Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Simon Raiwalui suspended for big stiff-arm

Friday, March 05, 2010

Simon Raiwalui suspended for big stiff-arm

Racing Metro lock Simon Raiwalui has been suspended for 30 days for a stiff-arm late challenge that he put in on Castress hooker Aksenti Giorgadze when the two sides met a couple of weeks ago.

The sides actually drew 24-24 on the day, but it was overshadowed by two yellow cards, and this hit by Raiwalui, who actually wasn’t one of the two players sent to the sin-bin.

The hit was late, high, and pretty malicious, resulting in Giorgadze having to leave the field with not only a concussion, but a fracture of the tibia and ankle, which happened during his fall.

The former Sale Sharks and Saracens player, Fijian Raiwalui, escaped punishment on the day, but the video told all, with him being cited and later suspended for 30 days.

This transgression is yet another big suspension for Racing Metro, following on from their scrumhalf, Mathieu Lorée, being suspended for four months for cannabis use.

Time: 0:58
Note: Thanks to lerugbynistere

Fuckkkkk. and it screwed his tibia and ankle........bad day at the office on that one!!!

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2010 6:14 pm
Seriously 4 weeks for that?!? I'd give it a penalty and maybe a yellow. The citing commity are messed up, no way was that half as bad as Burgers attempt to blind someone in the first match of the Lion's tour.
Can we please have some continuity

By VMC RFC, at March 05, 2010 6:37 pm
The author better go check the definition of a stiff arm.

By In The Pack, at March 05, 2010 6:44 pm
Not terrible, not OK either. I think the reason for the ban is that it was illegal on two counts. It is high, and in addition there was never any attempt to wrap, and the way his arms were positioned, there was never going to be.

He's lucky the hooker had such a short (no) neck. That would have looked really nasty on a gangly back with a scrawny neck.

P.S. Attoub ban upheld. Result! Guazzini can suck nuts.

By HM, at March 05, 2010 6:51 pm
Ouch.. bad one. So late too. Deserves the suspension in my opinion.

By Scotsdale, at March 05, 2010 6:59 pm
Yeah very high, no arms at all and the ball went long before he committed himself. 30 days is justified if not lucky IMO.

Doesnt do anything to help the Islanders reputation of making illegal hits either.

By The Inside Shoulder, at March 05, 2010 7:30 pm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By rageous, at March 05, 2010 7:48 pm
suspension is correct!! the georgian got his tibia and ankle fractured, he'll be out for more than 30 days for sure... Raiwalui f*ing as*hole

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2010 8:47 pm
Exactly as above said!

1.Broken tibia
2.Broken ankle
3.Concussion
4.Late
5.High
6.And it was a stiff arm..or swinging arm...

looking at that list, he seems lucky to have 4 weeks....

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2010 9:13 pm
ouch! his legs...

By Flank, at March 05, 2010 9:19 pm
the broken leg comes from Raiwalui's teammate running the guy over.

Teammate's tackle was fine and clean. However, the concussive shot of Raiwalui probably made the tackled player limp like a sack of potatoes, and thus he got folded over.

If the ball carrier was only taking a 1v1 hit from the legal tackler, the leg injury may have been less likely.

By cheyanqui, at March 05, 2010 9:23 pm
Mogitkan xelebi magis gulistvis

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2010 9:25 pm
VMC RFC, it's all in the IRB sanctions list:

ercrugby.com/images/content/cupstandard/IRB_Sanctions.pdf

Looks like Raiwalui got a lower-to-mid-range suspension for 10.4(e). Seems pretty consistent to me...

Burger's suspension was a joke, so let's not hold the citing officials to that piss-poor standard.

In The Pack, I believe that RD was referring to what's known (to the IRB, even) as a "stiff-arm tackle" - which is different than a "hand off/stiff-arm".

"A stiff arm tackle is where the tackler tries to knock the player with the ball over using a stiff arm action instead of wrapping his arm around the player's body as required by the laws."

By wye, at March 05, 2010 10:10 pm
fractured ankle and tibia were hardly the tacklers fault,it was just bad luck the way he fell

that said,30 day ban justified.as already said,hit was late and high

By Ireland for WC 2011, at March 05, 2010 10:14 pm
Wow, bit of guillotine.

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2010 10:24 pm
Get a grip Ireland. The broken leg was clearly because he fell over. Why did he fall over ? Because he was concussed by the high, late hit !!!! He wouldn't have fallen over like that otherwise !!!

That's like a glaswegian ned saying it was his victim's fault for puting his heart in front of the ned's knife in a murder trial !!! Thin Skull Rule !!!!

By Tony, at March 05, 2010 10:46 pm
30 days is right, for giving the guy concussion. Pity he got injured further though ...and no stretcher!!!?

By Brennie, at March 05, 2010 10:59 pm
Ouch!! look at his left leg at 0"35... bad.

By 3/4 centre, at March 05, 2010 11:00 pm
Ouch!! look at his left leg at 0"35... bad.

By 3/4 centre, at March 05, 2010 11:00 pm
islander? late hit? malicious intent? shocker!!

