Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Simon Shaw gets a two week suspension following the third Test

Monday, July 06, 2009

Simon Shaw gets a two week suspension following the third Test

British & Irish Lions lock Simon Shaw has been suspended for two weeks following the third and final Test against South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Shaw, who’s had a fantastic tour at the age of 35, clumbsily fell with his knees into the back on Springbok scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez.

Assistant Referee Vinny Munroe recommended a yellow card to Ref Stuart Dickinson. Shaw spent ten minutes on the sideline.

The England second rower appeared before judicial officer Alan Hudson at a hearing on Sunday and was found guilty of dangerous play. Incidentally, Hudson is the same official who was involved in both the Schalk Burger, and Bakkies Botha suspensions.

With the Lions tour over and the domestic season not due to start until August, Shaw’s ban will commence on 9 August and finish on 22 August.

While many will feel that a yellow card was sufficient punishment, Shaw’s dangerous knee into the back caused pain and discomfort to Du Preez, who stayed on but struggled, and was later replaced by Ruan Pienaar.

The precedent seems to have been set, as judiciary officers appear to now be taking the outcome of misdemeanours into account.

:: Related Posts ::
Simon Shaw red carded for knee in back in 2004

Time: 01:28

for me it's allright,no intentions to make pain,no yellow card.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 10:45 am
he got waht he deserved, blatant knee in the back,lucky not a red

By ConnachtFan, at July 06, 2009 10:54 am
Quick lads, get the arm-bands! This miscarriage of justice must be righted! Forget the institutionalised poverty of South Africa, this is indeed the greatest injustice of them all (second greatest acutally, after poor ould Bakkies).

By Tanora, at July 06, 2009 10:54 am
pathetic....two weeks for an accident...pathetic...just like the armbands....everything utterly pathetic...

By italianscrummy, at July 06, 2009 11:28 am
when u want to get low and are running before i want to see u keeping ur knees behind ur body without falling over

what was he meant to do in ur eyes ?

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 11:31 am
Amen Tamora, can't improve on your comment.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 11:31 am
Tanora even

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 11:32 am
"when u want to get low and are running before i want to see u keeping ur knees behind ur body without falling over"

Exactly.

By Brighty, at July 06, 2009 11:49 am
hm, might have been a bit unlucky and i'm not shure whether he did it intentionally. but it's freaking dangerous and could have caused severe damage to fourie's spine! so the yellow's allright. it's the same with taking a man out in the air. sometimes you just can't stop at full pace, but it's still dangerous! the ban is all about the intentions. they think he did it on purpose i'm not sure. but it's only tow weaks. nothing too big though... i'm ok with the decission :)

By opfazonk, at July 06, 2009 11:55 am
pretty dangerous the way he kneed in the back could of done some serious damage!!

deserved the yellow but a ban....bit far!!

By creggs08, at July 06, 2009 12:00 pm
was a dirty charge, 2 weeks is fine

he knew what he was doing, and tried to cover it with 'clumsiness'

2 weeks sounds fine

By Cheis, at July 06, 2009 12:03 pm
Nothing in it. Harsh yellow.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 12:06 pm
Clearly wasnt intentional. He had his eyes on the ball. They both went down on the same ball but Shaw took longer to get there cos he is slower and taller, and ended up landing in an unfortunate way.
What are they gonna be citing people for next? Creul intentions, overly aggressive attitudes, bad languages, poor grammar?
Sometimes I think our sport is being "over refereed" at the top level.
Sometimes it just seems like the "assistant refs" just want attention lol ;)

By dr, at July 06, 2009 12:06 pm
unintentional so no ban, no card, penalty because ur not allowed to dive on a player on the ground
thats it

By luxi, at July 06, 2009 12:11 pm
unintentional so no ban, no card, penalty because ur not allowed to dive on a player on the ground
thats it

By luxi, at July 06, 2009 12:11 pm
complete crap. nothing in it at all. maybe a penalty but nothing more than that. as a scrumhalf that would be the least i would expect if i got crap ball like that

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 12:16 pm
However many times I watch this, I still can't see it as anything apart from a clumsy attempt to get down to the ball. Makes him look like a bit of a donkey, but absolutely not even a penalty.

