Tonight news has come through that Reds half-back, Will Genia, has been suspended by the SANZAR judiciary for a month, meaning he will miss three games due to the Reds having the bye this week.
Although Reds’ Coach Phil Mooney has stoically intimated an appeal will be considered, it is hard to see on what grounds one would be lodged due the nature of the offence.
Genia spear tackled Sharks flanker, Keegan Daniel, in back-play (see video above) during Saturday’s game and was lucky to stay on the field when the touchie was inexplicably unable to identify who the culprit had been.
With the Reds’ other half-back, Ben Lucas, also facing a stint on the sidelines with injury, it looks increasingly likely that academy half-back Brendan McKibbin will be the Reds no.9 against Waikato in a fortnight.
Although McKibbin maybe an unknown quantity for most rugby watches (and to Australia’s major newspaper it seems, where he was referred to as ‘McGibbon’), he was the standout Brisbane club player from last year and spent the off-season at Saracens in England deputising for Fijian star, Moses Rauluni.
McKibbin’s great strengths are his accurate goal-kicking and his combative running game, which is undoubtedly suited to the fast-break style of rugby the Reds play and to the ELV’s in general.
With the Reds due to get most of their injured players back for the game against the Chiefs, and in need of wins to make any impact on the finals race this year, Genia’s display of hariy-chested stupidity could not have come at a worse time
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1825 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=1825">3 Comments
I agree he is stuffed. And I agree about the timing, too!
I guess “but he’s heaps bigger than me” isn’t a valid defense.
I read a possibility of Chris Whitaker filling in for a bit.. please no!
That was worse than Tiqiri’s hit on McCaw and for that they removed all his talent as well as suspended him.
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