Rugby players Ben Daley and Nick Phipps have both criticised Jarryd Hayne’s decision to seek out an Olympic spot for Fiji so close to the event.
Speaking on Foxtel’s Rugby 360 program the pair had some stern words about Hayne’s move to the rugby sevens format.
“There’s no doubt he’s a quality athlete,” Daley said.
“But to tell you the truth I think it’s probably a little bit selfish to think he’ll make the Fiji team.”
“If I was one of those Fijian players and he just put his hand up and said ‘I’m going to come in and make the Olympic team’ I’d be pretty filthy as a player after spending years and years getting to that point.”
Nick Phipps agreed that he’d be angry if he were to miss out on selection with a new player coming in and also singled out Hayne’s rugby sevens debut in London as a sign that the 28-year-old is out of his depth.
“You watch him play in the Australian game. Two breakdown penalties, a knock on in a very important part of the game and you just don’t know how ready he is,” Phipps said.
“Set piece, breakdown, wide skills – all those things you just can’t develop over a short amount of time, especially if you haven’t even done it before.”
“Good luck to him but I just don’t think we’ll be seeing him in six week’s time,” he said.
Honest Max
Guest
Maybe 'selfish' isn't the word Daley should have used. 'Deluded', 'arrogant' and 'naive' would have been more appropriate.
ClarkeG
Guest
Hey - quiet - here comes the Headmaster.
soapit
Guest
no problem. one way or another it you seem to feel your clear on it now and in a good place with the whole clarity thing.. given our communication problems in the past maybe you should avoid getting fancy and being facetious and just say what you actually mean. i know this can be more difficult but will save us time in the long run i reckon..
Boz the Younger
Guest
It has nothing to do with political correctness, just good manners.
ken
Guest
It`s not right to bag a fellow sportsman when they know nothing about how why who when what JARRYD or Fiji or Ben Ryan said to each other.. Did you see players bag Sonny Bill when he parchuted into rugby union??.. Nope.... .Double standards. . They were cautious just in case Sonny Bill singles out certain player critics for some special treatment .. Obviously Hayne isn`t going to play super rugby in 2017 ( Especailly for the REDS or TAHS ) or their responses would have been more respectful and measured .. DUMB STUFF !! and i thought Daley had a law degree..PFFFFT !!
Jerry
Guest
6.
Hoy
Roar Guru
And yet we all complain about how dour and lifeless the players media appearances are these days... Someone offers an opinion and now we want them to go back to being politically correct?
ClarkeG
Guest
Oh no I was already clear. I was just facetiously making a point which I'm sure you get. Sorry that you thought you had to take the time to clear it up for me.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Jeez... Tough... Blokes won a Super Championship... not all props are superstars blokes... but they asked his opinion as a washed up player with how many games to his name (not bad for a wash up)? He gave his honest opinion. Quite frankly I am uncomfortable how Hayne has jumped in at the end of the seasons, and is looking to the Olympics... just seems so odd. That a developed and experienced 7s player could miss out on their dream for what could only be a project player (based on limited experience) doesn't sit right with me either, and despite Hayne possibly being selected because he is better, I still think it isn't fair... but then the world isn't fair, so who knows.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Yeah, was going to say... props aren't in high demand in 7s...
Andy Thompson
Roar Pro
How many washed up journey men win Super Rugby titles?
ken
Guest
It smacks of sour grapes with what Phipps and Daley spewed out ...They should of said.. " If the coach thinks he is good enough for the OLYMPICS and he is in the best 12, he is good enough and deserves his spot " Come on guys, you`re getting the Marto disease of constantly dribbling BS. It`s time for you blokes to end your appearnces on RUGBY 360 forthwith ...
soapit
Guest
i think from now on just assume i dont have superpowers from the start clarke and you'll save us both time having to specifically clear it up for you. probably a good strategy wrt most posters going forward actually.
ClarkeG
Guest
Ohh so you didn't actually read the minds of Daley and Phipps - it's your theory - gee thanks for clearing that up. I don’t' actually have a theory. I was just intrigued by your apparently ability to read peoples minds.
harry
Guest
Exactly the younger ! When you look up washed up journey man ben daleys name will be there in brackets.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
RK what's really strange is that he has to retire from the NFL in order to do this. Surely after the Olympics he could just offer himself to NFL teams and carry on. It also seems pointless to put so much effort into NFL and then leave just at the point where it might be getting somewhere.
Red Kev
Roar Guru
That's where I'm at. When Hayne announced the NFL thing I was both impressed and interested and willed him to succeed. Now he's thrown in the towel after one season and is chasing something new and shiny by way of an Olympic medal - honestly he just makes me think of a five year old who's changing the profession in their "I wanna be a..." proclamation every week.
soapit
Guest
looking forward to your alternate theory or argument against mine at least (not really)
mania
Guest
I thought the best of the best was the criteria. isn't this the Olympics?
Rick Page
Guest
So disappointed with Hayne for not sticking with NFL, after all that talk about how motivated and determined he was, he gave it up so easy. The new coach clearly stated no decision had been made about the playing roster, so Hayne had every chance to grow more as a player and continue what he said was his dream. To just drop it like that, seems to me a little pathetic compared to all his talk about doing whatever it takes blah blah. Now we have to endure so much unjustified column space about him in rugby, which apparently he's so good at first up, that he can make the olympics. What an arrogance and an insult to the game. Look at how many other great fijian athletes there are and have been, even hayne's athleticism isn't so special by comparison there, especially without the aerobics to go all out, plus he's ignorant about the game. He's not even a champion player to my mind but gets so much publicity, when a sportsman with a real champion's, ferocious mentality to win win win and who will dominate his sport for years to come, a sport that is truly international and exceptionally competative, gets bugger all recognition by comparison, Jason day.