Shaw's been playing this game for a long time - if he wanted to hurt Boks, I'm sure he knows how to do it without getting caught.

You do get the feeling sometimes that refereeing in front of a few thousand screaming boers in the highveld can get to the refs...

By HM, at July 06, 2009 12:33 pm
Intentional knee in the lower back. You could see him lining it up in his eyes.
And if you can't see that - well you must live in cotton candy land.

Yellow - yes
2 wk ban - no

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 12:34 pm
"Intentional knee in the lower back. You could see him lining it up in his eyes"

you're right, you can also see him drop his right knee a little to make sure its on target. 2 weeks is only a small ban and a good decision

By g, at July 06, 2009 12:49 pm
De Preez was chasing a bouncing ball, this is an important fact. Its not the same as if the ball was stationary on the ground. On a bouncing ball you'd expect the player to try and take it on the bounce and carry on running. This is why Shaw was up so close to him, ready to hit him as soon as he caught it. De Preez going to ground was unexpected, hence Shaw's knee drop. A penalty, no more.

By Mi Vida, at July 06, 2009 12:55 pm
JUSTICE 4 SHAW

Clearly an accident, big man had no chance of getting out the way. With MiVida there.

By cp85, at July 06, 2009 1:03 pm
he tried to get low as the ball could have bounced free the other way as it does so often, i think a combination of momentum and tiredness meant he was unable to change his path. Worse accidents have seen just a ticking off in these tests! I think the resulting rolling around like a footballer may have been the reason for the card.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 1:38 pm
Rolling around like a footballer! If you please! Footballers act like that if you touch them with your baby toe let alone a knee with 200+ lbs and momentum behind it. That must have really hurt. If he hit the kidney...

It is easy to read 'intent' in slo-mo footage. I am with MiVida on this one.

To all the anonymous out there : Stop hiding and come out of the closet!

By Stubbee, at July 06, 2009 2:37 pm
really harsh on shaw. the man is 9 feet tall, how much control can you expect him to have as he falls!!?!

By kevinb, at July 06, 2009 2:47 pm
Shaw was pretty clumsy here but it didn't look like he wanted to pile drive his knee into his back and cause injury.

Yellow card is fair enough though.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 3:11 pm
Why am I not too bothered about this.......hhhhhmmmmmmm

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 3:13 pm
Penalty and yellow is more than fair. Yes, it injured Du Preez and obviously losing him was bad for us, but this suspension is very harsh in my opinion, and I'm south african.

Citing/suspensions should be for things that arent spotted on the day, or were dealt with incorrectly. Shaw got a yellow, so by suspending him are they saying he should have got red? I dont get it. Harsh.

By Dave, at July 06, 2009 3:30 pm
If they keep citing based on the severity of the result of someone's actions (as opposed to the actions themselves) we're gonna end up like a bunch of soccer players taking dives to get the yellow or the red

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 3:53 pm
The game's gone soft.

That's a penalty at worst.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 3:53 pm
Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Mike Phillips really drop a knee into a player's back in the 2008 (2009?)6 nations? Yellow card and no suspension. In that case it was clearly intentional, no doubt. What's going on with this judicial officer?

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 4:37 pm
Anon above, you're right. Phillips got no suspension and his was clearley out of spite.

IMO Shaw was just an oaf and fell.
Doubt we'll see the arm bands cracked open for this.
PEACE

By Cheech, at July 06, 2009 4:41 pm
Does anybody think this has been overreacted to? There have been far worse incidents with shorter or similar bans.

By MadMax, at July 06, 2009 5:52 pm
Clumsy, but accidental.

Penalty at worst.

