Six Nations 2023: 'Unacceptable to spoil good games with poor red cards'

1 year ago 54

Ireland's Grand Slam-winning crippled against England was astonishing and it is unacceptable to spoil a Test similar that with a reddish paper similar the 1 Freddie Steward was given.

Just earlier half-time, with Ireland starring 10-6, England's Steward collided with Ireland's Hugo Keenan and referee Jaco Peyper decided the interaction was atrocious capable to merit a reddish card.

It was a disgraceful decision. Keenan had bent down to prime up a escaped ball. Anyone who has played rugby knows precisely what was going done Steward's caput successful that moment.

He was trying to debar a collision. Initially helium thought helium was going to person to marque a tackle, past the shot went escaped truthful helium tried to get distant from interaction to debar immoderate trouble.

He deed the brakes and turned his assemblage to get distant from it. It was a freak accident. Keenan's caput went down due to the fact that the shot had been dropped and made interaction with Steward's arm.

What is truly disappointing is that nary of the officials adjacent got adjacent to discussing whether Steward was trying to propulsion retired of the situation.

All the absorption was connected the slow-motion constituent of contact, which, by the missive of the law, led to a reddish card.

Just due to the fact that it is the missive of the instrumentality does not marque it right. They are the laws that immoderate radical person created and connected this juncture determination was a glaring glitch.

After the crippled I was successful a assistance going down into the media country with 2 Ireland players and adjacent they said it was a spot harsh.

Rugby is simply a interaction sport

Laws astir unsafe interaction are progressively strict to support players from encephalon injuries. I americium ne'er going to jeopardise the wellness of players wrong the sport.

However, the crippled that we play is simply a interaction sport. If you deliberation that you are not going to travel crossed immoderate benignant of superior collision successful the crippled of rugby national you should not play it.

The crippled volition support the players arsenic overmuch arsenic it perchance tin by driving bully behaviours, and it is simply a batch safer than it ever has been due to the fact that of the mode the players are taught to power their assemblage tallness going into contact.

I wonderment if determination is an statement to person idiosyncratic among the officials who has played rugby to a precocious level because, successful the lawsuit of Steward, they would recognize that script and what helium was trying to do.

The interaction of caput injuries is not the lone contented wrong rugby, and World Rugby and the unions person a batch connected their plate.

I perpetually perceive the operation 'player welfare' and it often refers to interaction and concussion.

Player payment is much than that.

It is however overmuch rugby players are playing, the calendar, however overmuch they are getting paid, their contracts and their financial, carnal and intelligence wellbeing.

The mode the crippled is being pieced unneurotic astatine the moment, I americium not definite subordinate payment is apical of the agenda. It mightiness beryllium said to be, but I americium not definite it is.

Ireland tin triumph the World Cup

I bash not privation each this to instrumentality thing distant from what was a afloat deserved Ireland Grand Slam.

They astir apt would person won the crippled careless of whether Steward was sent disconnected oregon not.

The mode England were playing, it took a batch retired of them and they astir apt would person bushed to a constituent wherever Ireland would person finished them off.

I cognize from acquisition that it is precise hard to triumph a Grand Slam. You request squad consistency, spot successful extent and for the absorption not to enactment you retired arsenic the tourney goes on.

I was truly impressed with Ireland. They tin spell connected to triumph the World Cup aboriginal this year, though New Zealand, France and South Africa are imaginable winners too.

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A wake-up telephone for England

Some of Ireland's World Cup opponents mightiness beryllium grateful to England for the mode they played connected Saturday due to the fact that determination were moments erstwhile it made the absorption flustered.

England enactment Ireland nether unit and made definite they did not person the accelerated shot they are utilized to. That has got to beryllium the basal strength England play astatine going forward.

There was a stark opposition successful onslaught wherever England made enactment breaks but could not decorativeness them off.

Ireland manipulate their absorption to make thing retired of nothing, whereas England were going done the phases and waiting for their opponents to crack.

But determination was definite advancement aft England's dense decision by France. The past 2 weeks were a large wake-up telephone for immoderate of those players.

Those games person been semi-final and last intensity. Now that they cognize wherever that level is, England person got to find it.

Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport's Becky Grey.