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 12:07 am
PUMAS VS SCOTLAND XD

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 12:24 am
god that is disgusting. poor dude, you'd go to jail for that type of thing anywhere else.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 1:49 am
haha i remember him playing for ebbw vale..... donkeys years ago.

By abs7, at March 06, 2010 1:51 am
' cheyanqui said...
the broken leg comes from Raiwalui's teammate running the guy over.'

No it doesnt Raiwalui landed on top of him after the stiff arm hit.

The tackle in question (if you can call it that) happens at 11 seconds.

I think you mistook for the one at 4-5 secs.

30 days is just, although more wouldnt have been surprising.

By No.7, at March 06, 2010 2:33 am
I'd say a couple of games ban is sufficient for that, 4 seems a little harsh, but he can't really complain, he was high and late.
I'm certain that it wasn't intentional, but you can't let tackles like that go, so a couple of games on the sideline if fair.

By Jon, at March 06, 2010 4:05 am
Oh, and that's not a stiff arm.
It's just a late high hit.

By Jon, at March 06, 2010 4:06 am
omg. cant believe he limped off the filed with a broken ankle instead of being stretched off.. probably too concussed to feel the pain?

By Insane Stuff, at March 06, 2010 5:31 am
Jon said... I'm certain that it wasn't intentional.

Watch his eyes, he lined him up to hit him high with a straight arm, and because he had no interest in where the ball was he hit him late too. He deserves what he got.

By Dan Mc, at March 06, 2010 10:38 am
what's up with the racism?.. i dare you to go and say it to Raiwuluiz face

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 1:07 pm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 1:18 pm
proutos

By la mimolette, at March 06, 2010 2:49 pm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 4:46 pm
It beats me how the islanders (Samoa, Fiji and Tonga) go to the IRB and cry that no international team wants to play with them when we see stuff like this every week... Of course you don't want to play with guys who'd rather coat han/spear tackle/high tackle/gang tackle you than make good hits. Disgusting. Shaun Edwards should go and teach these guys what defence is all about.

By Juggernauter, at March 06, 2010 5:04 pm
You racist idiots.
Banning Islanders from the game??
What a stupid messed up, racist thing to say.

By Tom, at March 06, 2010 5:59 pm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 6:26 pm
4weeks wot a load of shit!! I like my big hits but that was cheap and worst part he didnt show any compassion known that was a late shot. Big hits well mostly from all blacks example kahui on tate umanga chavis at least these players showed concern for the players welfare. sportmanship is rugby!!

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2010 8:39 pm
Not too high. Hit his upper arm mostly. Jerked his head around but that is not where the contact was. As for the broken shin ....?
It was just a very agressive shoulder charge which had the desired effect but cost him 4 weeks. Seems right.

By Anonymous, at March 07, 2010 12:20 am
It was bad, and uncalled for. No one with and sense of fair play would tackle like that. Poor guy out for a long time, because of an immature tackle.

By Hendrick, at March 07, 2010 7:31 am
Raiwalui is 6'7 and 125 kilos. Fuck.

By Silly little saffa, at March 07, 2010 10:27 am
leicester vs london irish

get highights of castrogiovani's man of the match performance!! and his intercept try was awesome! ty RD

By Anonymous, at March 07, 2010 12:49 pm
For sure you can make it 135 or 140kg nowadays

By Anonymous, at March 07, 2010 7:10 pm
That's downright filthy. It looked like it had the intent of a punch, and the result of a Flannery to the legs.

Ban fully deserved.

By Shaft, at March 08, 2010 9:39 am
High, late, Swinging arm. Contact with the jaw was reckless being kind - looked intentional to me.

No problem with the ban.

I wish people would stop with the 'Shalk Burger only got x so how can this be y' BS. Burger should have go longer, end of. His outcome has not now set the benchmark for upper end bans.

By Eoghan, at March 08, 2010 10:17 am
Broken leg and ankle and he hobbles off. I love rugby!

Drogba and co need to see this!

By Anonymous, at March 08, 2010 12:14 pm
' Eoghan said...
High, late, Swinging arm. Contact with the jaw was reckless being kind - looked intentional to me.

No problem with the ban.

I wish people would stop with the 'Shalk Burger only got x so how can this be y' BS. Burger should have go longer, end of. His outcome has not now set the benchmark for upper end bans.'

Well said.....everyone, even bok fans (sensible ones) agree he was very lucky to be banned for such a small amount of time....and as you said he has not set a precedent.

Agree also with the anonymous above.....Players having at each other throwing punches is not nice but in my eyes it is an acceptable level of illegal behaviour...i mean that in the sense that 'it happens' and it should not be cried about (but still punished) but this was really thought about and timed....and this stuff is going to ruin someone really bad one day, it already ruined this guys year.

By Anonymous, at March 08, 2010 10:35 pm
Juggernauter said...
It beats me how the islanders (Samoa, Fiji and Tonga) go to the IRB and cry that no international team wants to play with them when we see stuff like this every week... Of course you don't want to play with guys who'd rather coat han/spear tackle/high tackle/gang tackle you than make good hits. Disgusting. Shaun Edwards should go and teach these guys what defence is all about.

can Shaun Edwards show me how to climb on a coconut? i dont think so

By Anonymous, at March 12, 2010 2:23 am