A Rugby Football Union council member has been banned from Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium for seven months for asking in a Facebook post what Maggie Alphonsi “knows about men’s Rugby”. The Telegraph has the story.
Matthew Smith made the discriminatory comments in a Facebook post during England men’s match against France in this year’s Six Nations.
In a case that demonstrates the RFU’s crackdown on incidents of sexism and misogyny – reports of which have risen since last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup – Smith has been stripped of his privileges as a council member.
Smith, who is Chairman of Warwickshire RFU and a chartered quantity surveyor, made the comment about Alphonsi while the 2014 World Cup winner was working as a pundit for ITV during the France-England match this year.
Smith wrote on Facebook: “Can someone explain to me WTF [what the f—] does Maggie Alphonsi know about men’s rugby?”
An independent disciplinary panel found Smith breached the RFU council’s code of conduct by publishing a discriminatory post and risking reputational damage to the union and the game. He accepted both charges and was handed a one-year sanction, reduced to seven months after mitigation, which included his support of a girls’ rugby festival in 2025. The panel also took into account his decades of service to the sport as a volunteer and noted his willingness to complete an RFU-approved equalities course. He did not receive the maximum 50% reduction because “he had little or no insight into the sexist nature of his conduct”.
He has lost the right to access RFU premises until December 14th, which effectively means he has been banned from Allianz Stadium during that period and will be unable to attend England’s three home matches in the Nations Championship this November. He has also lost his privileges as a council member, which means he will not receive tickets, travel expenses and meals for any home or away game. He could, though, attend England’s match against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on July 11th as a member of the public.
Alphonsi said she was “extremely disappointed” with the decision, which she viewed as too lenient, and insisted more needed to be done to eradicate sexism and misogyny from the game.
In spite of his sanction, Smith will still be able to attend council meetings virtually, meaning he has not lost his voting rights.
The RFU also does not have any power to remove a council member, but a member’s constituent body – in this case Warwickshire – could consider removing Smith from his position.
Telegraph Sport understands the RFU is keen to use this judgment as an example of its zero tolerance for sexism and misogyny within the game.
Worth reading in full.
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Nothing is sacred these days. Male sports, exclusive male commentators no longer allowed. Watching the highlights of the cricket test match v NZ last night and both commentators were women. Not a man in sight.
Not even one with a “grow your own” cervix?
She has written an article for the Telegraph, under which no comments are allowed.
I wonder why?
She would get slated for playing the race / misogyny card.
As a woman, I have never played the latter card, but might, as a Caucasian have to play the former, given the way this rotten country is going.
No idea why people still subscribe to the Telegraph or watch Question Time.
It’s all about shoving women into coverage of every male sport. None of the former sportswomen will know what it is like to face the pressure of male sport and in some circumstances the physical element. Ask a batswoman what it is like to face an over of deliveries above 90mph and they will have no idea. The top female bowlers are barely faster than the top village bowlers. No female knows what it is like to ride a MotoGP bike or superbike at over 200mph. To the credit of those who cover our 2 wheel sport, they have top quality female journalists who know how to ask the right questions of the former riders and champions alongside them. Football has mainly female presenters which when they chose to do pitchside presentations looks a bit odd alongside the likes of Peter Crouch and in cricket yesterday Ollie Robinson was towering over the little presenter. Still, I much prefer the lovely Kelly Cates on MOTD to the smug odious leftie Lineker, who sadly looks like he will be on ITV for the World Cup.
At the moment I am requesting the relevant formal qualifications of a local council planning officer (which are not forthcoming). Now I am waiting to be cancelled. Since when was it an offence of any kind to request knowledge of someone’s bona fides?
If thats his opinion he should have stuck to it, its called free speech, just giving it away.
Anyone remember when Private Eye was funny and they had a female sports writer called Sally Jockstrap?
Fair question, and one that reflects the pathetic construct of DEI of so many TV appointments. She’s fairly dull to listen to, just like most of the women commentators we’ve had foisted on us.
The fact she thinks this was too lenient is disgusting and further proof she shouldn’t have the job. It’s a sport invented by men and we’ve turned it into a global product that women’s rugby gets to piggyback off, but somehow we’re not allowed to watch it without a woman telling us how to play it.
I remember sitting in Murrayfield with a women next to me incorrectly correcting my pronounced spelling of Fagerson as Ferguson
and then trying to tell us not to boo the kicker – Farrell. She should have tried a Hibs/Hearts game
I am disappointed that Alfonsi played the sex card rather than making a rational response that answers the criticism.
