'Knows nothing about the game': Alan Jones slams Kiwi Raelene Castle, and young female journalist

CEO of Rugby Australia Raelene Castle chats to David Pocock after the loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park last week. Photo / Getty Images

Australian rugby identity Alan Jones has come under fire for a stunning, unprovoked attack on a female journalist and Kiwi administator Raelene Castle.

The former Wallabies coach took the extraordinary step of singling out rugby.com.au reporter Beth Newman in a seething column for The Australian, where he spat fire at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and its chief executive Castle.

Jones' personal attack on the ARU website reporter has attracted an angry backlash from rugby commentators.

The 75-year-old 2GB radio host labelled Newman a "hack" and claimed she was unqualified to be commenting on the Wallabies after reading her reports in the official programme of the Wallabies' 40-12 loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Jones' bizarre comments about Newman came after he also gunned Castle with accusations that the Kiwi administrator "knows nothing about the game".

The shock jock appeared to link his view — that Castle's administration doesn't understand the real issues Australian rugby is facing — with the copy Newman produced for the official match-day magazine.

Other commentators believe Jones' attack on Newman was motivated by other factors.

I feel utter disgust at Alan Jones even speaking Beth Newman's [@bethknewman] name. She is one of Australian Rugby's best journos. There is only one "mouthpiece" in this discussion and it's the bloke who thinks using the N word on radio is proper conduct. For shame. #rugby https://t.co/GHrC23wpth

— Roy Ward (@rpjward) August 31, 2018

Really poor @AlanJones.

Sure, attack Rugby Australia and the system. But why bring one of our female colleagues into your weekly column?

FYI: The journo you’ve unnecessarily slandered is at most matches, almost all pressers and covered the game for 3+ years on full time basis.

— Christy Doran (@ChristypDoran) August 31, 2018

Well said Christy. I totally agree. The journo mentioned in the column is just doing her job... and IMO she does it well. There is no need to launch such a personal attack. https://t.co/tavnTkigpJ

— Louise Ransome (@LouRansome) August 31, 2018

Jones wrote in his regular column for The Australian that Newman was a "paid mouthpiece" of the ARU.

"I picked up the rugby programme for the test match last Saturday in New Zealand," Jones wrote.

"The world of rugby was present at the game. They would read the programme. And some hack, Beth Newman, is writing on Australian Rugby. You guessed it — she's a paid mouthpiece for Australian Rugby.

"How the hell would her utterly irrelevant musings represent an appropriate evaluation to the world of the state of the Wallabies? And what on earth must the rest of the world think about us when such drivel passes for authoritative comment."