James O'Connor arrested in Paris buying cocaine

@ Vichy, "Do you honestly think Rugby League is anything but a minority sport?" Vichy, No where have I ever said RL was on par with global games like Soccer. I don't follow Soccer mate, I like Rugby League and its tribalism in Australian and NZ. It's not the world game and thats why I like it. Just like people like AFL, NFL and Hurling in Ireland, etc etc.... Rugby League might not have Soccers world coverage or power but it has something. It's more then you could say about the great sports of NFL or AFL (I like watching NFL & AFL as well) With 3 legitimate teams and more and more stronger one coming up like Samoa, Tonga Fiji and Papua New Guinea (where RL is a national sport and PNG has a population of near 8 million.) It's a great start and something to build on as they doing with the world cup this year. I enjoy the WC and I don't care what they think of RL in Iceland, Finland. But it's the NRL that I and lots people watch as proven by the massive TV rating and Media coverage in Australia manly coming out of NSW. Mate, enjoy your European rugby. I don't really know much about it or where I could even watch it. But good luck to you.

I just wish you didnt avoid questions when you get them put to you. Last one, Do you honestly think Rugby League is anything but a minority sport?

@ grapeseed Thanks grapessed it's all fun and games. I only wish Vichy had more than two gears. He continually repeats sentences over and over and over with no substance. "NRL is only in QLD and NSW." "European rugby!!! NRL is a minority irrelevant sport" But Hey, he Means Well.

All these records Craigo! Its not like anyone in Rugby League to overhype anything surely! All these records yet still a minority sport. Is that the "World" Cup with 3 legitimate teams and the rest of the teams filled up with Aussies, Kiwis and Poms who couldn't locate the countries they're playing for on a map. Of course the final is sold out its the only World Cup in the World where everyone knows the 2 finalist 12 years in advance. How many people in the other 10 or 11 countries competing know this World Cup is happening or Know what Rugby League is? My favorite was the Canadian women side putting out an ad for players in Australia on facebook 10 months before the World Cup starts! How are you lot supposed to be taken seriously. As i said you lot are big in QLD and parts of NSW nobody else would know the World Cup is happening

This Craigo vs Vichy thread is awesome, classic Roar. Please make this and article.

@Vichy I checked the ACT Brumbies number mate. Seriously, You should become a member of the Brumbies. They need you Vichy. You could bring it up to 5,801 members. Don't let that minority irrelevant sport of Rugby League be 3 or 4 time the membership in The ACT then the Brumbies.

@Vichy You got me again Vichy! Will I ever learn! The Western Australian Rugby League team should arrive right after the Western Force are pull out of Perth by Super Rugby in two/three years. About the same time the Sold Out RL state of origin is played there. RL SOO Should bring millions into WA. something you got to love about those minority irrelevant sport Vichy :) "Atleast AFL know where they stand internationally" Yep, AFL really care what you think Vichy about them being international. Can wait for the Rugby League World Cup at the end of the year :) I hear the finals already a sell out. Got to love those minority irrelevant sport :) Enjoy the European rugby this weekend mate! and come back and tell me who won? The suspense will be killing me. I cant watch it the NRL round one starts Thursday should set new TV rating records. Got to love about those minority irrelevant sport Vichy :)

@Vichy, no need to check Aussie Rules and Rugby in Canberra, but I may have to help you. ACTAFL (this is the Aussie Rules Comp in Canberra) 6 Clubs with each club having 1st grade, reserves and Rising Stars The clubs are Ainslie Gungahlin Eastlake Tuggeranong Queanbeyan Belconnen. John I Dent cup Premier Division 7 clubs each club has 1st 2nd and Colts. Some clubs, such as Vikings and Royals, have 3rd and 4th divisions who play Regional teams like Hall, Goulburn, Braidwood. The 7 clubs are Tuggeranong Vikings Gungahlin Eagles Queanbeyan Whites Royals Uni Norths Westsand Easts So I don't see that as a distant last for Rugby League in Canberra, Infact i see it as strong.. if not stronger then the other two codes where it is permissable to use your hands in play.

Jaime the Racism in that game was on from minute 1 to minute 80 in the Gregan Larkham stand about 30 rows back from memory. I went to the Canberra Raiders cup final at Seifert in 2014 Blues vs Goulburn and that was worse thats when i first knew you lot were alot more special than the normal Sporting fan. Now Jaime you mentioned League go and have a look at teams and divisions in AFL, Union And Football.. i think you will see League running a distant last.. something Craigo/Crosscoder wont like hearing though will somehow miraculously find some figures showing otherwise

Craigo/Crosscoder you better check those membership numbers.W hat about union, soccer and AFL comps and divisions? How about the Western Australian Rugby League team? By the way im a football fan but appreciate any proper international sport not some made up manufactured International sport. Atleast AFL know where they stand internationally unlike Rugby League with the continual making up of countries of Aussies, Kiwis and Poms playing for countries they couldn't spell. As ive said i admire your passion its just a shame you have to keep changing profiles to defend your minority irrelevant sport

James O'Connor is the Danny Cipriani or Gavin Henson of Aussie rugby: intelligence is an optional extra that the gene pool failed to provide them with..

