http://www.tsn.ca/couchmaster/fructis/news_story.asp?ID=22047 Time to dicide who is 2003's first Flake TSN.ca CouchMaster 1/10/2003 We have the candidates for the first Flake of the Week for 2003 but, (or is that butt?) the last to make the short list may well be in a class of his own. Australian rugby player John Hopoate has been suspended for practicing proctology without a license.... Controversial Wests Tigers winger John Hopoate has been suspended for 12 weeks after being found guilty by the Australian National Rugby League Judiciary of poking his fingers up the anuses of three North Queensland players reports the website, sportal.au. Accused of one of the most bizarre charges in the history of rugby league, or sport in general for that matter of fact, Hopoate was officially found guilty of 'unsportsmanlike interference'. On the evidence of video footage (We've just got to get that for the '2003 Year in Review ' show), and the damning testimony from the three Cowboys players, Hopoate was always likely to be found guilty. The length of his sentence seen as the only contentious matter. In the end the NRL Judiciary had little trouble differentiating between a "wedgie", a "finger up the arse" and the area between the "arse and the nuts" before finding Hopoate guilty. NRL judiciary commissioner Jim Hall described Hopoate's case as the worst he had experienced in his 45-year involvement in rugby league. "I've never come across a more disgusting allegation than I've had to deal with now," he said. Hopoate, 27, was found guilty on three separate counts of deliberately sticking his fingers up the anuses of Peter Jones, Paul Bowman and Glenn Morrison in Saturday night's match at Dairy Farmers Stadium. Hopoate, a former Australian Test winger, insisted he was merely trying to give Jones and Morrison a wedgie in order to perform a quick play-the-ball and that he did not stick his finger up Bowman's anus. Asked by his consel Bernie Gross QC where he was directing his finger at Bowman, the Cowboys captain, Hopoate replied: "Between his arse and his nuts". Hopoate maintained he did nothing wrong in administering the wedgies and went on to say: "I'm a great believer in what happens on the field should stay there." Asked to describe what a wedgie felt like, the Tigers winger replied: "You get a burning sensation. Your undies are getting reefed up your arse." Hopoate's defence counsel contended to Jones that his client had merely administered a "wedgie" on the Cowboy in the seventh minute of the match. "It wasn't a wedgie. That's when your pants are pulled up your arse. I think I know the difference between a wedgie and someone sticking their finger up my bum," said Jones, admitting that while both acts caused discomfort, they caused different sensations and he could differentiate between the two. Jones claimed he hadn't provoked Hopoate and that afterwards he immediately expressed his "disgust" and gave the Tongan international a push. Bowman said after tackling Hopoate in the 17th minute, he stood over the winger and "that's when I felt fingers outside my shorts pushing up my arse". "There was pressure there. I know he wasn't doing it accidentally. He was definitely pushing. "I was disgusted. I couldn't believe it. I know it's a tough game, but there's no room for that." Gross argued that Bowman had been excessive in trying to slow Hopoate from playing the ball by grabbing the North Queensland captain's leg. But Bowman maintained that "if he (Hopoate) was a man, he wouldn't do that". When pressed by Gross, Bowman became angry and asked the QC: "If I held your leg, would that give you the right to put your finger up my arse?" Morrison testified he was caused pain by Hopoate's action. "Hopoate was trying to pick my arse. It's not a thing that I wanted to happen and it's not a pleasant thing," Morrison said. Bummer huh? This first week of 2003 sure has been an eventful one for Flakes. So much so that it might make it tough, (ya right!), to decide who should be this year's first: Fructis Flake of the Week ______ Um… Edit: Rugby, not football. I must have been in shock.
So in ARF it's legal to give somebody a wedgie and poke somebody between the testicals and anus but you can't stick your finger up some one's butt. Got it.
Rugby isn't Aussie Rules Footy. Rugby is rugby. Totally different game. But I'm sure this was news in Australia about 2 years ago....??? Smeg, can you confirm it?
Yeah, it was news ages ago. In fact I think there was even a thread about it here, and I posted a funny story about an ad campaign for prostate cancer testing. They used Hopoate's picture and said something like 'it won't hurt a bit, I promise'. I must see if I can dig it up... 'Hopoate' sounds Maori to me. I hope he isn't ours.
OK, dude is from Tonga. But there *is* a New Zealand connection: 4 April 2001 (AEST) THE manager of disgraced rugby league star John Hopoate is considering action against the New Zealand Cancer Society for using a photo of the player sticking his finger up an opponent's anus in advertisements. The photo of Hopoate's finger interfering with North Queensland captain Paul Bowman is being used as an advertisement for prostate cancer checks. The newspaper ad reads: "A bloke's chances of developing prostate cancer increase as he gets older. If you have symptoms that you're concerned about, consult your local doctor. It won't hurt a bit - promise".
straighten mode on this happened ages ago, and i suspected i posted on it back then there is Rugby (also known as Rugby Union) and there is Rugby League (also known as League). Rugby League people call Rugby, Rugby Union, but there is really only one Rugby. Rugby is supposed to be the game played in heaven and is truely a global game. League on the other hand is dominated by Australia with NZ and Britain running a distant 2nd Aussie Rules on the other hand is the national game of australia and completely different and better Go Crows!!
My apologies for the mistake on the sport. I do know the difference between ARF and Rugby, and even know that there are two different kinds of Rugby, although I couldn’t tell them apart. And I’ve seen the bumper-stickers that say “Give Blood – Play Rugby”, but I did not know the game also involved rectal exams. “Cough please!”
Ahem. I believe there was a NZ team in the Super 12 final last year? The Warriors? League is more fun to watch, I think. Sorry GB. (I'm also being a traitor to my country since union is our national game!)
Dimsie - Warriors made the super 12 final hey, pity they play Rugby League, Union has the Super 12. League better to watch, maybe, but really it's like watching playground ball and the and1 mixed tapes, showy but no substance......Union is so much better (my guess is you will deservedly be deported from NZ for the comment)
Old, old story. To his credit, after losing his contract, he came back for match payments only...with a new club...and turned his career around to the extent he was considered for representative honours in 2002. Most of the blame lay with the Wests Tigers club...of which I am close to. They saw Hoppa doing it in several games...all on game tapes...and thought it was funny. The coach did NOTHING to stop it. Hoppa is as brain dead as someone who isn't legally brain dead can be...he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed etc. Someone in authority should have told him to stop it. The coach is now sacked btw.
Heehee. I should never start talking about any of these football-related sports, I know next to nothing. I knew they made *some* sort of final. I even watched the game! Oh well, cricket's my sport.
And you're from NZ? Sheesh, that must be tough! And I actually prefer to watch Union, I find League boring (that may be due to the poor standard of the game over here).