By Tiger, at July 06, 2009 5:54 pm
Dear God, is this a joke? Shaw has been done an injustice - If i didn't think wearing armbands in protest against a decision by the citing commission was a disciplinable offence in it's own right, i would be calling for them for Simon Shaw too. Seriously i think the whole SA squad should be banned for 4 weeks for disrespecting the descision and effectively bringing the game into disrepute.

Regarding this incident,
I think PDV is best placed to comment on this ridiculous decision by the referee and citing commission.

"we must understand here very, very clearly that rugby is a contact sport - and so is dancing.

"If we are going to win games in boardrooms and in front of television cameras and in shops, we must say to ourselves, 'Do we really respect this game that we really honour so much'?

"If it's the case that we are, why don't we all go to the nearest ballet shop, get some nice tutus and get some great dancing going on? No eye-gouging, no tackling, no nothing. Then enjoy.

There are no collisions in ballet, but in this game there will be collisions. If people want to make it soft ... I cannot do anything about it."

- don't worry i see the irony in disagreeing with the citing gents after what i said above, but i'm a fan not a professional so i am allowed to disagree. the players need to accept whatever decisions come through for the sake of rugby and professionalism as a whole and Shaw has done this admirably.

By felix, at July 06, 2009 6:01 pm
hey guys! lets all wear white arm bands with justice on it (um....Paul the tours over) o... well well get the next lions tour in south africa to wear it then!

By jebbrown, at July 06, 2009 6:26 pm
Tanora, quite funny.

To be fair, the Boks have a habit of wearing armbands for the justice of South Africans.

First, they wear one in honor of Nelson Mandela (the "46664")

Now, they wear one in honor of Bakkies Botha? Haha..

Someone I doubt people name those guys in the same breath when asked
about great South African martyrs for the cause of justice.

Get a grip Boks. Wearing that AFTER going 2-0 in the series just comes off being sore winners.

By cheyanqui, at July 06, 2009 6:55 pm
At the end of the day nobody knows what Shaws intentions were. In the heat of battle he could have done it purposely.

I'm not in a position to say he did or didn't, I don't think anyone is.

He could have done it purposely, he could have made an honest mistake.

I can't really say what I think of the 2 week ban. I'm impartial to it. I don't think there should be any outroar over the ban. 2 weeks is minor.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 7:00 pm
JUSTICE 4 SHAW !!!!

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 7:13 pm
Definitly a yellow card, nothing more as he didnt jump into him with much force.
Just looked like he started falling

By Matt, at July 06, 2009 7:43 pm
Anyone else think its awesome that South Africa are being charged because of the armbands??

I just think that brilliant.

Another world class move by PDV

By Frontrowforlife, at July 06, 2009 8:04 pm
Overheard post-game interview with Simon Shaw:

Reporter: "How do you feel about getting that final win on tour?"

Shaw: "Uh great. Listen, gotta roll out of here and catch a cab to the hospital. Want to check in and make sure Fourie's all right."

By cheyanqui, at July 06, 2009 8:29 pm
Reporter: "You taking anything to the hospital"

Shaw: "A goat and an archbishop."

Reporter: "Why?"

Shaw: "So that when Fourie milks a yellow card out of a cloven hoofed animal, someone can attest to the Vatican about Fourie's miracle."

By cheyanqui, at July 06, 2009 8:33 pm
tanora great comment!!!
:L
aload of rubbish to be honest..
they just want to make it seem fair between both teams to shut them up with there moaning.

