Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Henry Tuilagi straight red card for hit on Damien Neveu

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Henry Tuilagi straight red card for hit on Damien Neveu

Henry Tuilagi has claimed another victim, this time the unfortunate recipient of his brute force - and extreme lack of timing - was La Rochelle's Damien Neveu, who incredibly got up from the horrific hit by the Perpignan number eight.

The Catalan side beat La Rochelle 21-16 in their Top 14 game this weekend, with the newcomers putting together a decent fightback in the second half, no doubt helped by the fact that Perpignan played 15 minutes with a player short.

Tuilagi’s latest indiscretion will no doubt have him sitting on the sidelines for quite some time, as his record is anything but clean and this latest hit could have done serious damage. Late, high, and with the shoulder, it’s probably only a matter of time before a player of the size and strength of the big Samoan will do some serious damage.

He was warned earlier in the match by the ref, so when he made this hit Carlo Damasco had no choice but to show him red. What comes of the ensuing disciplinary will be revealed later in the week. Feel free to make your predictions.

You can take a look at some of Tuilagi’s other big hits, both legal and illegal, below the video in the related posts. Stick this one and others on Facebook with the Share button, also below.

Shoulder charge to the head/chin... savage stuff.

By Box, at October 03, 2010 7:11 pm
good work ref

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 7:17 pm
Hideous tackle. Well it wasn't really a tackle. So incredibly late. Totally intentional. Should be banned for a long time.

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 7:29 pm
i guess its unanymous... late shoulder to the chin and no arms, what the fuck was he thinking?

By eric, at October 03, 2010 7:55 pm
wait for it, wait for it...

OH LOOK ANOTHER ISLANDER GETTING SENT OFF WHAT A SUPRISE.

p.s I think it's a cultural problem rather than a racial one for all those idiotic enough to suggest otherwise.

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 8:06 pm
Does this guy just play rugby to smash people ?!?

By BigBucks, at October 03, 2010 8:17 pm
This one should be the last one...

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 8:23 pm
Brutal!
Bet that fullback will think twice about drawing the pass next time.

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 8:25 pm
idiotic 'tackle'. loved how quick the ref just whipped out the red! good stuff

By M, at October 03, 2010 8:36 pm
Disgusting

By gar, at October 03, 2010 9:21 pm
ah have we all gone soft. ha to think he has 7 kids

By sponge cake, at October 03, 2010 9:23 pm
Lame.

By Matt Manley, at October 03, 2010 9:29 pm
Lame...

By Matt Manley, at October 03, 2010 9:30 pm
Cheap shot!!!!!

By handson, at October 03, 2010 9:46 pm
Just rubbish, what a thug.

By Phil, at October 03, 2010 9:59 pm
If he did that to me I'd get up and knock him out.

By EnglishBenArm, at October 03, 2010 10:02 pm
If he did that to me I´d still be on the ground

By Davey, at October 03, 2010 10:36 pm
if he did that to me i'd get up 5yrs later

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 11:17 pm
EnglishBenArm hahaha whatever boy he would knock your ass out.

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 11:19 pm
if he did that to me i'd wake up next to EnglishBenArm in the icu

By Anonymous, at October 03, 2010 11:20 pm
He could have killed him. Cowardly late hit on a guy who wasn't even watching. Hope he gets a few months to think about it.

By Mike, at October 03, 2010 11:41 pm
EnglishBenArm sounds like an animal, I bet he's bigger than Paul O'Connell and faster than Hosea Gear.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 12:15 am
Nope spark him straight out, destroy his face and if I'm feeling extra evil his ass too.

By EnglishBenArm, at October 04, 2010 12:16 am
I think rugby is becoming soft!!!! If you can`t take it, don`t play it. A fraction late and not too much arms mainly coz he was hitting a smaller man and somewhat blind sided. Watch the here goes the boom tackles on youtube and 90% of them are of this sort. just that they are in league. Ref was trigger happy in my opinion. yellow would have sufficed.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 12:23 am
"destroy his face and if I'm feeling extra evil his ass too."

thats a bit game but hey your english.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 12:50 am
What a moron...

