Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Paul James knockout punch on Marius Tincu

Monday, October 20, 2008

Paul James knockout punch on Marius Tincu

The Ospreys and Perpignan met at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday for what turned out to be a highly uninspiring game of Heineken Cup rugby. The star studded home team managed to win 15-9, but it was anything but impressive.

The only real talking point of the match, besides the dull factor, would be the 30th minute punch from Ospreys prop Paul James. The front rower was lucky to stay on the field after flooring Romanian hooker Marius Tincu with a swinging forearm/punch that looked to have landed square in the jaw.

Neither Wayne Barnes, nor either one of his assistant referees spotted the incident, therefore James got away with it, while Tincu lay dazed on the turf.

Ospreys coach Sean Holley has since voiced his concern regarding marks around the eyes of some of his players. When asked directly if his players had been gouged though, his response was more guarded.

“I am not saying it is eye-gouging, but it is something that has increased in the game in the last year or so."

Something clearly provoked the Ospreys prop. It’s difficult to see on the video, but the reality of it is that he will no doubt be cited and suspended within the next day or so.

Time: 02:33

What's that ref's name...is that Wayne Barnes?

He is beyond poor as a ref and quite how he let that offense go uncarded is beyond me?

Maybe he didn't see it but the third official should have...maybe they were all just too bored with the game as you suggest?

By durrie, at October 20, 2008 2:53 pm
Wayne Barnes did see it. He was looking right at it.

But it wasn't a punch.
He only connected with his for arm.

The hooker has obviously been watching too much football.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 3:11 pm
Jamesh how lame is that for a post ? It wasn't a punch therefore it's allright ?
You have obviously been watching/thinking/reading too much bullshit

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 3:14 pm
So he forearmed him eh?

To me it's a punch that he probably just aimed badly. Getting hit with the forearm can be just as bad as the fist, as we've seen many times before.

Claiming Tincu faked it is pretty harsh too me thinks.

BUT, most shocking of all... will be if any fans turn up at the ground next time. What a snoozefest.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 3:17 pm
i play prop and i love kicking people in the face and watching there pain!!!!

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 4:47 pm
I didn't say it was alright, it's not at all.
Obviously he meant to punsh him in the face. But the ref can't card someone for swinging his arm in a camp fashion at someone just because they fall on the floor.

I'd like to have seen them both sent off.

What a dull Game

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 5:27 pm
James deserve a sin bin for his gesture. But I think Tincu pretend to be knockout. When you see the reaction of his partners and doctors, it doesn't appear very bad. And normally after a knockout the players can't keep on.

I say that but i'm not doctor ;)

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 5:48 pm
"But the ref can't card someone for swinging his arm in a camp fashion at someone just because they fall on the floor."

The ref carded 3 players from Perpignan : one for a succession of faults, one for a tackle on a player who was in the air (altough the tackle wasn't hard at all) and one for... nobody knows why. So he should have card the prop for this.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 6:02 pm
Dalma if what you say is indeed true - and I have no reason to suspect otherwise...this only goes to show how shockingly poor Barnes is at adjudication...

He shouldn't be allowed onto a rugby pitch let alone to ref a game!

By durrie, at October 20, 2008 6:25 pm
lol

I think Barnes simply didn't see it, that's all. No conspiracy theories or otherwise. To me it looked like Gerrie Brits was blocking his view. Not sure what the touch judge on that side was doing though.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 6:27 pm
This match was strange, not very impressive,Ospreys can do much better
3 perpignan players were sin-binned, but french teams are used to this type of excessive ref...

this act was a bit dangerous, should be cited

By Flooz, at October 20, 2008 6:28 pm
The standard of English is poor in these posts.I understand if it's not someone's first language but all you mother tongues need to sort it out.
Nowadays, I know its considered pompous to correct someone's spelling but does anyone agree with me?It jars!

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 6:44 pm
Any chanse of ye putting up the hits from the munster sale game mainly mafi's hits and howlets hit on tait?

