Ah, so tweeting whilst driving IS illegal.
First off, the RFU in England deserve some credit for allowing their players to post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, et al, during the World Cup.
That is were the credit runs dry.
As revealed in The Telegraph, the English union, at the behest of head coach Stuart Lancaster, has issued its players with a stringent, wide-ranging social media rule-book/guide.
The union is keen to avoid any online mishaps during the tournament, which it is hosting from in September and October. To that end, the squad has been given 21 dos and don'ts.
The guide encourages players to interact with fans online but cautions them to avoid being drawn into arguments of points of contention.
'Do not react to this. Engaging in a public Twitter argument is a battle you won’t win.'
Here are the top five pearls of prohibitive wisdom:
- Do not post when you are in a bad mood or immediately after a tough loss.
- Fans of other teams or other players may try to provoke you via social media. Do not react to this.
- Do not post pictures of drinking, smoking, nudity or while driving – that is illegal.
- If you enjoy a good win or achieve a personal milestone, take 30 seconds to tweet a "thank you" to the fans who were there to cheer for you or support you online.
- Share photos when the team takes part in community projects and any other interesting insights into your life as a professional rugby player, but be mindful of private team areas which should not be shown to the public (i.e the performance centre).