By Anonymous, at July 06, 2009 8:43 pm
vive le coq

By sportif, at July 06, 2009 8:50 pm
tanora- 2-1. instituationalised poverty? why bring that up?if you ve got nothing constructive to say, then dont say anything. there was no reason to cite 'poor ould bakkies' and i believe there was no reason to cite shaw..if the lions wanted to wear arm bands over this i would be ok with it as it would show unity in your team. I think the springboks were courageous to stand up for injustice. tanora, you, and anyone who approves of your comment are ruining my view of lions supporters

By beast4president, at July 06, 2009 9:24 pm
beast4president, you are a fool to suggest that there is any merit in wearing the armbands. it brings the game into disrepute by showing disrespect to the decision of the sport's governing body. Botha was banned for something that is technically against the rules (although I personally would not have banned him)so the Boks should have taken it onthe chin in a sportsmanlike way and not carred on like a bunch of rebellious first year university students. It was a pathetic stunt wich has backfired as the media and the general rugby public think they looked ridiculous. They are right to be annoyed that Botha got 2 weeks but should feel lucky that Burger didn't get significantly more. Swings and roundabouts.

Shaw souldn't have been banned as I believe it was accidnetal...fair play if he did say he had to go to see how du Preez was. True gent of the game

By Brighty, at July 06, 2009 10:41 pm
Even footballers wouldn't stoop so low as to wear ghetto style whining armbands.

By Adam Jones the Beast Tamer, at July 06, 2009 10:46 pm
If it was intentional a 2 week ban is sufficient but I can't really tell.

Those armbands were an embarrassment to the game and shows a form of arrogance I would not usually associcate with the boks.

By third Centre, at July 06, 2009 11:44 pm
silly play by shaw, made it look worse than it was. the officials have been extremely poor for the duration of the series. How burger did not get a red card i do not know, botha did nothing wrong and missed the last test. shaw did not deserve to get cited, du preez went off with a thigh injury in the end and the penalty near the end of the test after the scuffle, it all looked a bit like football, never a penalty. has rugby gone soft. these issues have close to ruined the test series. some thing must be done

By martin-offload, at July 07, 2009 12:16 am
It really wasn't very malicious, looked a little clumsy to me. I think he did drop on him a little with the knee, but it really wasn't very deliberate or aggressive.

The yellow card was a little harsh, but not a big deal. Being banned for two weeks just seems silly and a compensation for Botha's ban (which was also silly).

Frankly, you see a lot worse, never being cited.

By Ally, at July 07, 2009 12:23 am
Dearest beast4president,

I felt my comment was constructive. I hoped to highlight the idiocy and pettiness of wearing the armbands. Secondly I wanted to highlight the crassness of a group of people who live in and claim to represent a country with enormous socio-economic problems (I previously mentioned one, poverty, but you can add to that list HIV/Aids among other less mentionable ails) apparently considering the barely dubious suspension of one of their players to be the most pressing injustice in need of remedy in their country.

Yours faithfully,
Tanora

PS. Shaw’s challenge looked clumsy to me and his suspension smells of tat for Botha’s tit, but as a 36 year old I’m sure he’ll appreciate the extra couple of weeks off just as Botha probably didn’t mind missing the dead rubber too much.

PPS. Congratulations on the Boks’ series win. I’m looking forward to their tour this coming autumn.

PPPS. This Australian fellow has some interesting opinions on your team - http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/union/why-the-arrogant-springboks-could-be-riding-for-a-tri-nations-fall-20090707-daks.html

By Tanora, at July 07, 2009 12:29 am
ps The armbands were retarded.

I always have had a respect for the Boks and always liked them as a people. BUT, per Tanora, there are far more worthy causes to protest about (and no I'm not going to even mention Robben Island).

Sadly it took a little away from their great achievement of winning the series.

By Ally, at July 07, 2009 12:30 am
A shame for rugby that a great rugby team, having just won a hard-fought and thoroughly entertaining test series made the embarrassing error of bringing the game into disrepute.

Congratulations to the Boks for the rugby they played to beat the Lions, but a bit more humility wouldn't go amiss. Get on with playing and leave the cries for justice to appeal panels and lawyers.

By Brighty, at July 07, 2009 12:42 am
No need for a ban, penalty is all.

Completely off topic, but did anyone else see how he destroyed the Boks rolling Maul? he had 3 boks pulling him back and he still made it through the middle of their maul, loved it.

