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Sport Secretary Nadine Dorries has stunned a rugby league audience by confusing the 13-man game with the rival code.

Speaking in St Helens at the launch of a report into the social impact made by the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Dorries opened her address with a reference to Jonny Wilkinson’s match-winning drop goal for England in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.

“I’ve always quite liked the idea of rugby league,” she said. “My long-standing memory is that 2003 drop goal.

“I’ll let you into a secret. I think we were drinking Bloody Mary’s at the time. It was 11 o’clock in the morning but wow what a moment that was.”

Dorries, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, added: “I have heard and I know from my limited watching that it’s an incredibly physical and sometimes brutal sport and it often ends up in a scrum, which actually reminds me very much of politics.

I think we have a lot in common and given a lot of the media like to call me the prime minister’s attack dog, I wonder sometimes if I should give rugby a go.”

Rugby Football League chief executive Ralph Rimmer refused to criticise Dorries for her faux pas, preferring to thank the Government for its £25million backing.

“I’m not going to dwell on that,” Rimmer said. “It’s brilliant that she’s here and we’ve had fantastic support from the Government. I’m not going to knock the shine off any of that.

She gets a chance to see us as we really are and good on her for coming up.”

World Cup chief executive Jon Dutton said he would be inviting Dorries back to attend the matches “to see for herself what a wonderful sport rugby league is”.

“We’re delighted that she came,” Dutton said. “We’re delighted that the Government has shown such a massive commitment to investing into the tournament and its social impact programme.

My final words to the Secretary of State were that we would be delighted if she were to come back to the tournament, maybe to attend each of the three disciplines and see for herself what a wonderful sport rugby league is.”

Following the event, Ms Dorries made a light-hearted comparison between herself and Jason Robinson, who famously switched from playing rugby league to rugby union.

She said: "Like Jason Robinson I may have switched codes in my speech... Both league & union have a rich heritage in the UK. Obviously I've followed rugby league much less in my lifetime, but I'm looking forward to watching England (& all the home nations) in the RL World Cup this autumn."

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/po ... on-3751764

How embarrassing!! Surely you would have your minions find out what the heck she is addressing & prepare the speech for her!! She’s another like Boris who just fumbles their way along regardless!

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries confused the two rugby codes in a speech at a Rugby League World Cup event in St Helens on Thursday.

Dorries thought Jonny Wilkinson's 2003 winning drop-goal for England against Australia in rugby union's World Cup final took place in rugby league.

"I've always quite liked the idea of rugby league," Dorries said in her speech.

"My long-standing memory is that 2003 drop-goal."

Heaven save us!

Absolute disgrace!

Always firmly believed she's a creep, constantly blowing smoke up Boris Johnson coming out with the most ridiculous and ludicrous statements to try and defend the PM, I think she actually believes what she says! How she has become a cabinet minister is incredible! Clearly through her sheer talent!

As for her mistake, easy to make ......and as for watching England, would rather see Sir Lindsay Hoyle (who actually knows what he's on about and watches actual club games) rather than this tit!

At the risk of being accused of getting political she's just as useless as the rest of the cabinet and our moronic PM. There's an Abraham Lincoln quote; "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."

According to Wiki, she's from Liverpool, was educated in Anfield, Halewood and Runcorn and initially worked in Warrington. I'm not certain if her remarks reflect most badly on her unprofessionalism or the marketing 'success' of the RFL. As an earlier poster suggested, an office researcher who doesn't know better probably wrote her speech for her. Even so, she should have known better.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Sir Denis Thatcher too!

Also been attributed to Mark Twain, but a very true statement.

What the odds on this post being 'locked' before we enter July?

I think this sums it up pretty well:

It’s fair to say that this Conservative government is not the most popular in British history.

With multiple gaffes from every minister possible as well as one of the most idiotic prime ministers, a day doesn’t go by without yet another error from the Tories.

Now, it’s the turn of Johnson-lover culture secreatory Nadine Dorries who confused rugby league and rugby union in a speech at a Rugby League World Cup event in St Helens today.

Dorries thought Jonny Wilkinson’s 2003 winning drop-goal for England against Australia in rugby union’s World Cup final took place in rugby league.

“I’ve always quite liked the idea of rugby league,” Dorries said in her speech.
“My long-standing memory is that 2003 drop-goal.”

She added: “We were drinking Bloody Marys at the time. Wow, what a moment that was.”

She later addressed her mistake on Twitter:

“Like Jason Robinson I may have switched codes in my speech. Both league and union have a rich heritage in the UK. Obviously I’ve followed rugby league much less in my lifetime, but I’m looking forward to watching England (and all the home nations) in the RL World Cup this autumn.”

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/conserva ... ent-55260/