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Mon 31 Mar 2014 | 10:33
Carlin Isles dropped ball blooper ruins great fifteens debut try

44
Comments

USA flyer Carlin Isles played his first full game of fifteen a side rugby at the weekend, turning out for Ayr against Hawick in a Scottish club game. The good news is he fared well and skinned multiple players. The bad news is he dropped the ball before scoring.

If you hadn't heard yet, Isles signed for Glasgow Warriors recently after having had a practice contract with the NFL's Detroit Lions a few months back. He has since committed to rugby though, leaving the Sevens game behind for now and taking up a career in the RaboDirect Pro12.

"Everything has happened so quickly for me over the last couple of years and I'm just happy to be playing rugby and getting the opportunity to play at the highest level," he said.

Isles played his first full game for Ayr this past weekend. He was up against Nikki Walker, who is 6'5 and has Test caps to his name. Isles tracked him down on one occasion, then when finally getting the ball in a bit of space he beat a whole host of players for what looked to be a great first try.

It certainly was memorable, but perhaps for the wrong reasons as he made the extra effort to get the ball under the posts, but failed to ground it properly after having done all the hard work. No try.

Gregor Townsend was impressed nevertheless, with Isles drawing comparisons to Thom Evans.

"Like Thom, he is very quick, but also very brave, and he certainly didn't shy away from the physical stuff and wants to get involved," said the Glasgow Warriors coach.

Isles felt he had grounded the ball and there was some debate as to whether he dropped it backwards or not, but the referee's interpretation was that the try wasn't scored, so Isles' big moment was blundered.

View a candid interview with him lower down, where he talks about his move to Glasgow, the non-try itself and how he had to change his 'spikes' to be able to move properly.

A nice interview with Isles following his fifteens debut for Ayr in Scotland

Thanks and credit to bordersrugby.net

Posted By: Grant Constable

44 Comments

  • oakheart
    11:06 PM 07/10/2014

    All the comments seem to focusing on Mr. Isles' efforts, but I'd like to draw attention to the opposing #5. With the ball in the try zone, #5 continued to chase the player, continued to attempt to save the try, never gave up. Young Carlin would not have dropped the ball if #5 had just let him dot it down under the posts, as I'm sure I probably would have done under those circumstances.
    I'm sure this could be a lesson for all young players out there - keep going!

  • badge
    7:40 PM 04/04/2014

    I disagree Matt. Gio is a fantastic player but he's had his clock pretty thoroughly cleaned a few times and I dare say he would've walked a straighter line after standing up if he were a little heavier. Again my point was not weight on attack guys, it was on defense. Nothing can hold down a player with heart, but physics comes knocking every so often; in the case of smaller guys like Aplon, Kolbe, and Isles, it knocks a little harder.

  • sportsfan1
    11:38 PM 02/04/2014

    The thing is if he puts on extra weight he will lose that raw pace. His pace is the thing that gives him the chance to make it. People like Sean Lamont and Leigh Halfpenny both bulked up and it affected their pace. HP especially used to be much quicker (not that he isn't a great player now). His running game was better when he wasn't quite so muscular though

  • matt
    1:34 PM 02/04/2014

    Weight isn't important. Gio Aplon manages just fine, most of time, as a last man. It's mostly technique and commitment.
    Plus I suspect that as someone who has been in conditioning rooms his whole life he may be at his most muscular already

  • sportsfan1
    11:55 AM 02/04/2014

    I think it was meant to be the saltire on various parts of the strip.

  • badge
    2:19 AM 02/04/2014

    He seems like an nice guy. He needs to pack on some weight and keep his head on a swivel as he climbs the ranks. Speed is all well and good on attack but when you're the last guy standing between Willem Alberts or Read and the posts, you might need a few kilos in your back pocket for safe keeping.

  • drg
    12:03 AM 02/04/2014

    Definitely, the Scottish kit has generally been pretty good over the years, I think last year or the year before there was an odd alternative kit (pale blue crosses on white) etc or something like that which I wasn't a fan of.

