George Moala won't be in Tonga's RWC squad. He got a 5 week suspension for this.
I agree with 5 weeks for this, so what's the argument? You can't lift and drop a player dangerously.George Moala won't be in Tonga's RWC squad. He got a 5 week suspension for this.
I agree, but playing devil's advocate, I think the camera angles are a bit deceptive. Using the 5m from touch line as a reference point, you can see in the below photos that George pushes Basham across a about a metre (left foot to left foot) towards touch/FarrellIt really doesn't seem to me like there is any substantial change in the ball carrier's trajectory. He's coming towards Farrell the whole time and Farrell is getting ready to "tackle" him.
The drop in height doesn't seem more than you have to expect from a ball carrier.
There's nowhere near enough lateral shift in the ball carrier's path due to George's involvement to suggest that Farrell wouldn't have contacted him high if not for George.
Seems a very hard decision to defend in my view.
I disagree, qwerty.
I agree, but playing devil's advocate, I think the camera angles are a bit deceptive. Using the 5m from touch line as a reference point, you can see in the below photos that George pushes Basham across a about a metre (left foot to left foot) towards touch/Farrell
Point of George's first contact
View attachment 17275
Point of Farrell's first contact
View attachment 17278
As you said, Farrell's positioning suggests he was always going to put on a shitty and likely high tackle, but I can understand how the panel thought George's involvement worsened the outcome.
You just described "up".He doesn’t drive up. And nobody ever drives down in a tackle. He basically hits and then stands in the tackle once the player bounced. He hasn’t gone swinging into the head.
This is part of the hoopla reaction that rugby suffers from these days.
Driving up and ‘up’ are completely different things. Loading up and driving is like doing a squat and powering through the motion. Projecting up to have some level of force so you don’t get barreled over is a completely different conversation. The only tackles front on where players don’t project up even slightly are grass cutter because you project body earlier.You just described "up".
I don’t believe shoulder-to-head contact in a tackle is (always) considered an intentional or always illegal act, which is intended for striking and the like.Right there in red and white. "Mitigation will not apply for intentional or always-illegal acts of foul play".
I’m pretty sure it is. I might be wrong lolI don’t believe shoulder-to-head contact in a tackle is (always) considered an intentional or always illegal act, which is intended for striking and the like.
It should be compared and questioned.I disagree, qwerty. The Moala video has been posted all over twitter clearly to compare against the Farrell decision.
Moala deserved a ban for that. Maybe five weeks was debateable, but stamp that shit out of the game.
My understanding is that while the head contact might not be the shoulder charge aspect of it is.I don’t believe shoulder-to-head contact in a tackle is (always) considered an intentional or always illegal act, which is intended for striking and the like.
I could be wrong too - regardless, the panel applied mitigation, so I imagine they believed they had grounds to do soI’m pretty sure it is. I might be wrong lol
They ‘mitigated’ the fuck out of it, thats for sure.I could be wrong too - regardless, the panel applied mitigation, so I imagine they believed they had grounds to do so
I wonder if the left arm clearly wrapping (as much as you can for a should charge) meant the panel didn’t see it as a shoulder charge, but an upright tackle?My understanding is that while the head contact might not be the shoulder charge aspect of it is.
Any evidence to back this up?It should be compared and questioned.
The Pacific Island teams have often been penalised, carded and suspended for hits deemed to be dangerous - even when it was questionable and before there was such an emphasis on head contact. It is VERY rare that they would get away with what Farrell has done here particularly given that he has done this multiple times.
Put him in a Manu Samoa jersey and he would be out for at least 4 weeks - like Moala.