https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/teenage-boy-admitted-assaulting-wales-15431868

Well done to Gareth Thomas for the use of restorative justice, but an assault should never have happened in the first place.

Discuss, nicely

He’s very lucky Alfie didn’t retaliate.

He’s very lucky Alfie didn’t retaliate.

This is the bit I dont get. Alfie is a proper old school rugby double hard bastard. He must have just stood a took it or wasnt looking the right way or something.

Anyway **** that idiot kids Alfie is a legend.

This is the bit I dont get. Alfie is a proper old school rugby double hard bastard. He must have just stood a took it or wasnt looking the right way or something.

Or was off his face. There would be very few people I would less like to meet on a dark night if I’d previously spilled his pint. Given that however, even more impressive that he went public in the way he did.

Retaliation wouldn’t have achieved anything.

Maybe he showed a lot of restraint*. Imagine the headlines if he had half killed him.

*Like when somebody stole Chris Eubank’s hand bag off an airport trolley. Apparently Eubank just sat on him until the police turned up.

I’m surprised as well that a big unit like him didn’t whack the teenager back – seems to be some damage to his face.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/england-v-wales-erupted-violence-10998815

He’s calmed down in his old age! I couldn’t find the video.

He’s calmed down in his old age! I couldn’t find the video.

He pushed someone who kicked the Welsh scrum half in the head hardly tge crime of the century

I seem to remember he ran in from a considerable distance and punched Grewcock in the face, or maybe i’m thinking of another incident.

edit – here you go, not as far as I thought though.

Guardian  matchreport

England lock Danny Grewcock was lucky to escape a red card just before half-time when his boot forcefuly found the forehead of the crouching Dwayne Peel. Grewcock was only sin-binned, as was Gareth Thomas, who had reacted to the lock’s blatant offence by rushing 15 metres to chin him. The sides both when in for the break with 14 men, and wales leading 8-3.

@ AA, i did not intend to imply it was, just an example of him reacting to a situation years ago and not reacting to a situation now. For what its worth I think he did the right thing in both.

What idiot picks on someone the size of Gareth.  Christ, the lad was lucky !

How does a 16 year old get the mentality to carry out a hate crime against someone just for being gay? If I ask myself that, I can see where Alfie is coming from with restorative justice, rather than kicking the little shit’s teeth down his throat, like it immediately seems like he deserves. A 16 year old has the chance to learn, understand what he’s done wrong. Hopefully.

I ask myself that, I can see where Alfie is coming from with restorative justice, rather than kicking the little shit’s teeth down his throat, like it immediately seems like he deserves. A 16 year old has the chance to learn, understand what he’s done wrong. Hopefully.

Indeed, lets hope so.

And Alfie didnt “chin” Grewcock at all, just pushed him flat handed..in the face.

Any excuse to post a video with Big Gav in it!!  Headcstraight to about 1 min 50 but you will miss lots of Gav moments

How does a 16 year old get the mentality to carry out a hate crime against someone just for being gay?

Parents, society, religion to name a few. Add in some alcohol and off you go, could even have thought provoking him would have been a good reaction.

Good on him for showing restraint

And Alfie didnt “chin” Grewcock at all, just pushed him flat handed..in the face.

Those edited highlights dont don’t show his initial action, the push was secondary after Greenock had reacted to the punch.

Your initial comment made me think I had this confused with another incident, but seeing that I am sure.

Terrible thing to happen.

No I wouldn’t pick on him either, but then someone sexually assaulted Terry Crews once and lived to have the tale told.

Those edited highlights dont don’t show his initial action, the push was secondary after Greenock had reacted to the punch.

Grewcock wasnt punched, your brain must still be addled by the brilliance of Henson that day!!

Grewcock came over the ruck and kicked Peel in the head, Alfie ran in and cleared him out giving him a slap on the way. Had it been a punch it would have been a red card.

On the assault a poster on another site suggests Alfie was attacked due to holding hands with someone and the asalient  cant have know who Alfie was as he thought he could run away!

Anyone can get injured if you don’t know it’s coming.

It surprises me a 16 yr old has such prejudices, I thought if anything young people were more rounded than older people.

Im guessing Gareth actually wants to speak more to the family as a whole.

Gareth is in a fortunate position though of being big and famous. People listen in a way that they might not do to an ordinary person

Like when somebody stole Chris Eubank’s hand bag off an airport trolley

I’m sure that was Nigel Benn?

But lack of restraint can sometimes work. Like when Duncan Ferguson found two lads burgling his home and filled them both in. I’m sure they learned more from that, than from a quick spin through he justice system…

Yes I’m on the he should have knocked all his teeth out side rather than whatever weak justice will be dished out.

