Search results

There goes the improvement in our 22 exits. Wales will roost it into our 22 and wait for the 10m clearing kick.

You're using common sense - rookie error. If your hands clenched and you’re penalised for illegal contact it’s more likely you were being naughty and there was intent. But if it’s open then you were in a happy place and it’s more likely it was accidental. Seriously you couldn’t make this shit up.

To clarify it’s not a blasé attitude - deliberate contact with the head needs to be sanctioned heavily. But it needs to be based on the offence, not emotive based on the outcome. It is a contact sport, and accidental head clashes will never be totally eradicated. Even the best technique will...

Samoan Lee-Lo also got 3 weeks. So the moral is if you’re going to make any contact with the head you may as well do it properly with a fully fledged shoulder charge to the noggin as the suspension will be the same Chapeau world rugby

Couldn’t agree more. There is a major disconnect between reality and armchair or slow motion video analysis. Our game is f@#ked. The other codes don’t even need to try - they can just buy popcorn and watch whilst we self immolate

Have you bothered to read any junior coaching manuals lately? “Get your players to practise tackling with tennis balls (or juggling balls or rolled up socks) in their hands. This encourages them to wrap their arms around the tackled player, rather than relying on a weak grip with the hands.”

Horseshit We do tackling drills with juniors holding tennis balls or with socks on hands to discourage them from grasping with their hands and to encourage them to hit with their shoulder and wrap their arms. A closed hand means nothing. Good tackling technique doesn’t require an open hand ffs.

I would agree with the red cards in days gone by. It had to be a pretty bloody serious offence to get sent off. But red cards are a dime a dozen in this era. Frequently the offence is not bad enough to determine the outcome of a game - which is what 14 men against a top tier side is essentially...

I’m sure you’re right. But I’d still swap DHP and KB (Kurtley Beale). DHP has been shown up in his defensive positioning on the wing. And the Welsh kickers will have a field day with KB (Kurtley Beale) at the back

This is looking strangely appealing right now. 2020 world championships in Cambridge UK.

Another winger would be handy but we were short sighted enough not to bring one. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and DHP are both safer under the high ball than KB (Kurtley Beale). I always thought AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) was a better FB than winger.

Worried about the Welsh targeting KB (Kurtley Beale) under the high ball. With Hodge out would be tempted to put AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or DHP at FB and move KB (Kurtley Beale) to the wing. Shame Petaia isn’t fit yet.

Obviously not. Was in the pub and a banner came up on the tv in the background saying he was cleared to play wales on the w/e. (channel 9) Twitter now saying banned for 3 weeks.

Hodge cleared. Common sense prevails.

I think we’ll score the same or more tries than Wales The result will come down to our goal kicking lottery and how many dumb penalties we give away in kicking range. Hard to watch when you're nervous the kick will be shanked even with a try near the posts.

I think if you lead with your chest and chin into contact you’re risking head injury. It’s a classic PI method - half wrong foot the cover defence but instead of going right inside them to their inside shoulder try and steamroll them with front on body contact. Often very effective but leaves...

Hearing 3pm wed Japan time. Hopefully common sense will prevail. Interesting Jonny Wilkinson and Clive Woodward have both come to similar conclusions as Tuirinui Hard to say it’s a clear and obvious red when there is so much conjecture. I worry about the implications for the rest of the World...

Those stills came from my post in the game thread. There was no head contact in still 2 but there are clearly arms in contact. Head contact came in still 3 (I was very careful to take the exact frame when the head contact occurred) Hodges shoulder did not move between all 3 frames - he braced...

And no citing or media furore for a very similar contact with vunipolas chin. At least common sense prevailed on one occasion.

Correct - it’s the point of contact that did the damage. But Hodges shoulder doesn’t move across all three frames. Yato barrels into it. Where do you draw the line? When a prop pick and drives at the line and his head contacts a defenders knee is that a red card? What about if he goes under the...