By Gman, at October 04, 2010 12:53 am
QUOTE

Anonymous said...
I think rugby is becoming soft!!!! If you can`t take it, don`t play it. A fraction late and not too much arms mainly coz he was hitting a smaller man and somewhat blind sided. Watch the here goes the boom tackles on youtube and 90% of them are of this sort. just that they are in league. Ref was trigger happy in my opinion. yellow would have sufficed.

QUOTE

I am well aware of the "here comes the boom" video but where does it say they are legal, you dumb f*ck?

Just that they are in league? It is a different sport! Union and League. Again, dumb f*ck.

Not too much arms because he was tackling a smaller man? I put it that you have never played rugby before in your life!

C*nt!

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 1:16 am
rugby going soft, maybe just a talking to for being late, great hit!
agree with anon 3 above me.
theres a game of touch going on nearby for everyone else....

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 1:17 am
anonymous 2 above, i'm guessing your a 9 or a 10...some sort of back....hows your hair looking?

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 1:21 am
Good hit. Knocked that little frenchie out.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 1:51 am
Disgraceful challenge. Ref doesn't even break his stride whilst whipping out the card, no question of anything except red there. Bye bye. Why does Tuilagi do that? I bet his team-mates don't complain, his job is what? To intimidate/impose himself on opponents through borderline illegal challenges? Otherwise he has a huge impact, needs to clean up his act as he doesn't need to be such a disgrace.

By John F, at October 04, 2010 1:59 am
Tuilagi looked straight at his 'victim', saw the pass go, and made the conscious decision to knock the living hell out of him.

No arms in the tackle may be rugby GONE soft but not going soft. This clip and many others on RD suggest it is generally a good indicator of intent to paralyse.

Red card all day long.

By Dannos, at October 04, 2010 2:52 am
Fucking baboon

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 3:35 am
all the tough guys on the keyboards!!

@englishbenover.. why don't you go up to his little brother alex, challenge him to a fight, record it on video, and post it on youtube.. then i would believe how tough you are.. if not, then save your "big" talk for your boyfriend.. lol

keep smashing henry.. as long as it ain't me.. haha

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 4:15 am
Bye bye thug! Get a Perpignan season ticket 'cause you'll be watching the rest of the Top 14 from the stands!

No place for this stuff in rugby, and loved the way the ref popped out the red.

By Juggernauter, at October 04, 2010 4:53 am
If the role was reversed. And the little bloke did the same to Henry, nobody would bat an eyelid. The ref wouldn't even blow his whistle.

Henry is just another athletic freak being punished by the old boys club for being too big and strong.

Rugby might aswell bring in weight divisions if they're going to carry on with such moronic reffing standards

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 5:58 am
Sheeesh....that was not the smartest thing to do.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 6:11 am
Agree with Chris! and anon who said rugby was getting soft.That`s why Nz have the 80s division. I would say any hit by Henry on the same guy would bring out the ooooh factor in by standers. Remember the try nations game Nz v SA. Rangers hit on Kirchner. What`s the deference? Just the weight factor.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 8:24 am
Good job ref!!!

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 10:08 am
"Henry is just another athletic freak being punished for being too big and strong."

No, for being late and illegal.
All the tough guys on here would be the first to squeal if they were on the receiving end, what a joke they are.

By DanielB, at October 04, 2010 10:26 am
that is what you call island style rugby,in the islands these tackles are nothing.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 10:42 am
Holy moly.

I mean, you can perhaps argue the toss about how late that was, but no question that was high and arm-free.

I guess his reputation precedes him, but the height here was just about deserving of a red on its own.

By edbok, at October 04, 2010 11:25 am
Beurk!
savage, deliberate, dangerous..

Learn to tackle well buddy
out!

By Flooz, at October 04, 2010 11:43 am
That is just disgusting!

I love Tuilagi for the incredible hits and hit-ups he can make, but he's getting into trouble more and more...

This hit was late, high and he didnt wrap his arms. A straight red was the only right call... I hope he serves a lengthy suspension for this one.

By Sander, at October 04, 2010 11:50 am
My point wasn't that it's legal, but that he's being punished for his size and strength.

If the roles were reversed and the little bloke hit Henry late and without shoulders, would it be a red? No, it wouldn't even be a penalty!

The reason is simple, if a little guy tried that on Henry he'd get bumped off.

Henry here is a victim of his own size.