  • sportsfan1
    10:24 PM 01/04/2014

    Agreed. Being a Scot though i was never a big fan of the England jersey ;) I like the one Scotland wear now though, quite a classic look.

  • drg
    9:55 PM 01/04/2014

    I wouldn't got quite as far back, I like collared shirts, even if they are the new tight fitted ones. Hated the shirts England sported in 2003 (that style)..

    But I definitely agree with you on the rucking :D

    Actually I have to say, one of my favourite shirts I have seen in International rugby was the England Centenary shirt they had on a few years ago, I googled it and found a picture with others, please excuse the link being from the daily mail... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/02/08/article-1249492-083432DE000005DC-510_634x697.jpg

  • sportsfan1
    9:46 PM 01/04/2014

    Thanks guys. Enjoy my words of wisdom while they last. I'm sure they'll be short lived!

  • larry
    8:30 PM 01/04/2014

    And as an addendum, bring back rucking, real rugby shorts and socks too. Tired of this new looks with weird stripes, panels that don't do anything really, and socks with vertical stripes and no upper cuffs, and shirts with no collars or long sleeves!

  • larry
    8:27 PM 01/04/2014

    I'm glad to see that he's playing 15's. I have to say that I always downed the ball as quickly as possible if I were running in a try, not wanting to take any chances, and I never got a chance to score with no one around so as to dot down under the posts. He should have taken that first opportunity and done so. And carry the ball with two hands if you are in-goal with no one around, anyway! It's not the time to take any chances palming a ball one-handed. Carlin rarely has had to carry a ball with two hands playing 7's. He will have to playing 15's.
    Looks like it was a chilly day in Scotland. I'd rather wear one long-sleeve shirt than a short sleeve one with a long one under. Time for rugby to go back to basic rugby shirts and get rid of the soccer look!

  • drg
    4:51 PM 01/04/2014

    Got a like from me.

    Regarding mistakes, I remember once at school we played a training match, so not important in the grand scheme of things, but important to us younger guys against the older lot.. I had a rare opportunity to score 2 tries, the first I grounded too early (before the try line) because there were no flags up and I wasn't paying too much attention, the second I ran over the dead ball line (admittedly the pitch we were on had a very small in goal and there were no white lines at the time).. I felt like a right twit. The schools head coach who was refereeing at the time was very generous in allowing us to have the first (no) try, as he argued I was clear in, the second time he told me I should have learnt from the first time..

    I don't make that mistake these days... I'm a forward and we all know it's the backs that get the tries!

  • danknapp
    2:21 PM 01/04/2014

    Gutted I can only like this comment once. Spot on mate.

  • sportsfan1
    1:31 PM 01/04/2014

    I saw someone comment on an article somewhere else about this ( Scotsman maybe?). They made a good point that the majority of us will have made a mistake like this at junior level or club level where the eyes of the world aren't watching. Unfortunately for Carlin he hasn't had that experience so has to make his mistakes now when everyone in rugby wants to see what he is doing.

    It's not a big deal, he is used to 7s where scoring under the posts is of more importance due to drop goals. No show boating if you ask me, just wanted to help his team get 7 instead of 5 but unfortunately made a silly mistake. Other than that I hear he had a good debut, especially against Nikki Walker, a 6'5" ex international winger.

    The guy is a great athlete and has an incredible work ethic. I really hope he does succeed in his goal to represent the USA at the RWC. It would also be nice to see that there is still space for a jinky 11st player at international level. I feel union is loosing appeal as a sport for all shapes and sizes with everyone becoming a muscular beast these days!

  • jamesh
    8:22 AM 01/04/2014

    Think that was NZ rugby league - same/very similar rules apply. But saying that he deliberately passed/chucked the ball over his head rather than Carlin "knocking" it. I agree it should have been a try.

  • 2:37 AM 01/04/2014

    Fellahs, he was only running so low because he was making some outstanding change of directions in the mud and he was struggling to keep his feet, nothing to do with running on his heels or anything like that. Running backs run pretty low when they hit the line of scrimmage, but everything else is pretty much the same as rugby.