By Toady, at July 07, 2009 12:44 am
Shaw did the same thing against NZ a few years ago the dirty bastard.. deserved a suspension!!!!

By Anonymous, at July 07, 2009 12:56 am
Can someone tell me why john hayes was not included in the origional squad?? He is undoubtedly the best prop in the world!! I was surprised he wasn't made captain and then they go and pick jenkins to start the test!

He is so much better than jenkins, he is the best scrummager in the world, he has pace, power and great handling and is always the first to a ruck. When they finally called him out and he played in a test match the lions won!!!!

john hayes could of even played no 8, over heaslip as this is his back up position. so much better than jenkins and sheridan. i think he should captain the lions to australia in four years time!!

By john hayes best player ever, at July 07, 2009 10:36 am
Above, I totally agree with you.

I just want to say how great stuart barnes has been commentating on this tour. Yet again he has proven that he is the best commentator in the game, possibly of all sports and he is unquestionably the best rugby commentator there has ever been. His knowledge of the game is second to none, his ability to say the right thing at the right time is unmatched by anyone. he truly is a king of rugby.

By miles, at July 07, 2009 10:54 am
seeing the action taken here i thought back to the 2008 calcutta cup match where ian Balshaw went sliding straight into Rory lamonts face with his knee. What happpended then nothing. Should somthing have happended yes.

By no.14, at July 07, 2009 11:06 am
the balshaw incident was accidental. the both went down for the ball and with conditions as wet as they were in that game, they are going to slide in with little control and unfortunately the worst outcome occurred with lamont being knocked out.

has anyone else noted that by far the best test played recently have been these lions tests which didnt use the ELVs? I know the players put more in than usual internations but these have been so much more enjoyable than last seasons internationals that its surely not just coincidence

By Anonymous, at July 07, 2009 12:20 pm
"Shaw did the same thing against NZ a few years ago the dirty bastard.. deserved a suspension!!!!"

Didn't that end up in one of the most ridiculous red cards ever? At least that time was probably deliberate, but this looks absolutely accidental. Shaw's picked up a rep for bad behaviour partly because he's just so fooking big. He does something small, and it looks big.

And if you think Hayes is the best prop in the world you're deluded. I play prop, so I know a lot of the stuff we do is pretty anonymous, but he is often invisible, and I don't reckon his scrummaging is that great either.

By HM, at July 07, 2009 12:42 pm
HM If you play prop then you should realise that john hayes is the best prop to ever walk onto a rugby pitch. im not deluded, can you name me a better scrummager and example? its not only his scrummaging, he has it all, why do you think he has the record number of caps for ireland? to be able to keep playing with so much amazing competition is outstanding, as ireland have always produced the best props in world rugby. and isn't an invisible player a great player?

i also agree that stuart barnes is the best commentator in sport

By john hayes best player ever, at July 07, 2009 12:51 pm
I am unqualified to make a judgement on Hayes, never having pulled on a shirt lower than 4 myself, but anyone who thinks Stuart Barnes is anywhere near competent needs their head examined. The only person worse than Barnes is that prat who sits next to him.

I like the Saffer commentators, I like the Aussie and NZ ones too, even though they struggle to stay neutral at times, I love the French guys even though I don't know what they're saying and I like Brian Moore, Eddie Butler and a host of British and Irish commentators, but Barnes is awful.

Back to topic - Shaw being clumsy, deserved a penalty, maybe a yellow, definitely not a ban. Mind you, someone dropped a knee into me a few years back, right into the kidneys, and it hurt like hell. Couldn't play for two months after, so my sympathies for the Bok 9.

By Ted, at July 07, 2009 1:43 pm
im gonna ask 1 thing is there any S.A. that agrees with the arm band thing???? i think it stinks of Peter de villiers......

