Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Jonathan Davies trip on Chris Ashton goes unpunished

Monday, February 07, 2011

Jonathan Davies trip on Chris Ashton goes unpunished

Wales centre Jonathan Davies seems to have escaped a citing for his trip on England wing Chris Ashton in the Six Nations opener on Friday night. The cut off for a citing to be submitted was last night, and there’s no news since.

Young Davies, sometimes known as Jon, stretched a stray leg out at a loose ball early in the second half, only to make contact with Ashton’s leg in what looked a clumsy challenge.

It seemed to have been missed by referee Alain Rolland and his assistants, but a slow motion replay a minute or so later showed the viewing audience at home what happened. BBC commentator Brian Moore nearly swallowed his mic.

‘That's a red’ he said, stating that there’s no place for that on the rugby field. He’s right, but the replay did exaggerate matters tenfold, and if it was shown from a few frames back, the incident would have been put in perspective.

Nevertheless, it was a dangerous, clumsy challenge and as we saw with Jerry Flannery’s leg trip on Alexis Palisson last year, the impact can be significant, and injury was lucky to be avoided.

"There was no bad intentions. I am not a dirty player," said Davies about the incident.

"I would never go out to trip anyone. All I remember is putting the ball through on the floor, going to kick it on again and unfortunately I got his leg.

"There were no bad intentions at all. Hopefully nothing more will come of it."

Jean-Etienne Bernard, the match commissioner, had a deadline of Sunday night to determine whether Davies should have received further punishment or not. It seems as though he’s decided on the latter, but if anything changes we’ll let you know.

What's your take on it?

Time: 0:39

Accidental, but it did look bad!

By Laz, at February 07, 2011 12:24 pm
Yellow card!

By Unknown, at February 07, 2011 12:26 pm
yellow card!

When you see Flannery not being sent off for ju-jitsu kicks, no wonder fauls like this one are not penalized...

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:32 pm
He was running through with attempt to kick ball TOTALLY ACCIDENTAL contact with player

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:39 pm
Don't know if it's accidental, it was in the action fire.
whatever, it was dangerous

but regarding that J.davies and Flannery didn't received any citations or cards, i guess commissionners are waiting for a french player doing that "in order to prevent all type of dangerous play"

an ironic paranoid frog ;)

By a french anon, at February 07, 2011 12:42 pm
Above post
I don't buy it sorry. That was a yellow card.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:44 pm
once again people here think the world must only be against the French, and it appears many people here, might not even have played rugby with such stupid comments they leave.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:49 pm
Flannerys was much worse, but he got six weeks if my memory serves me.Watching in real time Davies could claim accidental, still a penalty though.

By Merv, at February 07, 2011 12:50 pm
At least a yellow. And deserved a citing along with the spear tackle on Flood

Tripping is so dangerous and like gouging needs to be stamped on hard by the authorities.

Davies may claim he was going for the ball but he it looks like he knew what he was doing - even if it was a spur of the moment thing. If you freeze it at 0.07 you can see Ashton has his hands on the ball even before Davies draws his leg back.

By Paolo, at February 07, 2011 12:51 pm
Accidental, clearly. Not like Flannery's! Flannery had the same excuse last year: "oh yeah you know, sorry i was just trying to kick the ball...". Yes of course Jerry!

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:55 pm
he had an intention to stop ashton from breaking away as he didnt know there was cover - yellow, no citing he clearly looks at ashton not the ball unfortunately - its one of those instinctive things which unfortunately should be punished

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 12:59 pm
instinct, should see a yellow card though

By ya, at February 07, 2011 1:04 pm
instinct, should see a yellow card though

By ya, at February 07, 2011 1:04 pm
He should get a few weeks. Who cares if its accidental. It's reckless and dangerous.

Isn't that usually the justification for bans wheeled out by the marshmallow brigade for tackles that go innocently wrong?

Well tripping someone up is far more dangerous, and Davies should be punished for reckless and dangerous play.

You guys think you're all so macho with your tough guy acts, laughing off a ban. We don't need you soccer thugs in Rugby.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 1:07 pm
accidental clearly

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 1:07 pm
accidental or not, it's against the rules to trip someone.

Should of been a yellow.

By Nathan, at February 07, 2011 1:11 pm
If you look at it at full speed he was clearly just trying to kick the ball forward but the BBC slow motion makes it look bad as they only show the part where he makes contact! Total over reaction from Brian Moore.

By AkaRed, at February 07, 2011 1:13 pm
Its anything but accidental. He had decided to kick it but saw that Ashton had picked up and followed through anyway. You can see that he felt guilty by the way he raises his arms to excuse himself.

