It’s time we cleaned up foul play. It has no place in the game.
World champion and rugby superman Richie McCaw looks to game officials to clean up the game and protect him under its laws, especially where players are seeking him out deliberately and targeting him by using foul play.
Simply put, the IRB are sitting on their hands and granting permission for it to happen.
These perpetrating thugs will never be in McCaw’s class, will never exult to the McCaw standard of excellent and leadership, will never receive the accolades and honours that McCaw currently has (and is yet to gain) and so therefore resort to the standard they set themselves, a view so low that everything looks up to them.
McCaw has worldwide admiration, the way he leads his team and plays his game. He makes mistakes like any other player because of the intensity he plays under and the standards he sets himself.
He is fair minded and never retaliates to the deliberate thug actions of some who try to use the excuse of accidental actions of thuggery against him.
The most flattering accolade that McCaw has received in recent games is that Quade Cooper, (Aus) Dean Greyling, (SA) and now Scott Higginbotham (Aus) (not to mention the many others before this) have each shown what underrated, non-talented, yobbo thug players look like.
Officials need to be chastised too. It is their job to see everything during games!
There is no point whinging that they cannot do so if restrictive rules are in place preventing them doing it. In the most recent Bledisloe Third Test, Craig Joubert and his two assistants claim they too saw nothing of the incident, yet TV footage shows the referee apparently looking directly at the alleged head-butt by Higginbotham on McCaw.
McCaw relies on officials to control foul play, yet this perpetrator was permitted to remain on the field and maybe contribute to a near win by the Wallabies.
Granted, Higginbotham will be before the judiciary. Yet if the hearing is before the same South African Jannie Lubbe – the SANZAR judicial officer who exonerated Quade Cooper after the Wallabies playmaker was also accused of kneeing McCaw in the head when the teams last met at Brisbane for the Tri-Nations decider 14 months ago.
Add in the view of the fact that Dean Greyling copped only a two-week ban, effectively a one-test suspension, after he was found guilty of striking McCaw’s head with an elbow as he flew into the collision zone in Dunedin, what justice can McCaw expect from this current foul play?
One solution to foul play maybe, is to have in the TMO box, a judicial officer watching the game who can quickly look at a tape replay and either advise the referee by his communicator that (a) a deliberate indisputable piece of foul play has occurred and that the player be ‘Red Carded’ immediately from the field, or, (b) it was sufficient to warrant a ‘Yellow Card/Penalty’ and also be placed on report for later explanation, or, (c) simply ignore it.
This would mean that foul play will be seen, (even if missed by the Referee and his assistants), acted upon immediately thus having the offending player being prevented from benefiting his team at the time by remaining on the field, and/or giving justice at the time of the misdemeanour to both victim and his team.
If the IRB is truly serious about removing foul play from games, then implementing this simple solution would help. To allow players to continually be subjected to thuggery as is as present without allowing the victim to retaliate, simply infers that they condone the actions of these non talented Neanderthal like thinkers.
Fin
Guest
While I don't condone dirty play on the rugby pitch and I think thuggery (particularly those such as eye gouging and biting) has no place in the game, I have little sympathy for McCaw in these matters. Far to often, McCaw is the 'victim' of an assault by an opponent such as a knee, elbow, eye gouge etc. However, this is due to the way in which McCaw plays the game. He is always entering rucks illegally, killing the ball, slowing down ball for the opposition in attacking scenarios and generally making a nuisance of himself, often in illegal ways. Now while I do understand that it is the job of a great flanker to live on the edge of the laws (I play flanker myself), I far too often see Richie McCaw blatantly and illegally overstep the line. I have to make it clear here that this by no means makes thuggery acceptable and suspensions should be handed out, however, I find it almost comical the way that New Zealand commentators and fans put Richie on a pedestal and every time he is 'brutalised', you'd think he was standing ten metres from the ruck, minding his own business when he was attacked. The fact of the matter is that McCaw brings a lot (not all) of the attacks upon himself. Examples such as Jamie Heaslip's kneeing, the Rougerie eye gouge, Hartley's elbow, All occurred because McCaw was blatantly breaking the laws at the time. While all the players who have put in shots on McCaw should be suspended, referees in rugby matches seem to invariably miss Richie's tendency to commit professional fouls and deliberately kill the opponents ball. In order to stop these cheap shots, referees need to be far stricter with McCaw's tactics. He seems to always get away with illegal play which should often be penalty or yellow card offenses considering how often McCaw uses illegal tactics when opponents are in attacking positions. Players often take the law into their own hands because they know the referee won't. So, the way to stop these cheap shots on McCaw is to be far stricter on McCaw's tactics, handing out penalties and cards to him rather than force players to take the law into their own hands. I don't condone thuggery in rugby which I think should be an example of sportsmanship and respect for opponents and officials, however, I have little sympathy for McCaw because so much of the thuggery he receives, he brings upon himself
Hasbeen Flanker
Guest
Michael Warren - you're a muppet
Loftus
Guest
McCaw, without his cheating, will be a very ordinary player. As soon as a referee starts to penalise McCaw for his transgressions, the All Blacks start to struggle.