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 11:58 am
I can't believe people are trying to argue for Tuilagi here - it doesn't matter who the tackler is - the facts are evident - late, high, without arms and seemingly intentional = instant red card and probable suspension.

By Pyes, at October 04, 2010 12:08 pm
If a little guy coat-hangered a big guy around the throat he would get sent off for an illegal tackle - Tuilagi's tackle was wildly illegal - he got what the tackle deserved. No argument there.

By Pyes, at October 04, 2010 12:10 pm
'Nope spark him straight out, destroy his face and if I'm feeling extra evil his ass too.'

Aww, it sounds like love.

Tuilagi was commiting himself to that tackle whatever happened. In comparison to a few others I don't think this one was that bad, the size comparison made it look a lot worse. It is worth a card, but I dn't think it's worth a ban.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 12:20 pm
Does make me wonder about some people, the fact is if the roles were reversed Damien Neveu would still come off second best.....

There is no issues with being a beast, but this was late, high, no arms, and just plain dangerous....

The fact is I doubt the roles would ever have been reversed....generally players of Neveu's size don't start things with Tuilagi's size.....

By (u-p)rick, at October 04, 2010 12:29 pm
awesome hit, this is why shoulder charges should be allowed in union

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 12:51 pm
Cracking hit, really good. This should be allowed in Union for sure. Put a few wheelchairs next to the pitch and the guys who end up like Max Brito are just a bunch of pussies. Not like the tough as nails characters that frequent this web-site and comment on Tuilagi’s clear innocence.
I hope the 10 year olds (albeit mentally 10 year olds maybe) get the irony of the comment.
There are few rules on the pitch: Don’t hit late, use your arms, don’t hit high… if you can, pick the one Tuilagi is adhering to

By Maño, at October 04, 2010 1:43 pm
Yellow and red cards are also a matter of dangerosity. You don't want players to be hurt, so of course, Tuilagi, given his size, has to be more careful when he does things like that, cause he can be dangerous for other players. If roles were reverted, no red or yellow or even penalty cause the smaller player would have more chances to hurt himself than to hurt the big one.

By D0m3, at October 04, 2010 1:51 pm
"Chris said...

If the role was reversed. And the little bloke did the same to Henry, nobody would bat an eyelid. The ref wouldn't even blow his whistle.

Henry is just another athletic freak being punished by the old boys club for being too big and strong.

Rugby might aswell bring in weight divisions if they're going to carry on with such moronic reffing standards"

Well said...couldnt agree more!
JUstice for Tuilagi!!!!

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 1:57 pm
^ absolute rubbish. A dangerous tackle is a dangerous tackle. A tiny scrumhalf hitting a fat second rower late wont cause any impact, therefore it wouldnt be a dangerous tackle, it would just be a late tackle. Obviously just by looking at this, you can see it's a dangerous tackle. The point is that he IS a massive mofo, therefore it becomes dangerous when he decides to throw his weight around, smashing little guys late and high. Red + suspension without a doubt.

By Benson, at October 04, 2010 2:11 pm
Wake up Chris, you sound just like someone saying Bakkies Botha was victimised.

Late tackle, no arm, f all to do with being big and athletic.

Go watch league. Seems you prefer it anyway.

And how does this compare with Rangers hit on Kirchner. Tuilagi is only about half an hour late, standing up in the tackle, using no arms. I wonder if he would have recived a yellow if at leat made an effort to put his head down and maybe bring up an arm ala Butch James.

He could make a huge impact in any game even playing within the somewhat pussyfied rules of late!

Crhis, you and Anonymous should stick to league. Less rules and other stuff to confuse you.

BRING BACK RUCKING!

By Grobbie Brink, at October 04, 2010 2:21 pm
This would be illegal in League also. It's a late challenge. You can't take people out without the ball in either code.

Nobody except the clinically insane are argueing this should be legal. What honest people are saying is a marginally late tackle shouldn't be red and that the punishment is excessive.

Did Tuilagi get a red for hitting someone without wrapping marginally late? No, of course not. In any game you can see a ton of shoulder checks off the ball. It's a frequent occurence.

Tuilagi got a red for being a man mountain. No other reason. It's one rule for the strong and another rule for the weak.