By Unknown, at February 07, 2011 1:13 pm
penalty

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 1:39 pm
It should have been cited.
I have no doubt that it was a rush of blood to the head rather than a premeditated attack and the replay as always made it look worse; however in my opinion the intention was to stop Ashton and as such it should carry a ban irrespective of if it was "just a clumsy challenge".

There have been a number of players over the years that have had massive injuries becasue of this kind of action, it needs to be stopped.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 1:46 pm
it deserved a penalty but nothing else.

By mat, at February 07, 2011 1:57 pm
Yeah he went to kick it eventhough its been in his arms for like 2 seconds

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 2:09 pm
Dangerous and clumsy, but for me accidental. Whether or not he should have been cited i don't know. the replay makes it look alot worse than it actually is.. But there you are.

By David, at February 07, 2011 2:14 pm
At the first sight, it seems accidental as he tried to follow the ball bounce, but with the replay, his trip was very late.
Maybe a yellow card should have been given and nobody would have talked about citation.

Flannery kick was much more worse in my memories

By Colombes, at February 07, 2011 2:21 pm
Isn't this why we have citing officers??

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 2:32 pm
It's pretty close to call either way. If the citation officer thinks it doesn't deserve anything then it doesn't. But watching the replay it does seem like he goes to 'kick the ball' after ashton picks it up.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 2:32 pm
Rolland refereeing strikes again. 2 weeks ago that would have been a red card on the spot. There was a tackle on Flood that looked worse than the Fritz tackle and play carried on.

I don't mind how the IRB/referees decide to judge these things but some consistancy would be great.

By Nick, at February 07, 2011 2:55 pm
im sorry but how can you compare that to the flannery kick

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 3:22 pm
a red? hahahahahahahahahahahaha

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 3:27 pm
Whether it was "accidental" or not it is a yellow card...maybe a week ban.

By jm, at February 07, 2011 3:37 pm
are you people out of your minds? week long bans? it's like eye gouging? sure just like eye gouging, last time my friend tripped me at the bar i was blind for 3 weeks...
Take into account that this is in super slow-mo so it is going to look a lot worse than it actually is. In my opinion the harshest punishment could/should have been a week ban at worst, and best case maybe a penalty, but referees often miss far worse things

By rehanb, at February 07, 2011 3:59 pm
You can see quite clearly from his immediate reaction after missing the ball, that he intended to kick it on. I dont think any player (let alone a welsh one) has the speed of mind to play act that quick.

By morgan, at February 07, 2011 4:31 pm
quite a bit dodgy ;)

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 4:42 pm
The slow-mo replay removes all sense of context. The slow-mo was the first thing Brian Moore saw of it which is why he went to so mental about it.

When you consider Davies's excuse and watch it at real speed I think it's quite plausible. Then watch the slow-mo again and you can actually discern that he in fact does NOT follow through (as some on here have claimed), and is in fact starting to withdraw his foot at the moment of impact.

I think Flannery's kick (not a trip) on Palisson was completely different. Flannery's was a mindless act of thuggery.

By Von, at February 07, 2011 4:47 pm
now that commentator is a twat !!! 'thats a red' he says!!!!
first of all, it coulda been accidental
secondly, if it was intentional the ref couldnt penalise or sinbin because it happened at full speed, and even saw nothing wrong during the game, but when you look at slow-mo replays he might face 1 or 2 weeks on the sideline

By Luxi, at February 07, 2011 4:55 pm
Completely accidental. Brian Moore is a tool. Normally he's my kind of tool, but not in this situation.

By HM, at February 07, 2011 5:01 pm
@AkaRed you mean at full speed on the far side of the pitch from the camera where you cant see whether hes looking at ball or man? he broke the rules ahston had the ball in hand when the foot was stuck out - yellow, no citing

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 5:23 pm
instinctive reaction, yellow if it is called by the ref but to give a ban would be harsh

By owen, at February 07, 2011 6:03 pm
SHUT THE FUCK UP BRIAN MOORE!
RUINED THE GAME FOR ME, HIS COMMENTATING DID.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 6:09 pm
Davies put his hands up straight away, classic sign that you've done something wrong!

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 6:09 pm
TOTALLY ACCIDENTAL! He's really not a dirty player, that's true.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 6:28 pm
I agree that it was arguably accidental. Perhaps a little bit of a "fuck it, that should've been MY ball!" in there as well. In real-time (not slo-mo), it seems less malicious than in when played at half-speed.

Fair play to Ashton for not being a football pansy - not that he had time to make a meal of it, as he quickly had Welsh players on him rucking for the ball.

Brian Moore, on the other hand, made a pretty good mountain out of that molehill.

