It’s funny how two different nations can see the same interview and come out with differing opinions.
In Ireland, RTÉ reporter Clare McNamara is held in high esteem for pushing All Blacks coach Steve Hansen on his team’s ruthless tactics.
In New Zealand, well, the attitude seems ‘You lost. Get on with it’.
McNamara did not hold back when she spoke with Hansen after his side’s hard-fought 21-9 victory over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. On four occasions, McNamara questioned the physicality of Hansen’s men. Eventually, Hansen snapped back:
“Do you want me to tell you we’re a dirty side or something? Is that what you’re saying?”
It was a memorable interview and put the All Blacks coach in foul form for the post-match press conference.
Fair play to Claire McNamara for pushing Hansen on this https://t.co/ICdNPxbdfD
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 20, 2016
The New Zealand Herald has done some digging and they’ve discovered that McNamara is no wallflower.
If she asks you a question and you try dodge it or railroad her, she does not back down. Many of us would call that good, solid reporting but not this Kiwi media outlet.
In a piece entitled ‘Meet Clare MacNamara, the woman who took on Steve Hansen’, for which no byline has been attributed, the paper lauds Hansen as ‘one of the few coaches not to fall into her trap’.
The piece is centred around McNamara’s interview with then-Clare hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald after his side had lost to Limerick. After detailing how the ‘notoriously grumpy’ Fitzgerald became one of McNamara’s “victims”, the piece states:
‘Hurling is huge in Ireland and is televised live. MacNamara interviewed the notoriously grumpy Fitzgerald after his team had lost a key final 1-0.’
We want to know why McNamara didn’t ask Fitzgerald how the game only finished ONE BLOODY NIL.
You’ve got to hand it to Kiwis, or many of them at least, they know how to drag controversy and victimisation out of their victories.
Perhaps that is what makes them so hard to beat.
Aaron Kernan joins Colm Parkinson on The GAA Hour to explain the work he’s doing for the Club Players Association. Derry captain Chrissy McKaigue talks Slaughtneil and a Dublin club advertising for hurlers gets a sore touch. Subscribe here on iTunes.
