Bordeaux were ‘lucky’ against Northampton as England greats hit out at laws that aren’t ‘what they should be’
Cameron Woki after scoring for Bordeaux in the Investec Champions Cup clash against Northampton Saints.
Anthony Watson and Dan Cole have hit out at one of Cameron Woki’s three tries for Union Bordeaux Begles against Northampton Saints.
The French outfit hammered Saints 50-28 in the Investec Champions Cup clash on Sunday, issuing a statement of intent in the rematch of last season’s final.
Bordeaux outscored Northampton eight tries to four, with Woki crossing for a hat-trick, but his second score should not have stood, according to Watson.
The back-rower threw one arm out and blocked a pass by Rory Hutchinson, before regathering the ball and cantering away for the score.
Watson and Cole hit out at Woki’s second try
Former England and Lions winger Watson states that UBB benefited from the Saints’ errors and got lucky with a lot of their scores at the Stade Chaban-Delmas.
“A lot of Bordeaux’s tries, albeit they could have scored more, but a lot of their tries came out of poor execution or a bit of luck,” Watson said on the For the Love of Rugby podcast, reviewing round three of the Investec Champions Cup.
“You look at the knock on or knock back for Woki’s second, for me, that’s a clear knock on.
“And then you look at where a few of their other tries came from in the game and a lot of them came from Northampton errors or just little bits that Northampton will look back on this game and think if we had just been a bit more precise and a bit more ruthless with the way we went about our business – for example, Rayasi’s one try is just pretty basic kick chase – then the game could have been a lot tighter.
“And to your point again, with how well Northampton can just turn it on and score tries, all they need to do is be within a try or within five points of any team, and they can turn it on and win. The scoreline reflects really badly, and Bordeaux could have potentially scored more tries, but at the same time, they did score tries from Northampton errors.
“So I think when you review it, Northampton will probably look at it as a game that should have been tighter and one that should have been tighter and one that they potentially could have nicked.”
Former Leicester Tigers prop Cole weighed in on Woki’s try and took issue with the laws around deliberate knock-ons.
Law 11.3 reads: “A player must not intentionally knock the ball forward with hand or arm. Sanction: Penalty.”
Law 11.4 adds: “It is not an intentional knock forward if, in the act of trying to catch the ball, the player knocks on provided that there was a reasonable expectation that the player could gain possession.”
Weighing in on Woki’s action and the laws, Cole said: “This is my rant of the day, but Woki’s try, he deliberately knocks it down – even though it goes backwards, it’s deliberate – it should be a penalty, the knock on rule deliberate knock on does my head in anyway.
“I don’t think it’s a yellow card – I can intercept a ball one-handed, but whatever, the rules are what they are, but not what they should be.”
Investec Champions Cup – The greatest club rugby competition in the world. Proudly sponsored by Investec, leading International Bank and Wealth Manager.