By orange, at February 07, 2011 6:29 pm
Its not that bad, but if u look at the replay Ashton only has to get past one person and he is in, so probably should be a yellow.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 8:47 pm
Flannery's kick was a fly kick...
Alun Wyn's trip was cynical...
This was an accident... Not a red by any stretch of the imagination, or even a yellow.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 9:33 pm
it was clearly accidental people, wake up to youselves.

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 9:59 pm
I'm Welsh, and I would agree it probably should've warranted a yellow at most. A red would've been ridiciulous and a citing harsh, considering how much greater crimes in the game have gone unpunished or lightly so e.g. Rautenbauch's stamp in the London Irish game. It also highlights how extremely biased Brian Moore still is despite me beliveing he'd finally learned how to be an objective commentator. Bill McLaren would have been embarrased if he'd made such a comment! C'mon lads it's rugby - there will be a few cheap shots, don't turn it into football!!!

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 10:48 pm
your blind if you say that was accidental, lucky the ref didnt see it.

By Ronan, at February 07, 2011 11:00 pm
your blind if you say that was accidental, lucky the ref didnt see it.

By Ronan, at February 07, 2011 11:11 pm
unintentional spears get carded and cited, don't see why that trip wasn't, accidental or not

By Jonno, at February 07, 2011 11:12 pm
ashton deserved it

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 11:19 pm
slow motion replays are leading people to believe theres more to collisions like this then there actually are. When davis makes contact with ashton in slow mo its last like 4 seconds on the game clock, when in reality it only lasted less then half a second.

and yes ashton definitely deserved it

By Anonymous, at February 07, 2011 11:24 pm
Totally disgusting play and typical (it seems) of Wales! Should have been sent off. Brian Moore was totally correct in saying "a total disgrace".

By Andy M, at February 08, 2011 12:07 am
Look how camp Hape looks if you pause on 0.22! Hello sailor!

By Joey B, at February 08, 2011 12:22 am
'red card'! that commentator doesn't have a clue...

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 1:04 am
It's Droga who comments... "what a fuckin disgrace!" :)

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 1:07 am
He was going for the ball in a delayed reaction. It was not a malicious trip.
Penalty: Yes.
Any card: no.

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 1:55 am
Will you lot shut up about Brian Moore? He was a class player for his time on the pitch, he knows the game probably better than most.

Oh also 1991 - Brian Moore was voted the BEST RUGBY PLAYER IN THE WORLD.

So please before you keep spouting petty comments, actually listen to someone who understands the game better than you lot, that to be fair are probably no better than saturday league players.

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 2:32 am
The commentator reminds me of Kearns on foxtel in Australia. Complete moron.

By Gman, at February 08, 2011 2:44 am
Anonynous said...
Will you lot shut up about Brian Moore? He was a class player for his time on the pitch, he knows the game probably better than most.

Oh also 1991 - Brian Moore was voted the BEST RUGBY PLAYER IN THE WORLD.

So please before you keep spouting petty comments, actually listen to someone who understands the game better than you lot, that to be fair are probably no better than saturday league players.

Hear hear!

Best commentator on the circuit currently. He's actually extremely impartial and his ill-judged outrage on this clip has nothing to do with England or Wales.

By Von, at February 08, 2011 8:48 am
Joey B said...
Look how camp Hape looks if you pause on 0.22! Hello sailor!

LOL, good spot!

By Von, at February 08, 2011 8:50 am
If this is a citing and ban? People comparing this to gouging? Its fucking insane.

I would like to know how many weeks Hartley should have got for a diving elbow to the face after the whistle has stopped play? Or Andy Powell?

Sure its a penalty, and maybe a yellow. It was missed so bad luck.

By rememberthemer, at February 08, 2011 8:58 am
Moore is a terrible distraction, a sideshow. It's not needed. And NO, he certainly wasn't ever close to the best rugby player in the world!!

He was a thug at the best of times. Good player, but admittedly dirty and I'm not sure he'd cut it these days.

Being a former international player doesn't qualify you to be a good commentator, the same way it doesn't mean you'd be a great coach. If you have poor communication skills, a lisp, and a knack for random incorrect outbursts then you really shouldnt be anywhere near the commentary box.

I'll happily listen to his views at halftime in the studio or after the game, but I'm constantly amazed that BBC persist with him commentating.

And his reaction for this was the same as always - outburst first, then think later.

Davies deserved to be penalised but nothing more. Bad miss by Rolland and his sidekicks

By Scotsdale, at February 08, 2011 9:02 am
Did he trip Ashton? Obviously. Is it even a penalty? No. The reaction times you're dealing with are in the fractions of a second. Watch other replays where people spill the ball or whatever and see how long it takes them, in slow motion, to readjust. Same with Flannery; both these guys were already well into the motion of making the kick when play changed in front of them. Watch it again at full speed, and see if you still think he should get cited.