Alfie chose “restorative justice” which in cases like this is far more likely to have a positive effect of the offenders behaviour

But lack of restraint can sometimes work. Like when Duncan Ferguson found two lads burgling his home and filled them both in. I’m sure they learned more from that, than from a quick spin through he justice system…

What they learnt was to do their research more and to focus more on burgling from little old ladies rather than double hard bastards. Society is not a whole lot better off from that lesson.

Alfie chose “restorative justice” which in cases like this is far more likely to have a positive effect of the offenders behaviour

I 100% agree, it sounds like the kid hit him and then tried to run. Sounds like Alfie was the bigger man literally and figuratively.

Trial of some bouncers who knocked lumps out of Shane Williams and his brother currently going on in Cardiff, we do have some idiots in the Principality.

Where I used to live in Swansea one of the near neighbours was a man mountain who was one of Swansea’s most feared footy hooligans.  He was sparked by a 17 yr old who cold cocked him when he was sitting down.  That ruined his reputation and as he said made him realise what a stupid idea having a rep as a hard man was.

I’m firmly in the:

Should have knocked his teeth out and then gone for restorative justice.

Whats wrong with punishment first then education afterwards, teaches them that they’ll get punished physically and mentally.

There are 3 questions here.

Could a sober Thomas of kicked the boys’ arse? Probably.

Would it have solved the larger problem? Probably not.

Does a hard man like Thomas coming out and saying he got a kicking for being gay help other less tough gay guys, show how idiotic the assault was and do the largest amount of good? Probably.

The immature part of me would like to have read how some kid shouted ‘oi, faggot’, attempted to assault the Welsh winger and got his nose broken but Gareth is clearly a bigger (metaphorically and literally) man than me and good on him.

If he’d given the assaulter a kicking, the only lesson being shown is that might is right. The homophobic &^%$ would pick on someone smaller.

A big man on & off the pitch. Respect.

What idiot picks on someone the size of Gareth.  Christ, the lad was lucky !

The ‘lad’ may well have been a similar size? And/or an experienced fighter? And, from what I understand (knowing a very, very big man nicknamed ‘Alec the Viking’ who experienced violence first-hand on many occasions) big people are often targeted by people who simply enjoy fighting and seek out big people just to see if they can topple them.

Trial of some bouncers who knocked lumps out of Shane Williams and his brother currently going on in Cardiff, we do have some idiots in the Principality.

I’ve met Shane quite a few times and chatted to him at length, mainly about bikes. Nice bloke, quite reserved, a view shared by most people who bump into him. However, I know two people who live in the same area as him, and can’t stand him because they say he has a reputation for getting into fights. They claim that his brother is worse. Maybe Shane gets drawn in or it’s a result of being very well-known in a really insular part of Wales or it could be outright lies, but he’s not a young boy and most of us get through life without having regular scuffles..

A sucker punch from nowhere can really **** a person up and ruin your evening, even someone huge like Gareth Thomas. He might not have been in the mood to retaliate either.

There are some really nasty people around, who will glass you our of nowhere for so much as looking at them the wrong way.

Makecoldplayhistory has a good take on it.

A big man on & off the pitch. Respect.

Couldn’t have put it better. I think it’s going to get more positive publicity this way and that can only be a good thing.

Nice bloke, quite reserved, a view shared by most people who bump into him. However, I know two people who live in the same area as him, and can’t stand him because they say he has a reputation for getting into fights. They claim that his brother is worse.

Ditto. The trouble in question appeared to have been started by his brother Dean. The Williams party could have been prosecuted as easily as the Doormen, but this is Wales after all and Rugby legends tend to get the benefit of any doubt. Not saying the bouncers weren’t at fault. They made the stupid mistake of staying involved once things had moved outside.

What they learnt was to do their research more and to focus more on burgling from little old ladies rather than double hard bastards.

Is this a true story?

…your brain must still be addled by the brilliance of Henson…

Yes, Cuprinol gloss is very shiny!

Grewcock came over the ruck and kicked Peel in the head, Alfie ran in and cleared him out with his fist…

Fixed!

Fixed!

Not facts

No,that seemed a bit too passive aggressive😋

Thomas ran in to remonstrate, but he gave Grewcock only the mildest of shoves and did not deserve the yellow card as well.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/2354901/Wales-get-their-bread-of-heaven.html

Basically, Alfie is a legend both on and off the pitch.

Thomas ran in to remonstrate, but he gave Grewcock only the mildest of shoves…

That statement doesnt match match the picture very well, who wrote the article? Any bias perhaps?

@ jonnyboi I agree, he has made the morally right choice here.

That statement doesnt match match the picture very well, who wrote the article? Any bias perhaps?

The obviously welsh biased newspaper the daily torygraph!! Neither statement or picture back up your assertion he punched him though, because he didnt.