Modern journalism is often derided for relying on twitter as a news source, a lazy route around the rigours of hard work and investigative reporting. This is not entirely fair, however, as sometimes, following twitter accounts necessitates Pulitzer-worthy levels of cunning and resourcefulness.
Sunday Times' rugby writer Stephen Jones offers such an example. He is a very fine writer, but has a habit of mixing his flourishing prose with utter nonsense He is irascible to the point of eruption, frequently tweeting divisive opinions and then blocking anyone who has the temerity to disagree. Being blocked by Jones is somewhat a right of passage for anyone with an opinion. Balls are blocked, of course, but then so are the IRFU. We do endeavor to keep an eye on Jones' twitter feed, and if you look at any of our job advertisements, the list of requirements will include that a candidate's not being blocked by Jones is an advantage.
Jones was quite taken with Scarlets' superb performance at the RDS last night, a shock which robs us of an All-Irish final at the Aviva at the end of the month.
Not content with praising Scarlets, Jones decided to rub it in the nose of an Irish bookie who had the audacity to do their job:
Munster fan site Three Red Kings wonderful pointed out some other aspects of the working of the bookies that may offend Mr. Jones:
Wait until he finds out that bookies have been offering odds on Irish provinces winning the tournament since the start of the season https://t.co/YV8LMDcwjS
— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) May 20, 2017
(They got blocked immediately after tweeting it).
Other markets bookies have offered odds on include: the fulfillment of the Mayan prophecy in 2012 (there literally would not have been any life on Earth left to claim winnings); the date we discover alien life form; and the likelihood of the Queen to abdicate her throne to replace Bruce Forsyth on Strictly Come Dancing.
Jones did then grudgingly accept that this is how these things work:
It was a well-deserved win for Scarlets, and we had definitely expected a Munster/Leinster final, but Jones' eternal ire is misdirected on this occasion.