And when are we going to have England Women playing England Men in order to highlight the differences in their respective games?
so what does Maggi Alphonsi know about men’s rugby? Everything, nothing, not a lot?
Reasonable question, poor chap.
So he gets publicly vilified and we never get to know wtf she knows. Guess we’ll have to watch the next game to find out.
what happens next if it turns out she knows nothing?
Why doesn’t she just answer his question and do it in such a manner as to prove him wrong?
If she could she would, he’d look like a fool and the whole thing would be over.
Instead the man has to be subjected to a Maoist struggle session while we all watch and the nasty little lady complains it’s still not enough.
The woke agenda once again. It was a fair question.
Maybe we shouldn’t bring back hanging, after all.
I hate when she commentates. It’s like she’s swallowed a dictionary. She chooses the most florid, expressive, hyperbolic phrasing, seeking mellifluous perfection in every utterance. She also never shuts up.
I feel the same with women football commentators. I just find their voices too shrill, too high-pitched, especially when a goal is scored and they start screaming. I would refute charges of misogyny because my wife is even more critical than I am.
and as for my wife’s opinion of female priests
And true to form the Telegraph article isn’t open to comments.
Brings to mind the old Feynman line about answers without questions.
Gave up buying that rag when Bill Gates threw it a few million during covid.
OK, but WTF does she know about men’s rugby?
She’s clearly a DEI hire so he’s perfectly entitled to ask.
Maybe she knows a huge amount having spent years studying it before starting to commentate, maybe she knows as much as I do i.e. it’s a game played by men with funny shaped balls.
Obviously if it’s the former she could have proved it and shot Smith down in flames. The fact she had to play the sexism card, I’ve no idea why she didn’t also play the racism card, strongly suggests it’s much closer to the latter.
BULLSEYE!
I don’t know if knowledge of men’s rugby is a requirement for living, these days I know nothing about it so there’s no guarantee that whoever this person is knows anything about it either.
I was going to say it’s a good job he didn’t mention that she appears to be not a white person but I thought the better of it given the current insane times we live in.
FWIW – just an attempt at humour for any woke cretins who may read this.
And there we have it, the female mind virus that has destroyed society. Obsessed with acting the victim, they use a tried and tested formula to advance female privileges, stop dissent, enact punishment on those they dislike, and further emasculate society. He’s right of course, the male game is a completely different beast to the female game – let’s have women commenting on the women’s game and men commenting on the men’s game. I know men would be happy with that, but I also know women wouldn’t. Why? Because it’s nothing to do with equality – it’s to do with power.
The thought police once again… why did he roll over and take it? He could have simply called it out for what it was – censorship of free speech. Nothing hateful or harmful to the individual was said – he was merely asking a valid question… surely a suitable rebuff would have been ‘here’s my qualifications and experience’ if it’s all good…?
So does anyone here know what she knows about men’s rugby?
It is a fair question after all.
She might know a lot but so far I haven’t seen anything substantive in response to the question.
If it is a fair question then it is objectively justifiable and not objectionable.
Nothing objectively justifiable is racism or sexism or anti anything and that includes as a defence under the Equality Act so far as I am aware.
In her own words:
https://maggiealphonsi.co.uk/
“Alphonsi said ….. more needed to be done to eradicate sexism and misogyny from the game.”
It seems she has a point.
Frankly, compared to my rugby skills England’s women’s team are a whole lot better and the same probably applies to a lot of male players in club rugby today.
Never heard of her until now. Anyway, rugby is not really a sport for ladies, is it?
Not even ones with penises or who have grown their own cervix?
I mean an aftermarket cervix and not one grown in mummy’s womb.
You know – the ones offered for “supply and fit”.
Sounds like she knows a lot about Women’s rugby then… rules are same as the men’s rugby I assume – know sod all about the game myself, except its the one with the funny shaped ball…
Should have asked ‘where’s the bloke’ and ‘mine’s tea with 2 sugars please love’ (see famous Harry Enfield sketch…).
That would have gone down very well I’m sure!…
Spot on! He fell at the first hurdle. Never apologise – never explain!
It won’t be long before no one in this country can remember living in freedom. How very sad.
Mathew Smith will undoubtedly know more about rugby than most people. He clearly hasn’t a clue about how the culture warriors win their games. They win by silly, unthinking people like Smith apologising and agreeing to go on an equality course instead telling the RFU panel to F off. It is people like Smith who feed the equality industry. This man ought to grow a pair and stop feeding the beast.