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 6:46 pm
hugh said...
The standard of English is poor in these posts.I understand if it's not someone's first language but all you mother tongues need to sort it out.
Nowadays, I know its considered pompous to correct someone's spelling but does anyone agree with me?It jars!

thinking that english is the only language in the world...it's pompuous:)

By Flooz, at October 20, 2008 7:10 pm
Strange that a 'punch' like that would floor a hooker for so long... That should of been a yellow but the ref wasnt looking in the right direction. Wayne Barnes is like any other ref, occasionally get things wrong, most of the time he's quite decent.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 7:37 pm
Yeah I think the hooker was footballing a bit, still must of hurt. Really boring game, went to watch and it was crap. Expect perpignan to kick it up a few gears across the pond. PJ should of been carded hes known for his temper.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 7:47 pm
To be fair, if there WAS gauging, then one punch is just the start of the retaliation...

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 8:06 pm
So when a British player hits a French player, its just retaliation because French player are dirty. So thats fine and the Ospreys coach is concerns about some possible eye-gouging

And when a French player hits a British player, its because he is dirty, not because the ref is crap nor that British players are dirty.

I would love to see more Franco/British Irish game ref by an Italian/Argentinian referee just to hear Pommies whinging that the ref is biased and that he favoured the French because they're all Latin....

This is exactly what happened to French teams on any given H Cup or 6 nations week end (except 1/4 final against NZ )

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 8:22 pm
Perpignan were so negative this game and the ospreys were missing their killer instinct in the backs.
In my opinion that was why it was a shit game.

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 9:58 pm
Poor refereeing, another instance which supports my wayne barnes off the IRB referees panel

By Anonymous, at October 20, 2008 11:29 pm
Wayne Barnes is actually a top ref in my opinion. He has an excellent rapport with the players and is very decisive in his decisions.
I've watched him closely since the world cup blunders and have grown to like him. In this case, he simply didnt see it because a 6ft6 lock was standing in his way (from what I could see).

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 12:11 am
its funny though, rugby refs send people off for the softest of things. this guy appears to king hit old mate, and he stays on the field.

cant the video ref intervene?

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 1:01 am
flooz .. hugh did say that he realised English wasn't some people's first language so his remark obviously wasn't directed at those people.
I agree with his main point.

Hard to see what actually happens in the clip, Barnes' view may or may not have been blocked, but my conclusion is that if this is the most exciting thing to happen in the game then I'm glad I missed the rest of it.

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 2:04 am
poor ryan jones... his pack was such a mess throughout the whole game... you wouldn't believe that most of them are welsh representative...
nasty game, nasty shot....

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 7:18 am
NO F**KING CARD?

RIDIFKINGCULOUS!

By Don, at October 21, 2008 7:22 am
Dive.

What a twat, why is everyone shocked about this when it clearly wasn't a big shot. He didn't even go down from the hit.

Diving fag.

Does anyone disputing that fact actually play rugby? That was not a big hit.

Also, Wayne Barnes is a great ref. FACT.

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 9:20 am
If this happened in the Currie Cup it would have been at least an yellow card, or it would have been referred to the TMO and a red card would have been given.

I've watched Wayne Barnes for about 3 weeks now in matches he's blown and he is surely the worst ref in the world!

By Unknown, at October 21, 2008 9:57 am
^^ No, this title belongs to the twat who refred Northampton vs Montpellier. 2 Reds, a yellow, and extreme one way traffic refereeing.

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 11:36 am
Hennie, it would have been yellow carded if it had been seen in ANY league, but it obviously wasn't.

On a technical point, the main force is from a secondary straightening of James' elbow, meaning it was actually more of a push in the face than anything. Another poster also pointed out that there is practically NO response shown from his team-mates, which either means:
1. He is a giant tool that no-one likes.
2. There was nothing in it.
3. They are used to seeing him roll around the floor like this.

Push not a punch, he'll be cited mind.