They're both criminal offences. I really don't see the distinction.

@Vichy You should become a member of the ACT Brumbies mate with only 5,800 members and crowd averages around 9000 they will be kicked out of the Super Rugby Comp soon.

John Mitchell seemed to be able to keep him in line, but no one liked mean John and the mean way he was mean to the players.

Here you go again Vichy, sprouting fallacies about the Canberra sporting landscape. Just like the rubbish you were spruiking last week regarding racism at a Manly v Raiders game last year. Memberships so for 2017: Canberra Raiders 15,603 GWS Giants 15882 (3,700 of these are based in Canberra) ACT Brumbies 5,800 Yep, Canberra is certainly a Aussie Rules town... Crowd figures are interesting too, can only base on last years as no games have been played this year yet. Canberra Raiders 12,183 (H&A) Finals at home ave 23,545 (Sharks and Panthers) GWS Giants 12,886 ACT Brumbies 9,656 So based on those actual figure (not the ones made up in your head) Brumbies are the lowest crowd supported profession club in Canberra. Also the folly about adult participation in rugby league in Canberra. There are 9 clubs who participated in the Canberra Cup for 2016. Each club must have a side in 1st grade, Reserve grade and U18's. On top of this you have the George Tooke Shield competition which is made up from Canberra district towns and smaller clubs. This comp has another 9 teams participating along with under 18's comp too. And then you have the ANU grizzlies who play in the NSW Tertiary Competition, a comp they won last year. You may have lived here for 6yrs, but don't consider yourself an expert on all sporting matters in the ACT, especially Rugby League, because you appear to have little to no idea. I’ve been lining here for more than 22 years. During that time I’ve played Rugby League here for Queanbeyan Roos, Gunning Roos and Rugby for Hall Bushrangers. My middle son players Aussie Rules for Gungahlin Jets, My eldest plays Rugby League for Gungahlin Bulls and he also plays Rugby for Gungahlin Eagles while my youngest plays R/L for Gungahlin Bulls jnrs.

@ Vichy, Yep, you got me again Vichy! The Melbourne Rebels have it all over the NRL in Melbourne!!!! How dare the Melbourne Storm be in the NRL who boasted a record crowd average last season in 2016 of 19,024. Code in crisis!! Kick 'em out!!! How dare the Melbourne Storm who have a Record Membership edging towards 20,000 and being the 4th in the NRL. Code in crisis!! No one likes the Storm!!! What about that embarrassing largest State of Origin crowd in history two years ago with roughly 92,000 fans coming to the MCG. Code in crisis!! And what about the TV rating last year in Melbourne!! Another oddity was that the NRL Grand Final attracted more supporters in Melbourne (where the Storm come from)with 641,000 people, than the Swans did in Sydney on Saturday: 534,000. NRL Code in crisis!! You got me again Vichy!!! That Canberra AFL team is bring league down!!! As for the The Raiders they have achieved a new membership record of 15,603. As for the Canberra TV ratings Seven of the 10 most-watched shows in Canberra in 2016 were sports telecasts, led by the first two State of Origin matches (back when WIN showed Nine's programs). and Cronulla's NRL grand final win. NRL Code in crisis!! You got me again Mate. Looks like Rugby League is done for!!! "The Raiders get the smallest crowds out of the 3 codes and nobody plays it here" Please do some research mate! the canberra raiders had the biggest crowds of the 3 codes last year.

You are right, giving consenting adults the right to consume mind altering substances which are less harmful than tobacco and alcohol strikes at the very foundation of western liberal democracy. Bring back prohibition instead. Cos we definitely need more rules in society right?

That's the slippery slope argument. Change one rule and they all have to change. No, they don't. When the Americans gave up on Prohibition, and allowed booze back onto the market, it didn't lead to the collapse of civilised society as we know it. Allowing pot and a few other drugs onto the legal market, all with nice tax regimes like those for tobacco, and prohibitions on underage consumption, wouldn't lead to the collapse of modern society either. Relative to alcohol, there are a lot of drugs that are far less harmful both to the consumer and to society. Keep the laws in place for the drugs that are a threat, like ice, but legalizing pot isn't going to damage anything except the pockets of the bikie gangs and drug lords who will have to face up to legal competition.

Yeah mate, all those evil social workers, along with judges, lawyers, doctors and virtually anyone who works in the field. You will also find plenty of ex cops who support this position, and even a few current ones. But its a bit of a career killer for serving cops to go public when their political masters are marching to the beat of the law and order drum.

Tying a couple of separate threads together, I can't help but wonder how O'Connor is going to handle the party ending when his career is over. And Williams too, given how much more imminent that must be. Hope someone has eyes on them come the time.