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Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby World Cup

England's strict World Cup social media rules revealed

Daily Telegraph UK
29 Jul, 2015 08:00 PM5 mins to read

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England player Chris Ashton reacts to his side's test defeat to the All Blacks last season. Photo / Alan Gibson

England player Chris Ashton reacts to his side's test defeat to the All Blacks last season. Photo / Alan Gibson

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England's rugby players have been warned not to use Twitter "after a tough defeat" as part of social media guidelines issued by the Rugby Football Union for this year's World Cup, according to the Telegraph.

The 24-point guide also warns Stuart Lancaster's squad not to react to potentially provocative messages sent by rival players or fans from other teams, insisting that engaging in a public Twitter argument "is a battle you won't win."

The RFU have already taken the unprecedented move of preventing their players writing newspaper columns or making video diaries during the tournament, which is being hosted in England in September and October.

The Telegraph revealed last September that the instruction came from Lancaster, the England head coach, as part of a move to ensure that the players are not distracted by extra media commitments given the extra spotlight they will face during a World Cup on home soil.

While players are not restricted from using social media under World Rugby's tournament rules, the RFU appear determined to ensure that it does attract any negative publicity or loss of focus for its players by even offering advice on how to react in the event of a defeat.

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"Do not post when you are in a bad mood or immediately after a tough loss," the RFU guidelines state ahead of the tournament which sees England face a tough qualifying pool that includes Wales and Australia.

"Remember you will be regarded as a role model by the public and the media whether you like it or not.

"Once you've posted something online, it can always be tracked back to you. Even if you delete it.

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"Establish your own personal guidelines for using social media so you can stay focused on your performance.

"It may be that you don't use your accounts after a certain hour during the evening, or turn them off completely on the morning of a game until after you have played."

The guidelines encourage England players to use social media sites to "engage with fans" and boost their profiles but warns that fans of other teams or other players may try to provoke them via social media.

"Do not react to this," the guide adds. "Engaging in a public Twitter argument is a battle you won't win.

"You'll only end up looking foolish (you'll also likely boost the other person's follower count) as well as keeping the story going. Serious abuse should be reported to the RFU Communications Department.

"Do not use abusive, indecent or insulting words yourself. This includes any inappropriate reference to ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, faith or religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

"By sharing or retweeting anything of this nature, you then become responsible for its content. Avoid replying to or retweeting users with vulgar names or with inappropriate profile images."

Players are also advised not to "post pictures of drinking, smoking, nudity or while driving - that is illegal" and to make sure they proof-read their messages before posting.

The guideline goes on to repeat the same protocol for the last World Cup in 2011 by stating that players should not reveal team selections, injury updates or training schedules, criticise the England management team or make offensive comments about the opposition, match officials, sponsors or governing bodies.

Players are also advised how to protect their privacy on Facebook and reminds them of commercial responsibilities in terms of promoting brands.

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"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," the guide adds.

"If a fan tweets you telling you how much they enjoy watching you play or how much their son/daughter looks up to you, retweet them and add a simple "thanks" at the start of the tweet. You can make someone's day just by granting them a simple, public acknowledgement.

"It's perfectly fine to display your sense of humour on Twitter. Fans in particular love it when athletes show their personality. But don't tweet at the expense of others."

The RFUs top five social media dos and don'ts

1) Do not post when you are in a bad mood or immediately after a tough loss.

2) Fans of other teams or other players may try to provoke you via social media. Do not react to this.

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3) Do not post pictures of drinking, smoking, nudity or while driving - that is illegal.

4) 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.

5) 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).

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