He's too big and strong for the game. Would be better suited in NFL or League.

It's also hilarious that after your rant you shout 'Bring back rucking'. A clearly more dangerous practice than smashing someone without arms.

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 2:45 pm
Tuilagi - wtf, that was late dangerous and out of order no matter what size. He should get a ban for being so stupid as to empty someone that illegally in fron of the ref.

I like both League and Union and have to say that a late flop and hit were punished in both the UK and Ozzie Grand final. That type of late tackle is poor form in either code....

Not sure on the "Islanders" chat here folks. Surely this type of really late, completely malicious type of challenge is punished no matter what location you play in as long as the ref sees it.

By NiWiTa, at October 04, 2010 2:52 pm
its a contact sport and he was commited to the tackle i dont see why he got a straight red card if you dont like it play a different game

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 3:26 pm
its a contact sport dont understand why he got a straight red if you dont like it play a different game

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 3:28 pm
Those of you defending this coconut, imagine if Bakkies Botha or the Schalk Burger did something like this, you'd be shitting yourselves.

Yes, defend your maori, you losers.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 3:30 pm
Chris has hit the nail on the head,
why should it be one rule for the big lads and one for the backs...i mean smaller guys!
As he has said and as people continue to neglect to read...nobody is disputing that it is illegal, but if it was role reversed Damien...after hitting slightly high and late, shrugged off by tuilagi would have just got a talking too...... players shouldnt get a harsher punishment judged by the level of impact the oposition can take!
Team chris for the win!

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 3:31 pm
"its a contact sport dont understand why he got a straight red if you dont like it play a different game"

Sorry to teach you something : contact sports got rules. If you don't like it play or watch a different game.

By Dalma, at October 04, 2010 4:01 pm
"Tuilagi got a red for being a man mountain. No other reason. It's one rule for the strong and another rule for the weak."

Tuilagi got a red for being high, late and no arms. Don't take him as a retarted, he knew what he was doing.

By Dalma, at October 04, 2010 4:05 pm
He knows what he's doing. What I'm trying to say is if Tuilagi was 5'8 and 190lbs, making the same late challenge, would he have received a red? Of course not

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 4:08 pm
Yes, but he's not! He's a monster, and could have seriously injured the guy, hence the red card. Why can't you understand that.

Dangerous tackles are judged as individual incidents. In this situation the impact was massive and the guy is lucky to still be walking. Although in fairness if most pro players hit a guy that late and high then it would be dangerous, regardless of size.

By Benson, at October 04, 2010 4:34 pm
Hahah poor guy. Refs pick on him. To the guy who said "he could have killed him" hahaha holy fuck mate you stand for everything rugby stands against.

I dont know, and i hate to bring up the old "rugby is soft", but everybody seems to be railroading physicality out of the game. I know this example isnt the best but its a yellow at best because his timing was a bit off.
I may be alone but i love seeing a bit of passion and aggression bubble over occasionally and the ref taking a back seat. Its what used to make the game great, the fact the players could do that, sort it out themselves, and have a beer afterwards.

By Chris W., at October 04, 2010 4:38 pm
With the shoulder? HOW THE FUCK ELSE ARE PLAYERS SUPPOSED TO TACKLE!!!!!!!
Fuck this is annoying. You know what, why dont we just make it touch footy and slap them gently on the back, to eliminate any possibility of any sort of physical confrontation. And while we are at it, i really believe that using ski gloves will minimise the impact of the gentle touch, to ensure players no longer compete in a contact sport of any kind.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 4:42 pm
"He's a monster, and could have seriously injured the guy, hence the red card. Why can't you understand that. "

Then you agree we should bring in weight divisions?

If the rules are dependant on your size and strength there's something seriously fucking wrong with the game.

