Rugby's tipple, drink or drugs?

Despite numerous expensive campaigns to educate the public to the dangers of drunk driving, drunk people still get behind the wheel believing they either know better, won't get caught or are convinced that their particular situation warrants the danger they place us all in. On new years eve Danny Care, the England and Harlequins scrum half, was arrested for drink driving. This is hardly the first example of a Rugby player being caught behind the wheel when he shouldn't have been. In January 2009 Mike Tindle was arrested for drink driving, he was stopped on his way to commentate for the BBC on a Six Nations match at Twickenham. Ironically he was unable to play in the game thay he due to commentate on as a result of a bruised liver.

While Tindle received a three year driving ban – this was the second time he been arrested for drink driving – his England playing career was unaffected. While I don't believe athletes should generally be held to a higher standard than members of the public, I do believe that those who represent their country should be mindful that they have significant public profiles and are frequently held up as an example to others, and in this particular case, perhaps English Rugby should be mindful of the fact that a current England player and former Captain of England had now received drink driving bans totalling over four years, yet was still considered worthy to represent his country.

In December 2008, Less than a month before Tindle was arrested for the second time, the England and Bath prop Matt Stevens failed a drug test following a Heineken Cup match against Glasgow. Stevens admitted to having taken cocaine and while there are those who would argue whether Stevens' use of cocaine was recreational or performance enhancing, the International Rugby Board clearly lists cocaine as a banned substance. As a result of his sample testing positive for cocaine Matt Stevens received a two year ban from Rugby.

At the time of Stevens' ban Martin Johnson, the England manager, publicly stated "I have said all through this episode that there is no place in sport or society for illegal drug use" and added that he would support Stevens who was receiving help with his problem. But Johnson made no similar statement about driving on public roads while under the influence of an intoxicant when Mike Tindle received his driving ban. It wasn't too difficult to draw the conclusion that taking a banned substance was viewed as a more serious professional offence then endangering the public while being drunk behind the wheel of a two ton vehicle.

It's interesting therefore to note that following Danny Care's arrest for drink driving on new year's Eve he has been dropped from the England Rugby squad for this year's Six Nations competition. While I would like to think that this was the RFU setting an example that it is unacceptable for an England player to endanger the public by drink driving, given that just three weeks earlier Care was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour after Harlequins' Heineken Cup match against Toulouse, I suspect that his being dropped has less to do with setting an example for all players, and more about trying to get one player under control.

Rugby has always had a drinking culture attached to it and I frequently enjoy drinking while watching or attending Rugby matches, but it disappoints me that players who have such low regard for the public can continue to represent the public at international level.