats….they’ll do well playing VC.
“Used derogatory language towards players”….I wonder why?
Do we really want the Sharks to purchase any of these guys?
@FireTheLooser (Comment 5) : Maybe Elton Jantjies, Andries Coetzee and Pat Cilliers.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 5) : let’s not forget that we sold most of them to the Lions in the first place because of those self-same attitude issues….
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Solly T being the pioneer 😯
@King Shark (Comment 6) : The way Elton shouts and swears at the ref is not something that I’d like to see in a Sharks or SA jersey.
He’s got a serious mouth on him, and I would think steps need to be taken against a player for such blatant verbal abuse of the ref.
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Didn’t realise that was the reason behind us getting rid of these boys, probably explains why we let Pat Cilliers go, ’cause he’s always been pretty darn effective.
But a bad attitude is a cancer that eats away at the root of a team. The Lions have shown that.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 9) : Is it a fact that Pat had a bad attitude, or rather that at the time we had a number of props ahead of him?
Oh dear… Lions players are upset because their coach called them kitty kats 👿 I can understand the pressure on injured players to train but hell that’s a failing on their medical team to get Mitchell informed on the severity of the injury.
And he didn’t make canned speeches… sounds like Nick Mallet saying that test match tickets were too expensive (they were and they still are).
@Morné (Comment 4) : ja nee….i MEAN?? “Come now, boys, Please can you attend to the breakdowns with a teensy weensy more urgency and now dont go and kick all the posesion away now, you hear, my babies? ” *half time trailing by 50*… 🙄
That is just laughable! I am pretty sure I would have been sacked as coach with my filthy mouth whilst watching a game! 😆 😳
@Ice (Comment 12) : @Morné (Comment 4) : i’m convinced heynke meyer fires off volleys of expletives on that walkie-talkie…
should he be called to DC too? 😛
@Megatron (Comment 13) : I have yet to see a coach that doesn’t use that kind of language,if you are playing like sh*t rugby a coach will tell you no room for sugar coating it unless you in primary school
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : look, I wouldn’t necessarily put it in black and white like that … what I heard, though, was that Pat was considered to be in with a “bad crowd” who didn’t take their rugby as seriously as their partying. The symptom was quite scarily similar and it took another Kiwi coach (in Plum) to call time on the shenanigans. Basically, Plum’s issue was with the players taking far too long to come back from injury, all the while partying up a storm when they were in rehab.
Well wouldnt you use strong language against players that are not holding to their side of the “contract” signed. If he gets removed because they dont perform how can you not allow him to try fix the problems.
@King Shark (Comment 3), he did and it was in the 1995 world cup final as well. The rolls royce was a machine.
“Using derogatory language toward players”What a joke !!!but definatly one I can believe of the lions for sure!!
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : Pat and Plum dont see eye to eye according to close(related) aquaintances. We farm down the valley from them. Helluva nice kid, very nice family.
@Caratacus (Comment 19) : yes, that makes sense
Hahaha…what a joke, can just imagine what Plum was calling the Sharks at halftime on saturday, difference is the Sharks didnt sit and cry about it, they got out there and did the job they were supposed to do…..
@King Shark (Comment 8) :
You really didn’t need to bring up the dead, may he rest in peace.
The fact is guys, there are many sides to this story and none of us, myself included, can definitively say what actually went on during the Lions Super Rugby campaign. Perhaps we should all wait until we have all the facts before laying the blame at anyone’s feet.
@King Shark (Comment 2) :
I didn’t realize that you worked as a doctor for the Lions during Super Rugby, because that would be the only way you could have “no doubt in my mind that those “injured players” were ready to play.”
Perhaps you would like to back this ignorant statement up with some facts, not just rumour and heresay.
@13 (Comment 23) : don’t take all the fun out of blogging, now 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 24) :
Sorry Rob.
I’m a Lion’s supporter and sometimes feel the need to defend my team, even when they don’t possibly deserve it.
I’m sure if I started criticising the Sharks, without any facts to back me up, you guys would react the same way.
@13 (Comment 25) : It would make for some entertainment for us though 😉
Unfortunately, no facts on that statement. I unashamedly made my own biassed assumptions to deliver a highly opinionated statement! 😳
@King Shark (Comment 26) :
No problem Bud.
Have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride with all the shit that’s been going on at the Lions lately,and you just happened to be in the way when I decided to vent my anger a bit. Sorry about that.
@King Shark (Comment 26) : That’s ok, you’re a sharks supporter, we understand 😆 😆
@robdylan (Comment 24) : 🙂
@Greg (Comment 28) : hey 🙂 , and you are awefully scares these day?:-)
hows it going bud?
@Greg (Comment 28) : see you still holding on to that cup….. enjoy it someone els want it 🙂
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : Dunno, ask Rob
@Franshark (Comment 30) : Always well, it’s tough to be a Lion, though, not many people can still do it!
@Franshark (Comment 31) :
You are going to have to take it away then1