Nadine Dorries, the UK Government's Secretary of State for Sport, has made an embarrassing gaffe by getting the two codes of rugby mixed up.
The Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire was speaking at an event in St Helens to promote the Rugby League World Cup, which is being staged in England in October.
She proceeded to tell the following anecdote: “I’ve always quite liked the idea of rugby league. My long-standing memory is that 2003 drop-goal. Let me reveal a secret, I think we were drinking Bloody Marys at the time. It was 11 o'clock in the morning, but, wow, what a moment that was.”
The drop goal she was referring to was, of course, Jonny Wilkinson’s iconic effort which won England the 2003 World Cup — in rugby union. Fly-half Wilkinson slotted his kick in extra time as Sir Clive Woodward’s team beat hosts Australia in the final in Sydney.
Dorries’ blunder has provoked much hilarity on social media. One tweeter commented: “And the crowd on Lord’s Centre Court all cheered as they lifted the Ryder Cup, while the All Blacks sank to their knees.” Another posted: “Almost as good as when Dennis Taylor scored that unbeaten century against Germany at Twickenham.”
Others have responded in a more serious tone, criticising her for not knowing her brief. Dorries’ full title is UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
During her speech, she also said about rugby league: "I am not going to pretend I am an expert who watches it all the time, but I know from my limited watching that it's an incredibly physical, sometimes quite brutal sport and it often ends up in a scrum."
Dorries has now taken to Twitter to say: "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 Rugby League World Cup this autumn."
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