Monday’s rugby news has a David Pocock allegation, Fardy calling for changes to video ref involvement, Quade hoping to kick the Reds into gear and a spectacular Six nations finish.
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Pocock alleges homophobic slurs
Former Wallabies captain David Pocock has slammed the use of homophobic slurs in the Brumbies’ blockbuster derby against the Waratahs, alleging that “pretty aggressive” use of the word f—– was employed to sledge two different ACT players in the second half.
Pocock pleaded with Joubert to take action after the separate occasions were reported to him by other ACT players. He later said that he was not interested in a witch hunt against the individual but commented, “Our job as players is to quell it out. It’s about educating the players and ensuring that rugby does become more inclusive.”
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Fardy calls for less video input
Brumbies forward Scott Fardy has suggested that involvement of video referees should be consistently applied in the area of controversial carding decisions. Fardy was given a yellow card despite protesting that he was “genuinely trying to intercept” a pass during the 28-13 loss to the Tahs.
While referee Craig Joubert initially ruled that Fardy’s knockdown was an attempted interception, video replays led to a reversal of the decision. “Once you’ve made a decision, stick to it. If not, you’ve got to be consistent,” said Fardy, criticising the home field advantage of controlling the use of replay.
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Reds woeful goalkicking boosted
Flyhalf Quade Cooper has said that he hopes to revitalise the Reds’ season, with one major area to be addressed being the team’s woeful goalkicking record. Queensland’s inability to score tries has been compounded by the 43 per cent record of replacement kickers James O’Connor, Lachie Turner, Nick Frisby and Karmichael Hunt.
“You need that momentum of collecting points to apply scoreboard pressure and we’ve definitely missed that,” coach Richard Graham said. While Cooper said that his injury did not prevent his goalkicking training, no definitive decision has been made yet.
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Ireland crowned Six Nations champions
Ireland have won the Six nations for a second consecutive year after a close final day of the tournament. Ireland came into the final round tied with England but four points behind in points differential. After two tries by Sean O’Brien led Ireland to a 40-10 win over Scotland, England came agonizingly short of regaining their 26 point deficit, beating France 55-35 at Twickenham.
“Day’s like today build coronaries for coaches,” said Joe Schmidt, who took over the team in 2013. “But it also builds character. We’re delighted and relieved.”
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