A timely message bearing in mind the antics of Mr.Tindall

Who said rugby players weren’t intelligent?


Jono Gibbs, Chiefs “Nobody in Rugby should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.”

Phil Waugh “We actually got the winning try three minutes from the end but then they scored.”

Jerry Collins “I’ve never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body.”

Tony Brown “That kick was absolutely unique, except for the one before it which was identical.”

Rodney So’ialo, Hurricanes, on University “I’m going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes.”

Colin Cooper, Hurricanes head coach.”You guys line up alphabetically by height.” And, “You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle.”

Chris Masoe (Hurricanes) on whether he had visited the Pyramids during his visit to Egypt .”I can’t really remember the names of the clubs that we went to.”

Colin Cooper on Paul Tito “He’s a guy who gets up at six o’clock in the morning regardless of what time it is.”

Kevin Senio ( Auckland ), on Night Rugby vs Day Games “It’s basically the same, just darker.”

David Nucifora ( Auckland ) talking about Troy Flavell “I told him, ‘Son, what is it with you… Is it ignorance or apathy?’ He said, ‘David, I don’t know and I don’t care.’

David Holwell (Hurricanes) when asked about the upcoming season: “I want to reach for 150 or 200 points this season, whichever comes first.”

Ma’a Nonu “Colin has done a bit of mental arithmetic with a calculator.”

Tana Umaga “I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.”

Doc Mayhew “Sure there have been injuries and deaths in rugby, but none of them serious.”

Anton Oliver “If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.”

Ewan McKenzie “I never comment on referees and I’m not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat.”

Murray Mexted (clearly a contender for Mastermind):


(1) “Andy Ellis the 21 year old, who turned 22 a few weeks ago”


(2) “He scored that try after only 22 seconds – totally against the run of play.”

(3) “I would not say he (Rico Gear) is the best left winger in the Super14, but there are none better.”

(4) “Well, either side could win it, or it could be a draw.”

(5) “Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer.”

AND THE “Piece de resistance’

Murray Deaker: “Have you ever thought of writing your autobiography?” Tana Umaga “On what?”

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

3 Comments

  1. rugbyssssss

    Thank you! Iam here in NZ trying to ignore the World Cup, and click on Drayton Bird for something interesting that is NOT about rugby. What do I get: a lol moment about rugby! Thank you again from one of the few people in the world who thinks rugby is BORING!

  2. Thanks for the fun, Drayton. And thank God we do not have time to watch daytime TV:

    Jeremy Kyle: “If my dad were still alive today, he’d turn in his grave.”

    James Martin: “Your CV reads like a who’s who of what you’ve done.”

    Mariella Frostrup: “If it wasn’t for my father, I might not be sitting here today.”

  3. anon-Yeah, it loads okay for me but I do have a few jury-rigged things that could cause it to slow down. Unfortunately that’s kind of the ntuare of being a bit of a mom-and-pop blog. If you got a new computer (and have a good internet connection) I think you’d notice a world of difference.

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