By Anonymous, at July 07, 2009 2:07 pm
miles? is your surname harrison by any chance?... Barnes is the most biased commentator ive ever heard and when he draws diagrams on the screen i want to scream. get rid of him and put will greenwood in there to commentate- so unbiased.... ok Tanora, i get what you re saying but still think its pointless to bring any of that up seeing as though none of those problems are to do with rugby, whereas the bakkies incident was- the armbands made the inconsistency of citing clear. rugby means a lot to the nation and has done so much to help those in poverty, promote education about HIV (through money), and lower crime. Apartheid ended more than 15 years ago- i hate people still bringing it up. its over. well done to the lions it was a good tour- just think schalk burger let the whole thing down and has started a bitching contest

By beast4president, at July 07, 2009 3:38 pm
John Hayes IS garabage, "the best prop in ever to walk onto a field" ? thats a very big claim (and a laughable one). Gethin Jenkins has been widely regarded as one of the best props around at the moment his scrummaging is quite ample but his loose play is another level. Best prop to walk on a field was Big Oz (Os du Randt) my opinion.

Stuart Barnes is extremely biased but the best commentators at the moment are the Aussies i think. Bill Mclaren is the best ever because he loved every rugby team.

Shaw...hmmm Yellow would be sufficient but a ban is a bit harsh, as it has already been said i think its for Bakkies' ban to even it out.

Congrats to the Boks played very well, i love watching them play. PVD and the armbands are both jokes though.

Change the coach and theres no reason them going top of the rankings soon!

p.s Wales for 6nations!

By Bealy, at July 07, 2009 5:03 pm
Miles' comment stinks of sarcasm or stupidity. One or the other. Barnes is the worst commentator in rugby and probably in sport.
He constantly makes mistakes and gets things wrong. His analysis of players body language, intentions and actions is usually wildly incorrect.
He is under the impression that he must talk for the entire 80 minutes resulting in him talking absolute drivel.
Moore is biased but entertaining whereas Barnes is useless. Those of you who have Facebook, type Stuart Barnes into the search box and see what comes up.
Greenwood is a far better pundit. Sky should replace SB with WG asap.

By Brighty, at July 07, 2009 5:15 pm
I find it hard to believe that a pro rugger is that clumsy. I'd yellow him too if not red. Blatant and mean! Simon Says, "Take a ten minute break."

By Anonymous, at July 07, 2009 5:38 pm
Still going on about the armbands, fuck me get over it!! bunch of fucking moaning bitches!!

Shaw should not have gone to the ground in the first place and yes it deserved a yellow card but not a 2 week ban, same as Bakkies who also should not have been banned.

By JOT, at July 07, 2009 6:51 pm
justice 4!

By Anonymous, at July 07, 2009 8:49 pm
Wow. People with english as a _first_ language not gettin that barnes and hayes stuff. Classic.

(But to be fair to The Bull Hayes, someonewho has taken a burdizzo to the nether regions of manys de beasts in his day - literally -
he is a damn fine player, and has been super solid in HC cup winning and a grand slam winning teams. He is actually a a great lifter, and has even started dinkin around with a few steps of late. The sarky comparison to Barnes is waaay off the mark)

By mise, at July 08, 2009 12:58 am
talking about PATHETIC.........how about those lions!!!!!!!!!
2-1 bbooo hoooo

By Anonymous, at July 08, 2009 3:00 am
Bit like Bakkies here, in that the sanction is wrong.

On the replay of Shaw's incident...I thought it was basically inconclusive as to intent (whether he meant to drop on du preez or simply fell over) and in fact the replay probably makes it look more like he fell over him. That said, in real time I did think it was a foul & yellow card appropriate.

Either the citing commissioner has decided to go with guilty until proven innocent or else he felt that having made a balls of bakkies citation he was morally obliged to make a balls of this one to (leave aside Burger out of that analysis - should have been gone for months)

Poor series by the commissioner. Not a great one for the match officials either.

By Eoghan, at July 08, 2009 10:50 am
Better scrummagers than Hayes: Adam Jones, Euan Murray, possibly Vickery back in his day, maybe Tony Woodcock.