johnb747b
Guest
By your own admission, Davep, it might well be time for you to quit the game, at least in coaching. Just a thought, mate. Life might become easier for you.
johnb747b
Guest
McCaw, while commanding my admiration as one of the very greats, has played on the edge of the rules for years. So he cops one in return? So what? I'm not condoning a head butt, an impulsive but unacceptable act. But McCaw's killling rucks, stretching the rule book...? You lives by the sword, you dies by the sword. Attention McCaw.
hoqni
Guest
Well, Sir Richie is entitled to enter from the side, ram into Higgers. What is new?
Davep
Guest
All I can say is that as a Coach of an U13s side here in OZ I would not condone one of my boys behaving in that disgraceful manner and I am shocked at the number of posters on here condonining these cowardly acts and using the idiots excuse of RM deserving it for things he may have got away with in the past. Is the sort of attitude I should be coaching? If so time for me to get out of the game.
Campbell Watts
Guest
Mate you could ruck Ritchie all you liked and he'd still be there contesting the ball at every ruck he could get to, would get up brush himself down and charge into the next one!
Campbell Watts
Guest
So which kiwi's are boo-hooing on the field HD?? If thats the only place where it matters, is McCaw complaining on the field? Did he complain about being eye gouged in the RWC final - no! Did he jump up and complain to the ref about the headbutt from Higgers - no! Sounds like your the one boo-hooing and you're not on the field, so please just keep quiet!
rae1
Guest
Idea has some merit if done right but a potential Catchpole situation there. Not wise.
rae1
Guest
That's right he is no John Eales. He's better.
rae1
Guest
How often has it been written in opposition media that one of the keys to beating the ABs is to "Get Carter", "Get McCaw" or "Stop Carter" "Stop McCaw". I don't for a minute believe these writers are suggesting that this should be done this illegally. Players know this too, shut them down and you're in with a shot. Unfortunately more and more teams (or is it just the players) are doing this illegally.
Jeff
Guest
Loe was a thug but hasn't played for 20 years.And he was given a 12 month supension for foul play by the NZ judiciary. So what relevance that has to this discussion is beyond me. Come on.Lets admit it our boy was guilty of foul play and thuggery on Saturday night. Rule number 1 should be that other player's heads are sacrosant.{for kiwis a translation.that means they should be untouchable]
Jerry
Guest
Playing the "You're only good at rugby" card in a discussion about rugby that you've posted in about 20 times isn't exactly a winning argument. Yes, you have won 2 RWC's. The last of which was more than a decade ago and you've won almost nothing of consequence ever since. Of course you don't tie your identity to the fortunes of your rugby side or you'd have committed suicide years ago. Best to stick to things that Aus is good at like that sport Darren Lockyer plays - I'm sure Aus is World Champ at that....right?
Sage
Guest
That's a good idea OJ. If you can organise all the WC idiots to assemble at Eden Park plus a few large dumpsters Scotty can organise the rest. A definite win win. You Sir, are an ideas man.
golden bull
Guest
Jerry, I think you just showed your true colours. We aspire to be a great team like the All blacks and this isnt a secret yet we can admit this. We may have an opinion on one of your players and this is your response? Truth be told you won the WC, turth be told you have won 2 now. Truth be told we have also won 2, for a country thet thinks Darren Lokyer plays Rugby we havnt done too bad, but Jerry, when someone bags an Australian player or my national team, I dont all of a sudden lose my sense of self and identity. You are very precious, yes your country is good at rugby..... You are good at 1 game, no wonder your so precious.
Sage
Guest
I agree Wal. Perhaps you saw a previous post of mine using an Ali Williams/Sharpey analogy - it can't be condoned. HOWEVER many in your country have used that "deserving" argument when it comes to boofhead Quade. You justified foul and cowardly behaviour because you decided he deserved it. Richie didn't deserve it from Higgs nor Quade from the self righteous morons.
SkinnyKid
Guest
Side note - what are all the 'messages' people talk about kids getting. I cant ever remember getting 'messages' when I was growing up. The theory that a kid seeing Higgers knee Richie will suddenly make millions of kids start doing it and thinking its ok....
Hopperdoggy
Guest
Can't remember Phil boo-hoo ing on the field, and that's the only place it matters.
AdamS
Roar Guru
2 weeks is fair, no harm was done. But sends a message.