Knuckles to sue JON

[RugbyReg]

EXCLUSIVE: SOME of Australian rugby's biggest names are locked in a million-dollar legal stoush over an email allegedly sent in the aftermath of the Wallabies' 2007 World Cup demise.
Former Wallabies coach John Connolly is suing the Australian Rugby Union and its chief executive John O'Neill for $1.1 million after he was allegedly defamed in the February 2008 email.

Civil documents filed to the Brisbane Supreme Court allege O'Neill wrote to some of the ARU's top coaches and managers claiming that Connolly "adds no credit to the game" and his "days of pandering evil and mischievous propaganda will shortly come to an end".

Connolly alleges the email did considerable damage to his reputation and led to his inability to obtain high-level coaching positions.

Connolly was Wallabies coach from 2005 until 2007, presiding over the team's World Cup quarter-final loss to England.

O'Neill returned as ARU CEO in June 2007 and the relationship between the pair soured after Connolly retired.

Connolly's statement of claim alleges O'Neill sent the email to Pat Howard, who was the ARU high-performance manager at the time, Wallabies team manager Phil Thompson, Wallabies assistant coach Michael Foley and the ARU Management Committee warning them to steer clear of Connolly.

"If you do have any contact and communication with him, tell him on my behalf that his days of pandering evil and mischievous propaganda will shortly come to an end," O'Neill said in the email.

"John is sadly a person who adds no credit to the game in this country and I can assure you that his involvement in rugby is at an end from an ARU perspective.

"Do yourself a favour and don't talk to him and convey that to people close to you as well."

In the email O'Neill expressed anger over a "very inaccurate and hurtful" article by Sun Herald columnist Danny Weidler, published the day before.

O'Neill also demanded to know if the email recipients had had recent conversations with Connolly or Rugby Union Players' Association CEO Tony Dempsey about the ARU.

"Weidler largely relies on Tony Dempsey and John Connolly for such scuttlebutt," O'Neill said.

"The question remains as to who has provided Connolly and/or Dempsey with the nonsense that is then handed on to Weidler."

Weidler's column speculated that Howard planned to leave the ARU after tension with O'Neill.

Connolly alleges as a result of the email he lost the opportunity to be re-employed as a coach of the Queensland Reds or as a coach for the yet-to-be-established Super 15 consortium.

An ARU spokesman said the ARU was yet to receive the court documents and was not in a position to comment at this stage.

Connolly did not return phone calls yesterday.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26391818-952,00.html

 

[Scotty]

Weidler's column speculated that Howard planned to leave the ARU after tension with O'Neill.

So JON got upset over something that was possibly true? I guess you may be able to confirm, Noddy?

 

[rsea]

Anyone else get the feeling JON is on the way out?
These incidents are starting to mount up. Not to mention the dramas with the new Super franchise and killing off the domestic comp, neither of which have shown him at his best.

 

[Ash]

In the end, though, he got the 5th franchise. And he didn't have a choice with the ARC - the funding just wasn't there. We all wanted it kept, and were disappointed when it went, but in hindsight JO'N probably didn't really have a choice at the time. With the GFC hitting since then, it has been the right decision, sadly.

The email does show a lack of class, though. Firstly, Connolly will have to prove that it cost him the positions. That will be interesting, as Connolly does not exactly have a top coaching record since departing the Reds. He's an old school coach that likes to play mental games and divide and conquer within his own team. In the professional era, I think that Connolly is a dinosaur whose time has unfortunately come.

 

[mark_s]

Exquisite timing from Knuckles. when would there be a better time to launch this than after one of the the Wobbs worst ever defeats?

This is following on from JON's leaking of the player trial match pay demand after the Wellington debacle.

What will come out next time we have a bad defeat?

 

[Moses]

The email does show a lack of class, though. Firstly, Connolly will have to prove that it cost him the positions. That will be interesting, as Connolly does not exactly have a top coaching record since departing the Reds. He's an old school coach that likes to play mental games and divide and conquer within his own team. In the professional era, I think that Connolly is a dinosaur whose time has unfortunately come.

Connolly will also have to prove that there is no truth in what Connoly has said to make his defamation case

"If you do have any contact and communication with him, tell him on my behalf that his days of pandering evil and mischievous propaganda will shortly come to an end," O'Neill said in the email.

"John is sadly a person who adds no credit to the game in this country and I can assure you that his involvement in rugby is at an end from an ARU perspective.

"Do yourself a favour and don't talk to him and convey that to people close to you as well."

 

[James Buchanan]

Connolly will also have to prove that there is no truth in what Connoly has said to make his defamation case

I don't think you'd get by on justification in this case, because the statements are so subjective and personal. Although, it could possibly be argued that Connoly had no reputation to tarnish, so contextual truth might be available.

Possibly also Honest Opinion, but it does seem outside of the context of that's usage, and JON's opinion doesn't sound too balanced.

I think the big bit of this is that it wasn't widely publicised, which isn't neccessary for defamation, but it would limit the amount of damage to his reputation that could have been done.

 

[fatprop]

I hate sports administrators, the lot of the are just selfish pricks

 

[Aussie D]

........ and so are the days of our lives.

Rugby is becoming (or should that be has become) a really bad soap opera in Australia. The Wallabies are playing out a tragedy at the moment which is the worst part of all.

 

[cheezel]

"days of pandering evil and mischievous propaganda will shortly come to an end".

Jeez, it makes him sound like some sort of evil dictator. Knuckles pandering evil????

 

[RugbyReg]

I hate sports administrators, the lot of the are just selfish pricks

thanks.

 

[fatprop]

I hate sports administrators, the lot of the are just selfish pricks

thanks.

:lmao: less the "professional" administrators and more the blazer brigades.

 

[RugbyReg]

what about the umemployed variety?

 

[Spook]

Biffo made a good point recently = many administrators, coaches and fans in Aussie rugby are still in the amateur era and haven't come to terms with the implications of professionalism. He went on to add that the next 15 years will see a big change in how Aussie rugby runs as the people involved will have been pros from day one of their involvement in rugby. Hopefully this will result in better practice throughout the game and less politics.

 

[Lindommer]

Anyone else get the feeling JON is on the way out? These incidents are starting to mount up. Not to mention the dramas with the new Super franchise and killing off the domestic comp, neither of which have shown him at his best.

As I've previously stated, the demise of the ARC was an ARU board decision.

 

[naza]

It could be argued that O'Neill is an aggressive, domineering arsehole with appalling interpersonal and professional standards.

Legal disclaimer: I do not necessarily hold that opinion, I just recognise that others may, or may not, care to argue about it.

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'd argue otherwise. I've been calling for his head (and chins) for eons. He is a self centred media slut who gives nothing to the game.

 

[Thomond78]

Lads?

You know that bit in the original name of those parts about "New Wales"?

It's not a literal instruction. Really. You don't have to be like them.

I mean, it's fun to watch, and I'm getting in the pop-corn, but still...