nabberuk says...

"pierredelot1 says...

Nice to see that some people are willing to condone a little violence and savagery. There is no place for that kind of play at any level of the game. It was also clear that Youngs piled into two people, the second of whom went to pull him off his first victim. One week ban just a holiday anyway, that is unless someone cited him and then it might go further. The knee looked like it went in the throat, give me a break."

whilst i agree there's no place for it in the game, I'm not sure if i'm understanding you correctly, are you saying youngs went looking for a fight with two people?

Firstly he was being held down, secondly the irish 9 tackled him to the floor off the ball. The irish 9's hand's also made contact with Youngs eye area. Didn't Cueto get banned for the same thing last year?

I'd also suggest you watch the clip again, his knee was nowhere near his throat, it made contact with his left moob.

What is it you have against him anyway?

Posted 12:53 29th March 2012

Chubbylugs says...

This is nothing more than handbags and not worthy of citing. Tigers are just trying to appease before a citing takes place

J-hdk, I think you're getting a bit carried away. I see emotive responses like yours as being too extreme and you are getting lost on an idealistic pedestal.

Yes foul play should be dealt with, but a player can get just as badly injured in a tackle or ruck, it's a contact sport. If you want to see a non competitive emotionless sport, you've chosen wrong mate

For those that have played the game, no one enjoys mindless thuggery, but we'd all be happy to stick up for a team mate on the wrong end, or respond to foul play against ourselves. That's just human nature

Posted 11:25 29th March 2012

APV1 says...

1 of 2

I'm in two minds about this and many are making reasonable and sensible arguments. So here's my tuppence-worth, and please bear with the rambling nature of it:

I've played rugby as a flanker and used to push the laws until pinged. I used to play offside at the ruck and generally got a good shooing (sp?) for it too. I've had the odd deserved punch and given a couple in my time as well. I've also had plenty of bones broken through no fault or malice, just because it's a contact sport. I've even broken the ribs of my friend and team-mate by accident. I've also been the "victim" of high tackles and been the "perpetrator" of them. Never deliberate from either side - usually ducking into a chest-high. I remember winning żGimp of the Gameż once for decking my own #9, who I thought was the opposition #9, who had been a terrier all match and was getting away with murder (not literally, of course!). I gave him a swift thick-ear, only to discover he was in my team and I, deservedly, had the dress that evening.

It's a hard, physical game and should remain so.

But deliberate thuggery is unacceptable. Gouging, biting, kicks or punches on helpless people, headbutting - those sorts of things - are in the realms of thuggery. I would, however, take someoneżs finger off if it deliberately ended up in my mouth, attempting to fish-hook or similar. I would also, I hope, know the difference between an accidental and a deliberate "stray" hand or finger - there would be intent and force behind the action.

I'm also aware of people being seriously hurt from accidents and deliberate acts.

Posted 11:23 29th March 2012

J_Hdk says...

@benski

Are you really that big an idiot or are you just trolling for attention?

Knees, punches, bites, trips, kicks,and gouges etc etc are not part of acceptable behaviour on a pitch and must be cited and punished along with dangerous tackles. Failure to do so, particularly in international and professional games leaves the viewing public with an idea that these sort of things are tolerated and thusly ok to do in a game. if you want to be the one explaining to the parents of what ever 15 year old that has just had their vertebrae shattered or their ear drum perforated or tgeut rerunretina detached, cornea irreparably damaged etc etc....sorry about that but wer thought citings were ruining the game..be my guest..

More serious foul play should involve severe fines on the club, not just player bans. Including the option to deduct points or possibly disqualify from knockout for repeated infractions from a club....cough cough... Northampton.

Posted 09:32 29th March 2012

jose_jones says...

I'm with Pierredelot1 on this,.. Anyone who has played rugby,.. and at any level will know that alot more goes on than most spectators realise,.. there sould be no room for this in the professional era, peoples careers are at stake now,.. and even the most innocuous looking think can end up with a career threatening or ending injury,.. just ask players like Gavin Quinell..

Posted 08:50 29th March 2012

pierredelot1 says...

Nice to see that some people are willing to condone a little violence and savagery. There is no place for that kind of play at any level of the game. It was also clear that Youngs piled into two people, the second of whom went to pull him off his first victim. One week ban just a holiday anyway, that is unless someone cited him and then it might go further. The knee looked like it went in the throat, give me a break.

benski when I started reffing some years ago, there were players in a number of clubs who were bordering on the criminally violent, happily with rigid refereeing, citing, call it what you will, those people have been removed from the game. It's a better game because of that too, you want a good bundle join the army

Posted 23:58 28th March 2012

lawynd says...

You have to wonder if he'd be cited, had he received a yellow on the pitch. It's one occasion where I actually agree with Stuart Barnes (read his Sky column), whilst players can't be allowed to throw their weight around they often do because they've been provoked in the first place; it's rare that a player simply loses it for no reason. Back row players in particular will always push the boundaries of what is acceptable and the onus has to be on the officials (specifically, the touch judges) to spot and penalise these incidents; the minimum requirement should be for them to keep an eye on the binding/angle of the blindside props at each scrum, the defensive offside line and anything going on off-the-ball which the referee will not be concentrating on. I also think the video referee should be entitled to provide the referee with any feedback spotted by the cameras in real-time.

Posted 19:25 28th March 2012