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 5:05 pm
I repeat: There are few rules on the pitch: Don’t hit late, use your arms, don’t hit high… if you can, pick the one Tuilagi is adhering to

I don't care how big he is. A small guy wouldn't come close to doing that to a big guy (seen Palu on Rose on RD facebook?) but if he does he needs to be send off as well.
I don't want to get the sport to get soft neither, temper may/should boil over every once in a while but tackling a guy when the ball has left his hands the day before and hit ´m high and no arms is not a benchmark of toughness. Getting up after that is. Neveu is now officially part of the Luke-Hamilton-bad-ass-little-fellas-Club

By Maño, at October 04, 2010 5:18 pm
I play rugby in Poland, and two weeks ago i was hit with a similar "tackle". I spend one week in the hospital with a injury to my neck. "tackles" Like this should be straight red, and sooner or later Tuilagi could do someone some serious damage

By Unknown, at October 04, 2010 5:18 pm
Chris, are you simple mate? I'm starting to think you've taken a few of these hits to the head yourself. You're failing to understand something here - it was an illegal hit. When legal a big guy can smash a little guy as hard as he wants. That's the beauty of rugby isn't it? This wasn't though, so therefore it's a filthy tackle by a huge guy who can easily do damage OUTSIDE of the laws of the game. Get it?

By Benson, at October 04, 2010 5:25 pm
Anyone else noticet that the ref stopped play even though the team in black had a clear breakaway. So much for playing advantage.

By Bobby Nations, at October 04, 2010 5:39 pm
B.I.G H.I.T !!!

Tuilagi is a monster !
Besides, Chabal has Bambi !

By MatteW, at October 04, 2010 7:05 pm
Chris W -

If you don't see how the guy could have had his neck broken, then you are a retard. But I presume you are only a troll. Keyboard warriors make me laugh - you never played the game so you don't know how dangerous it really is. Fuck off.

By Mike, at October 04, 2010 7:54 pm
Chris W -

If you don't see how the guy could have had his neck broken, then you are a retard. But I presume you are only a troll. Keyboard warriors make me laugh - you never played the game so you don't know how dangerous it really is. Fuck off.

By Mike, at October 04, 2010 8:07 pm
are all of you retarded and unable to read??? Chris is not saying this is legal...to all of you out there going on about it being an illegal tackle you are idiots!!!!

to make it clear:

EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS NOT LEGAL

what we are saying is that if he hadnt of been as big he wouldnt have got a red!!!

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 8:29 pm
honestly i didn't think that was too bad - if he'd have wrapped it'd have been a tackle...

By Unknown, at October 04, 2010 8:45 pm
so he only got a red because of his size, really, are you sure??? Nothing to do with the fact he'd gotten a warning earlier and then makes a blatantly illegal, highly dangerous, ultra late tackle?????

By Mazhug, at October 04, 2010 8:52 pm
yes maz, i am sure, all the things you mentioned would warrent a yellow.

By Anonymous, at October 04, 2010 9:50 pm
When legal a big guy can smash a little guy as hard as he wants. That's the beauty of rugby isn't it?

.......

Thanks for your input Benson, but you're being the upperclass homosexual you always are.

The fact of it is as long as fairies like you exist in Union big hits will never be allowed. Regardless of whether they're technially legal.

You cannot hit someone as hard as you want, lets not lie.

Every other dominant tackle in Union is called illegal by refs and 'fans' alike.

By Chris, at October 04, 2010 10:20 pm
Guys, what is the need for all the crap here!? Have a reasoned debate without all the childish nonsense and you may discover that you all actually make very good points.

I completetly agree with Chris that this only resulted in a red card because of Tuilagi's size, BUT, as other have pointed out, that is because his side allows him to make a dangerous hit. If the roles were reversed and Neveu wanted to make that hit, he could try but would almost certainly fail, therefore if he fails to make an illegal hit, there would be nothing to punish.

It's just one of those things in rugby, it's a game with a place for people of all sizes, but that means these types of incidents are bound to happen, and players of Tuilagis size have to realise that with the advantage their size and power brings them, also lies the disadvantage of having to be extra careful when going for those big hits.

Similarly, what smaller players lack in power they gain in being less likely to be penalised and also in many cases being more agile than the big guys.

Pro's and cons all round, and pretty much everyone here has made one of these valid points. Try putting them together instead of acting like a bunch of children!

By Believer, at October 05, 2010 12:49 am
Didn't think it was that bad. Sure maybe a week or two on the sideline, it was fractionally high.
Not much in it though.

By Bill, at October 05, 2010 1:08 am
In todays game, if it looks like it hurt, you get sent off/penalised.

Get rid off this stupid wrap rule, the tackle was pretty late though i admit.

