
Issue No 41		26 November 1999

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Sport

A Bizarre Rugby Tale

On Sunday 14th March this year, Spain played Romania at home in the first of the IRB Rugby World Cup European Zone preliminaries.

The other team in the group is Portugal. The idea is that the three teams play each other to see who goes into the seed pool (decided after this years World Cup) for the next world cup. They play home and away so six games in all.

Halfway through the first half the Spanish prop forward Iganez was sent off for stamping on the Romanian fly half Corin Abrazu. The Romanian was taken off the field for treatment to two wounds, a head wound and a leg wound. After the physio had tried to staunch the flow of blood to the head wound, (and failed) he called for an ambulance to get Abrazu into hospital. At the hospital, a broken knife blade was removed from Abrazu's leg. He was allowed home from hospital at flew home a few days later. Iganez was arrested for attempted murder by the Spanish Police in Pamplona. Iganez has continually denied any wrong doing (and video evidence supports this).

Last week Abrazu withdrew from the Rumanian team to play Portugal, complaining of headaches. It was thought he had banged his head in a club match the previous weekend. He collapsed at his home, and was rushed to hospital. X-Rays showed a .22 calibre bullet lodged in his brain.

The entrance wound had been stitched by a Spanish doctor in the belief that it had been caused by a boot stud.

Iganez was then questioned by Spanish police about the bullet....

The truth is always so much more surreal. Apparently, Abrazu had received death threats before the Spanish game via post (the letter was sent from Cadiz). He laughed them off until fifteen minutes into the game he felt what he thought was a bee sting on the back of his head.

He felt the wound and found that he was bleeding. Not knowing what had happened, he continued until four minutes later when the incident with Iganez occurred.

Iganez plays for Bilbao in the Basque country. He had received a letter before the match saying that unless he helped with the murder of Abrazu, his family would be murdered. He was told that someone on the pitch would kill the Romanian. All he had to do was to "rough up" the Romanian to allow a doctor on to the pitch. This is what he was attempting to do when he was called aside by the ref. Only, he had done nothing up to that point.

Spanish authorities, investigating the incidents found that:

1. Abrazu was targeted because he had been "seeing" (euphemism) Inja Felipe de Compostilla ... (the ETA bosses daughter (ETA being the Basque extremists), the year before while he played for Santander in Spain. She was up the duff.

2. The knife wound was administered by a stretcher assistant, the knife used is an ETA speciality called a "Juanez", where the blade is intended to break inside the wound.

3. The bullet was fired from the crowd by a hired assassin ... hired by Inja Felipe de Campostilla because she was up the duff....

Complicated or what....

All of the suspects have now been rounded up. Spanish Authorities also want to extradite Abrazu, since the young "lady" in question is just 14 years old.

Ed's Note: This story comes from an anonymous email - we have no way of verifying its truth. Either way, it's a good yarn

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Issue 41 contents

Interview: A Bob Each Way
ALP tactician Bob McMullan is responsible for charting Labor industry policy into the next millennium. He tells us where he�s heading.

Unions: Organiser of the Year
Just ten days to go before entries close for our $2000 air ticket. Here�s another nomination.

History: Labour Daze
A report from the 6th National Biennial Conference of the Australian Society For The Study Of Labour and Community.

Politics: Tomorrow�s Questions
While the turn of the century sees Sydney play host to the Olympic games, the International Youth Parliament 2000 will bring world focus to contemporary issues facing young people.

Health: Red Ribbons
December 1, World AIDS Day has a special place in the history of the AIDS pandemic.

International: Organised Chaos
Persistent rumours are floating around Jakarta that the former boss of the official pro-Soeharto Indonesian trade union movement is about to be charged with corruption.

Economics: Seattle Numbers Grow for WTO Protest
News of the agreement to smooth China�s entry to the World Trade Organisation has created its own "China Syndrome" for organisers of the Seattle WTO event.

Satire: Too Many Media Players!
The Productivity Commission has issued a report calling for the abolition of existing cross-media ownership laws.

Review: Leviathan
John Birmingham has lifted the lid on Sydney�s shady past - and found trade unions to be at the centre of the sordid tales.

Deface a Face: Reith Loses His Shine
With his Second Wave looking more like a splash in the bath-tub, Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith still reigns as the union movement�s favourite bogeyman.

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» Hotel Workers in Unprecedented Action

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» Free National Parks Access as Bans Kick In

» Parkers Issue Ticket To Loitering Government

» Stop Forced Repatriation of Burmese Migrant Workers

» Will the Real Casual Workers Please Stand Up?

» STOP PRESS: Labor Wins NZ Election