By Anonymous, at October 21, 2008 6:17 pm
Charles i agree with your comment, his name is james jones he refs in welsh premiership as well, he is absolute shite.

I don't see why people think he was diving, he was knocked out cold and wasnt moving. It may not have been a straight punch but Paul James is a big bloke and a forearm in the face is gonna hurt.

By Anonymous, at October 23, 2008 2:02 pm
By the way 3 players in this clip have been cited including Tincu and Paul James, think the loose head for perpignan has been too. Perpignan players for eye gouging (both of them) and paul james for the punch/forearm.

By Anonymous, at October 23, 2008 2:04 pm
Jamesh,how could Wayne Barnes see the punch/forearm if he did not show a card? Oh,and how is the hooker(Tincu)faking if he's been Ko'd??

By Anonymous, at October 27, 2008 11:13 am
why the hell didn't he get red carded?

By Anonymous, at November 10, 2008 6:49 pm
Not only he didn't get red carded, but Tincu has been suspended for 18 weeks. Just because Paul James accused him of googing, without anything to prove it. No image, no injury, nothing. Incredible.

By Pitseleh, at November 21, 2008 2:56 pm
In all fairness tho, if ur gonna ban one player for 18 wks for gouging (just cos we cant see it doesnt mean the citing comission didnt) then u cant ban Paul James for hitting him (even if its only for 1 wk), in my opinion if some trys to blind u on the pitch u should (at the very least) b allowed to hit him.
The french game is rife with dirty players, fighting and cheats lets not lower ourselves to their standards and bring on the away fixture!

By Anonymous, at January 15, 2009 3:00 am
If the ref had seen it he would have giving at leasta yellow and probably a red for striking a player to the head, it's the intent is the question not how or what he hit him with. Clearly the ref saw nothing.

The answer to a previous post is no the ref can't use the TMo to help with this sort fo decision as the TMo can only be used to consult with questions based on scores, not foul play. It's in the law book Law 6.A.7

By Anonymous, at January 17, 2009 9:42 am
"(just cos we cant see it doesnt mean the citing comission didnt)"

Sorry, but the citing commission admitted that they didn't see anything, but... that Tincu couldn't prove his innocence. Guess what would happening if somedays they had to repeat this before a real court. Would be funny I think.

By Pitseleh, at January 24, 2009 5:51 pm
lol my hooker plays an watches football but he dosent dive lol!!!!! buthes way better at rugby the opsition are scared of hm and he allways dump tack;es and punches the opposition when the reff isnt listenning hes good!!!!!!!

By Anonymous, at August 24, 2009 5:22 am
Atta boy, Barnesy! /facepalm

By Anonymous, at August 26, 2009 10:55 pm
Paul James has been knocking people out on the streets of Neath since he was 14 - this is no supprise

By Anonymous, at August 29, 2009 11:51 am
grow up its a physical game people get hit and hurt its not balet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Anonymous, at April 18, 2010 1:12 pm
tincu is a dirty player so maybe he got what he deserved. the prop didn't connect with him, why has he fallen back?

By Anonymous, at April 23, 2010 3:14 am
Got what he deserved.

By Anonymous, at April 27, 2010 1:14 pm
All much of nothing.

At times players get p'd off with each other.

Tincu "probably" was guilty of a prior offence, which Barnes reacted to.

It happens. No need for a card, just let the players know that a repeat won't be accepted then get the game moving again.

If this game was a dull as suggested maybe Barnes wanted first use of the shower and into the bar to watch the end of whichever game was on tv ??!!

By Daryn, at May 11, 2010 6:35 am
the best part of the clip is at 1:07, when shane williams speaks and alun-wyn jones looks down to check for shane...lol

By Anonymous, at May 15, 2010 12:43 pm
the best part of the clip is at 1:07, when shane williams speaks and alun-wyn jones looks down to check for shane...lol

By Anonymous, at May 15, 2010 12:44 pm