By Icey, at October 05, 2010 1:20 am
I agree with you Icey, at least in the NH club comps. It's ridiculous, if a player gets hurt they assume it's a dangerous tackle.
It's soft and not how rugby should be.

By Tom, at October 05, 2010 2:57 am
well said tom, have to agree, whatever happened to guys getting hurt and doing anything not to show it because they didnt want to show a weakness in their team etc etc and a bit of pride!

By Anonymous, at October 05, 2010 3:27 am
bloody islanders jeez ahah u see that alot here in nz ... crazy stuff mind you ive seen worse

By Anonymous, at October 05, 2010 5:44 am
Thanks Believer. It's tough when upperclass homosexuals like myself get made fun of over the internet. We have feelings too, Chris.

Chris this isn't rugby league, and never will be. If you want the type of hits you're after, then you'll find them in the NRL.

Of course he got red carded because of his size, because a little guy wouldn't make that impact. I don't really get the point that you're arguing. Dangerous is dangerous. If a guy pulls anothers hair on the field, he'll get penalised because it's illegal, not because the guy shouldn't have long hair. There aren't hair-style divisions, but it would hurt and be illegal.

I love how your arguments for hard, league-type hits always result in you calling people upperclass and toffs btw. As if the only people who want to follow the rules are posh lol

By Benson, at October 05, 2010 9:34 am
Chris, are you simple mate? I'm starting to think you've taken a few of these hits to the head yourself. You're failing to understand something here - it was an illegal hit. When legal a big guy can smash a little guy as hard as he wants. That's the beauty of rugby isn't it? This wasn't though, so therefore it's a filthy tackle by a huge guy who can easily do damage OUTSIDE of the laws of the game. Get it?

.......

Nobody has claimed this isn't illegal. Learn to read mate. What I'm saying is it's never a red.

You can't jump from penalty to yellow to red depending on how hard a late tackle is.

This is only a red because Tuilagi is too strong and big.

So maybe we should bring in weight decisions. If you want to bring in different variations of the law based on how big you are and the dangers of tackling small blokes it only seems natural.

That's what boxing did.

What's so profound? You're the one making these implications, not me.

By Chris, at October 05, 2010 9:47 am
In the slow motion replay you can see Tuilagi looking at the guy when he passes, seeing the pass, then putting his head and shoulder down...

What an absolute arsehole.

By Anonymous, at October 05, 2010 10:43 am
Chris, the good news for you is that I'll now give up. You dont get it. He deliberately smashed a smaller guy, knowing the kind of damage that could be done. It's a shocking tackle and a red every day of the week.

By Benson, at October 05, 2010 11:03 am
great refereeing. straight red. No hesitation

let's hope the french disciplinieary panel now do their part of the deal. Dangerous tackle has (i think) a max of 8 weeks. Anything less will be a travesty

By Irish Ref, at October 05, 2010 11:37 am
Yes, it is illegal and completely wrong for the game for people to do this. But everyone must admit he absolutely smashed him.

By Anonymous, at October 05, 2010 12:19 pm
On watching the reply i have just noticed something VERY interesing!

I didn't pay any attention to what happened after the Tuilagi hit on the first piece of live play footage, however, when watching the replay i saw the guy who recieved Neveu's pass was just about to get totally clotheslines by another Perpignan tackler just as the reply stopped and wondered how on earth the second tackler could get off Scot free too. Then i rewound it and watched the live bit again and was amazed.

I won't tell you why, but i encourage you all (Esp. Chris) to do just that! Fast forward to the second reply and watch the guy who recieves Neveu's pass (and more tot he point his tackler). You'll be shocked!

BUT, then rewind and watch the first piece of footage where you see it continue and you'll be amazed just how well the guy pulled so late out of what looked like it was going to be a vicious tackle as bad as Tuilagi's.

It shows it is possible and there was really no excuse for Tuilagi being so late!

By Believer, at October 05, 2010 1:45 pm
the whole "its hard for him to get low cause hes so big" argument is nonsense.
He`s only 1.84cm which means hes probably around the same height as the guy he hit. And actually quite short compared to most other players.
I can understand the argument for 2.10m tall locks but not for this guy.

