Tips Clear News Portal Your Ultimate Guide to Clear Tips on Life, Tech, Health, and More Rugby “a rogue sport played by gentlemen” as the saying goes. Gentlemen who slap each other on the face to the point of breaking necks. Yeah, maybe we don’t have the same definition of gentlemen, but I’m open to all proposals to reinvent the language. I let you watch the masters at work, attention, sensitive souls, abstain.
1. To start, let’s talk about the three beautiful weeks of suspension of Kane Douglas
Obviously, not everyone understood that in rugby, the goal was not to kill your opponent, but to score points with a ball. This should be explained to Kane Douglas, suspended for three weeks for the very dangerous tackle on the Japanese rear Kotaro Matsushima during the Clermont / Bordeaux-Bègles match this season. You only have to look at the images to understand that we wouldn’t really like to be in Matsushima’s place at this precise moment.
2. Plisson murdered by Courtney Lawes during an England v France match in 2015
We remember this match mainly for the blow that poor Jules Plisson took from Englishman Courtney Lawes. It was the last day of the 6 Nations tournament, and in the 25th minute of play, Courtney literally smashed Jules Plisson, who no longer even had the ball. We know that the tackles are never soft, but there it seemed a little abused. The small downside is that the referee did not consider this gesture as a fault, no penalty, no card and Courtney Lawes comes out unscathed, not like our good Plisson.
3. In 2012, the Italians left with some bruises from their meeting with the United States
In 2012 Italy traveled to the United States to play a match. And during this meeting, the Americans took two red cards for dangerous tackling. This is what happens when you confuse American football and rugby, let’s remember that it’s not the same sport guys.
4. When the player Soteria Pulumu thought for a moment that she was doing free fight
The England vs Samoa women’s rugby match in 2014 on the first day of the World Cup had people talking about it for one simple reason: the tackle by Soteria Pulumu who had completely freaked out. Thinking she was a wrestler for a moment, the Samoa player tackled the American in the worst way possible. And the result is not bad to see, we let you judge.
5. The double tackle on Vermeulen
In a 2019 World Cup match between Italy and South Africa, two Italians committed a huge foul on South African player Duane Vermeulen: a double tackle. A double tackle is when two 200kg guys throw themselves at you with all their might, one isn’t fun, so two, I’ll let you imagine. However, only Lovotti, the Italian pillar responsible for the fault is sanctioned, his little friend gets away with nothing, life is unfair.
6. Kevin Gourdon in 2017, who had to appear before a commission for dangerous tackle
In 2017 during a test match for France against New Zealand, Kevin Gourdon was sanctioned for an action deemed dangerous. At the same time the guy had decided to rush into a regroup in the 43rd minute of play, and this action was of course considered excessive. While France had already lost its match against the All Blacks, it also lost a player for the match against South Africa a few days later. Like what, it is not always useful to rush into the pile.
7. Ryno Pieterse’s murderous tackle that marked the meeting Castres vs Bordeaux-Bègles
This is probably one of the most dangerous gestures in the Top 14 during the 2021 season: Ryno Pieterse commits an inadmissible foul on Bordeaux’s Maxime Lucu. A very violent tackle that propels the player directly to the ground. Pieterse obviously took a red card, but the damage was done, and we had our poor Lucu who was in PLS right next to him, and had to leave his place for the rest of the match.
8. Botitu’s throat tackle on Foursans in the Top 14
Another tackle that has recently been talked about in the Top 14 this season: that of Botitu on Foursans. The midfielder of the Olympique de Castres was immediately sanctioned for this gesture and had to leave the match, Louis Foursans paid the costs after taking a big blow directly to the throat, ouch.
9. Ben Tafeimuna’s violent and clear tackle on Michael Hooper
For once, no fault on this tackle which, although violent, had been made flawlessly. And during the New Zealand championship in 2014, Michael Hooper took a nice tackle in the face from Ben Tafeimuna, and could even have left some vertebrae there. Nevertheless, it is with a smile on his face that the rugby player gets up, as if to congratulate his opponent (while the second before he was eating the ground), rather fair play the boy.
10. Ratu Dawai’s very dangerous tackle
This tackle took place during the Dunedin championship in New Zealand. Ratu Dawai came to give an assassin tackle to winger Enoke Naivalulevu. But the funniest thing about this story is that Naivalulevu then got up to congratulate his opponent on his defensive gesture. Uh yeah why, but usually when you get a big tackle in the face, you don’t say thank you.