A storm in a teacup or a tsunami that will fail to wash ashore? This surely is a topic that should be on every rugby supporters vision. It supposedly features Steve Tew, Andy Dalton and Pat Lam (in the least).
This post appeared on Sportsfreak Discussion Forum under the Super Rugby 2012 thread and has some merit to it (or has it - you decide):
"A couple of days ago I was listening to RS with Kent Johns hosting. A guy called up and sounded totally legit. I mean yeah, people can be good bullshitters but you can usually pick them, or else their story kinda falls to bits after a while but he said….
That at the start of the season he wrote a letter to Steve Tew asking if JK could be the coach of the Blues and that there was nothing anti-Lam in there. So anyways, the letter was passed on to Andy Dalton, who in turn passed it on to Pat Lam. The bloke had his phone number on it and he said he got a highly abusive phone call from Pat Lam in regards to the letter."
Now discussion ensued from this post which can be followed at http://www.sportsfreak.co.nz/wp/?page_id=4/general-sports-discussion/super-rugby-2012-1/page-8
Which brings me to my summation. Is Steve Tews handling of this matter correct and the right thing to do? Personally I think not. He has erred in the decision making process by not answering the original senders missive, even with a curt and concise reply, or even by getting an administrator to deal with it using a standard reply process. But to hand the matter on to Andy Dalton, as alleged, he erred also in passing the letter on to someone that has a vested interest in who is coach of the Blues team. Ok I hear you say, the buck should have stopped there, but no, Dalton also felt obliged to pass it on, and to (I feel) the totally wrong man to deal with it. If Steve Tew had of known that Dalton would not have dealt with it and had passed it on to Pat Lam, then Steve Tew needs his head read.
The fact that Pat Lam ended up getting the letter is remiss of the NZRU and Blues Board. But here is where it gets really tricky and/or dirty. Had the NZRU (Steve Tew) and the Blues Management (Andy Dalton) have known what was to transpire next, would they have made their respective decisions. For a coach of one of New Zealands professional rugby teams to have then used the supplied phone number and verbally abused the letter's original writer is tantamount to stupidity. I do blame Pat Lam for his actions, clearly a man under pressure, but surely all of this could have been handled better by Tew (responding personally in the outset) and Dalton (clearly misguided and foolish in handing it on) then this storm in a teacup wouldn't have eventuated.
It is clear to this writer and observer that all three need to stand down from their positions. Steve Tew firstly for lack of foresight and insight. A simple response would have brought about a suitable outcome to all involved. Andy Dalton for his misguided attempt to not deal with it at Board level and for putting Pat Lam in a position he should not have had the opportunity to deal with it. And as for Pat Lam, the writing has been on the wall for some time. His recent media coverage is lamentable at best, at worse the sight of a man under extreme pressure. He (and the others) could do New Zealand Rugby a favour and move on.
The Earthquake that struck New Zealand Rugby was small in comparison to what they get everyday, but the tsunami is coming and those in the firing line will be washed out to sea, IF the country deems that is what is required to save our reputation as a Rugby Giant that actually cares about the game.
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