Room 101: Ian Davies – Cornish Pirates head coach

1. They are LAWS not rules
If you speak to any of the players at the Pirates they’ll tell you that my big pet hate is people (especially TV commentators) who say the “rules of game” or “new rules this season”. Wrong! They are Laws of Rugby not rules. Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen hence the term Laws. Rules are for the round ball game and I’m sure you can fill in the rest of the saying yourselves…
TRP verdict:  This wouldn’t hold sway in a court of Law. Case dismissed!
2. Teacher critics
Unless you’ve been a teacher yourself, like I have, you cannot comprehend the workload that comes with the job, so people who say ‘teaching is easy’ or ‘teachers are always on holiday’ really wind me up. I taught chemistry and science at secondary school level and I’d say that time management was a strong point of mine, but even I found the endless hours of marking, lesson preparation, revision clubs, after school clubs, etc. exhausting. On top of this teachers have other pastoral or managerial responsibilities too. You are on a continuous wheel to achieve the examination targets, keep up with the annual changing of the curriculum and that’s without even mentioning OFSTED inspections! Holidays were rarely a time to relax but more an opportunity to finally tick all the boxes!
TRP verdict:  There’s just enough elbow (patch) room to squeeze you into Room 101.
3. Language abuse
People are too carefree with their use of the English language and grammar nowadays. I always try and make sure I’m grammatically correct in emails and even text messages. Since when did apostrophes become redundant? When it comes to the spoken word there are far too many Americanisms and bizarre sayings creeping into our language. One example I hear all the time at the Pirates is the saying ‘me bad’ when someone makes an error. It makes no sense at all, or maybe it’s just me getting old!
TRP verdict:  Good shout, full stop. You’re in.