By Loec, at October 05, 2010 10:54 pm
It's funny, cuz in the SH I don't think this would ever be a red card, it'd be a surprise if it was yellow.
10 years ago it probably wouldn't even be noticed.
It's a European influence that is making cards so prominent, and now every illegal tackle or head high is being overanalysed and there are calls for lengthy bans.
Peopel even use that ridiculous soccer logic, that if we just card enough players, there won't be any illegal hits anymore in the game.

To me, this is just a penalty, look at it after tha game, maybe sit him down for a week or two.
The tackle was late and a bit high, but it wasn't particularly high, and it was only fractionally late.
It's not that bad.
So what he got banged around, it's rugby, it happens.

By Jono, at October 06, 2010 12:15 am
Wow, a lot of debate about something so clear cut.

Intentional, high, late, no wrap.

The rules state that these things can be penalised.

Red card because there was intent and he'd been warned already. He should also be banned as a deterrent.

Rugby is a physical sport, but it also has rules (like all other sports.) If you don't like these rules, you should watch backyard boxing and leave rugby forums for rugby fans who know and like the rules.

As to whether a smaller guy would have been red carded - a smaller guy may not have been able to smash Tuilagi to the ground like that, but that isn't the point. Tuilagi is aware of how strong he is and what effect he'll have if he shoulder-charges a back in the face. So he should be penalised if he acts dangerously. It is partly the fact that he was exploiting his greater strength over a weaker person that makes it dangerous.

Referees should also penalise smaller players who act dangerously. I don't know what makes people in this forum think that this wouldn't happen. If a back had carried out this "tackle" having already had a warning, he clearly would have been given a red too.

The fact that smaller players are less likely to make dangerous tackles on bigger players does not mean that the game is less fair. It just stands to reason and means that there are less dangerous tackles in our sport.

By Osprey123, at October 06, 2010 1:41 am
For mine it's the red card that's over the top.
It's different interpretations.
In France this would always be a red, in the south almost never.
The way I see it, this stuff isn;t nearly as bad as people are making out.

By Jono, at October 06, 2010 6:40 am
Hey Chris

Ranting and shouting has something to do with the fact that the current rules are being pussyfied, and that I do understand that its gone a tad soft, but he was late, high and no arms.........

He actually went for his head with his shoulder. You can end careers that way.

I would even go as far as saying it was a bit of a cheap shot. Do yourself a favour, have a look again. And we do not know what happened before the incident. But never just because he was BIG!

AND WHERE THE H$LL IS IT MORE DANGEROUS TO RUCK THAN TO HIT HIGH WITH NO ARMS!

You havn't played enough rugby my dear man. I have accompanied players to hospitals due to high reckless tackles. Not once for any rucking injuries.

Maybe they sharpen those studs in your area.

But we still love you Chris.

LONG LIVE BAKKIES BOTHA(okay, maybe a little nicer version)

By Grobbie Brink, at October 06, 2010 5:23 pm
I think that being carded for illegal actions means just that repression is being tougher... In France, maybe in other countries, when you play in lower divisions we do have specials rules meant to help the safety of the players. For exemple, you can't just hit someones ankle from behind to stop him nor bridging in a ruck...
Another point I think could e interesting is that we don't have league in France so shoulder charges aren't familiar to us and a player brought in the union culture wouldn't have watched league style tackles that many recommend here.

By Anonymous, at October 06, 2010 6:06 pm
I can't stand it when a referee kills the advantage (or eliminates the quick tap) for the non-offending side, only to walk over to the opposition captain and give them a warning.

Or in the case of the All Blacks, their "final warning" -- for the third time.
referee should have tried to play advantage.

At least if he was going to kill an advantage play, it was for the sake of issuing a red card.

That hit was so nasty, a quick whistle might be the best thing to avoid a flare up between the teams.

Not as if French teams would EVER retaliate or take the law into their own hands.

Well at least not against a Tuilagi brother, that's just dumb.

By cheyanqui, at October 06, 2010 6:35 pm
late and illegal deserved a definate yellow maybe red but the unfortunate thing is henry is a great player and will probably face a long ban. Funnily had this happened in Super 14 rugby I wont bet on needing the Citing Commissioner's services

Carry on Henry but your capable of impressing every1 doin it on the fair side of the game

By SharkAttack, at October 07, 2010 3:15 am