By Dave Riddle, at February 08, 2011 10:33 am
@CommuterX - totally agree on the Jon Davies effort above. If you study the slow-mo you can even see he's trying to pull out of the attempted kick (of the ball) at the moment of impact.

Flannery's mindless act of violence was completely different - have another look on the link under the main video above. Palisson very clearly had the ball in his hands before Flannery even started his kicking motion and he followed through. Not even a trip, it was an outright kick.

I do think it's wrong to compare Flannery's kick with either this one or Alun Wyn Jones's trip last year.

By Von, at February 08, 2011 1:44 pm
My favourite ever trip on the rugby field: Christophe Dominici in RWC 2003 semi-final, realising he's been totally done by Jason Robinson, sticks his leg out in a desperate attempt to slow him down. Penalty England and Dominici left writhing on the ground in excruciating pain!!
Served the dirty litte bar steward right, even though in his case it genuinely seemed a purely instinctive reaction to being outclassed and outmanoeuvred.

By Von, at February 08, 2011 1:49 pm
The slow-motion makes it look intentional. In real time you can see he has begun to swing whilst the ball is on the ground.

Just a TV editor trying to spark an argument over nothing

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 1:52 pm
yet another reason why i hate brian moore!!

By no9, at February 08, 2011 3:15 pm
i dont beleive it shul be a card.

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 5:42 pm
It's ok for him, he is not a french player...

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 6:18 pm
close accidental indeed

By Anonymous, at February 08, 2011 8:56 pm
The tackle on Flood was not a card in my opinion. Flood tilted in the tackle due to where the original tackler was holding him and because a second player came in and tilted him further. The original tackler held Flood up off the floor, ensuring he was not injured.

The trip on the other hand, was a trip. Should have been a yellow + a citing. Davies knew he had no chance of getting that ball, it was always going to be caught. Even if it wasn't, it would have bounced off the player and Davies would have missed.

By TheAnonymousOne, at February 08, 2011 11:10 pm
Not exactly intentional. It seems he wanted to kick the ball actually but... Penalty, nothing more.

Comparing with poor guy Flannery's thuggery is nonsense. Flannery was the old stupid loser who couldn't afford to be outclassed - much closer to Dominici's 2003. Dominici always had that "gangsta rugby" side. Great player, small man.

By the way, it's the smallest possible ban for Florian Fritz (see http://rugbydump.blogspot.com/2011/01/florian-fritz-gives-finger-after-red.html) : three weeks. OK. Let me think it's for the finger, not for the tackle. And it's good to know Tom Varndell has sent a message saying he "never felt in danger during the tackle".
Three weeks only, but still severe.

By The Frenchman, at February 08, 2011 11:37 pm
It's very important to determine if it's intentional.
Unlike soccer, in rugby they try to make common sense rulings.
And for people saying it's dangerous, jesus fucking christ, rugby is dangerous just as a game.
Tripping someone is the least of anyone's worries.
A ban would be very severe, the ref should have penalised him at the time, but didn't, get over it.
And a yellow would have been ridiculous overkill.

By Tom, at February 09, 2011 4:44 am
it can be argued either way, it all happened in a split second, that's probably why the linesman didn't call it because he was right there.

By Anonymous, at February 09, 2011 5:05 pm
I think im the only one that didnt think flannery's kick was on purpose....

...i actually watched it over and over, and still come to the conclusion it was a dumb 'fly hack' gone wrong...

...in this day and age, i dont believe players would kick someones legs out on purpose....if they are going to trip then a little over extended leg would be done..not a kick...

By (u-p)rick, at February 09, 2011 7:40 pm
Flannery is a slow, loud, retard. That dumbass was still trying to kick the ball but just booted the player cause he's a slow minded prick.

By Anonymous, at February 09, 2011 10:02 pm
red. Based on previous citings. And intent is not an issue in such a matter - it only changes possibly the length of a ban as it is then simply reckless and dangerous instead of malicious. How none of the officials even saw it is amazing. I could understand missing the voracity of it during play, but to not even see it as a penalty?!

By Anonymous, at February 09, 2011 11:28 pm
Red would be utterly ridiculous.
It's an accidental trip.
A penalty is fine.
End of story.
Jesus, it's not soccer ok?

By Tom, at February 10, 2011 2:39 am
Clearly not accidental, there was no way he was trying to kick the ball (which was in ashton's arms before he started his swing)

By Anonymous, at February 15, 2011 1:47 pm