Better loose players: Gethin Jenkins, Sheridan, the Beast's got a good rep (though I didn't see anything that great this tour), john Smit.

Don't get me wrong, Hayes is a great player, and is almost certainly the best lifter in the world, but I would personally pick Jones or Murray ahead of him

By HM, at July 08, 2009 11:42 am
HM i think you need to start watching the games more than just listen to the views of pundits, adam jones and murray better than hayes?? you must be joking! i havent seen gethin jenkins or sheridan reach the same level of tackling, fitness or work rate as hayes.

he is the best lifter in the world, he is the best prop in the world. ireland have always produced the best props in the world and he is the best of the bunch. how he wasn't made captain of the lions i dont know? i think there was alot of biased selection from the welsh coaches and wasp coaches. vickery should not even be mentioned in the same breath as hayes.

can anyone name the best player that has ever played?

By john hayes best player ever, at July 08, 2009 2:07 pm
what a weak suspension, screw all the rest of it, play shoulda gone on. pretty soon we'll see rucking and tackling just out of the game completely cuz people cant withstand pussy attempts at cheeky play. play on. take their number. weak all together-not even worth this much attention

By Anonymous, at July 08, 2009 5:20 pm
the boks won 2-1 and thats that so just shut your red faces you whining poms. You beat a second string team in the third test, suck it up, taste it - you lost. You are mediocre anyway. The Boks have a muppet coach and still beat you - what does that spell - YOU SUCK

By Anonymous, at July 09, 2009 12:10 am
Maybe the lions will start wearing white arm bands too.

By Anonymous, at July 09, 2009 12:13 am
Tanora, you can thank the black ANC government of South Africa for the institutionalised poverty - as apartheid is long gone. What is experienced now by the impoverished South Africans is far worse than Apartheid ever was. If you are so concerned why don't you start sending aid to Africa, remember it's only 1p out of every £1.00 that goes to Africa, I'm sure you can afford to give little more - go on, we know you want to, after all the Lions are just one big cash cow for developing nations.

By Anonymous, at July 09, 2009 12:19 am
to the idiot that claims John Hayes is the best prop around at the moment, watch a different sport because your clueless. i am not in any way denying he has good qualities as do all pro rugby players ofcourse, but to claim he is better than gethin jenkins or vickery in his prime, or big Os in his prime, or the beast on his day.. please stop being so biased and attempt to watch some of the other props in action before you pass judgement. i have great respect for irish rugby and i think they play some of the best in the world at the moment and have some of the best players in the world at the moment (not o'gara though i think he is way over-rated), but your claims are ridiculous. watch tennis, its two people on a court maybe it wont be so difficult for you to maybe pay attention to the other competitors.

By Jordan, at July 09, 2009 7:59 pm
Anyone whose seen shaw play knows he's a bit of a clumsy ox, thee tests are the best he's played in years. If he is banned suck it up and accept it, the Bakkies one was dodgy but it would have been a bit better if the SA team and board hadn't acted like petulant children...

By Anonymous, at July 10, 2009 12:19 pm
I disagree. Shaw is an absolute legend and should be above the law in my opinion. knight him i say and give him a nice retirement package. Maybe he'll use it to get his face rearranged back to how it was before he started playing rugby.

By Anonymous, at July 10, 2009 4:45 pm
Jordan I agree with you. They narrowly won a grand slam in god knows how many years and they think half their team are demi-gods.

By Anonymous, at July 10, 2009 4:47 pm
If we're going to start putting legends forward for facial rearrangement can rowntree and Johnson go on that list, those ears are scary enough!

By Anonymous, at July 13, 2009 11:46 am
here connacht fan shut ur mouth im irish and so im not fan of shaw but that was a clearly a nothing event. du preez is a fanny and should have just got on with the game.

By irish in montreal, at July 17, 2009 12:36 pm