    I call knock on, as even if he dropped the ball backwards, when he went to touch it down it looked like to was propelled forward before being touched down.

    Mere slip of the hand though, nothing many other players haven't done thousands of times before.

    I personally hope he plays for the US and never for the scottish.

  • totesmcgoates
    11:25 PM 31/03/2014

    I might be wrong but downward pressure (with ball in hand) seems to be a phrase that has come over from league, much like the term "double movement" and should be disregarded.

    In this case, assuming the ball did not go forward, it's down to 22.1 b) and the player is require to "press down" on the ball in goal.

  • totesmcgoates
    11:02 PM 31/03/2014

    Pretty sure that underage has no bearing on full international. Struggled to find an example until I came across Sean Maitland's Wiki page. Richardt Strauss is another one.

  • drg
    10:26 PM 31/03/2014

    In fact there is another example at about 7:00 onwards..

  • drg
    10:23 PM 31/03/2014

    Ok, guys, I think it's rugby league so I know there are varying rules, but watching this video (I'm sure it has happened in union too but I can't find it)...

    Watch this at 6:26, a player is chaperoning the ball into touch and not looking behind him, when an opposition player runs in and flicks the ball into the try area and another player scores the try... 'ball knocked backwards'... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEnfCuwM5oA

    p.s. The entire video is a pretty good watch, mix between league, union, international, club etc..

  • drg
    10:11 PM 31/03/2014

    Yeh, should have awarded the try as punishment lol..

  • drg
    10:10 PM 31/03/2014

    I think you're correct. I'm sure there was a try last year (perhaps) where the ball was kicked or chipped through and a player ran forward dived, caught the ball and flicked it back into the try zone (instead of holding onto it and it going dead where he would have landed) and another team mate dotted it down for the try.. I can't for the life of me remember who or what or when but yeh...

  • drg
    10:10 PM 31/03/2014

    I think you're correct. I'm sure there was a try last year (perhaps) where the ball was kicked or chipped through and a player ran forward dived, caught the ball and flicked it back into the try zone (instead of holding onto it and it going dead where he would have landed) and another team mate dotted it down for the try.. I can't for the life of me remember who or what or when but yeh...

  • danknapp
    8:22 PM 31/03/2014

    I'm not sure that trying to get the ball under the posts is showboating. This wasn't an Ashton-esque swallow dive, just fumbled it as he tried for the least-theatrical of groundings. He had the space to cut in, did so, but screwed up the score. Nothing there was showboating, to my mind.

  • danknapp
    8:17 PM 31/03/2014

    Yeah, but they're a lot bigger than Carlin Isles, so it's easier for them to grip the ball.

  • browner
    8:13 PM 31/03/2014

    TRY ......100% , ball never went toward one inch.

    Sarcastic applause is unwelcome in the game, but equally is showboating....both led by the TV Elite Players ....

  • facepalm
    5:35 PM 31/03/2014

    Usually when someone loses control of the ball over the line it's a knock on so any grounding thereafter doesn't count. But in a weird situation like this the ball goes backwards when he drops it. So the game's still live and he's free to ground the ball, no?

  • tys
    4:42 PM 31/03/2014

    Yep you can still score without being on the pitch!!

  • freiburgrfc
    4:28 PM 31/03/2014

    whatever about the try or no try the opposition clapping and running after him to mock has no place on a rugby pitch, shameful

  • jamesh
    4:24 PM 31/03/2014

    22.1 (b) is one way of scoring, another is 22.1 (a) in that case "No downward pressure is required"

    You might want to "Revise your laws mate"...

  • jamesh
    4:17 PM 31/03/2014

    I agree with your point about pressure I thought that had been removed years ago too. Looks like it's back in again according to TyS.

    You don't actually need any control of the ball to score a try though. The IRB seem to have dumbed down the laws on their site so I can't find the wording.
    But if you think about it, you could score a try from my kick with no control over the ball at all, you just need to touch the ball when it's on the ground over the try line. You can (or at least could several years ago when I last read the laws) even be off the pitch when you touch it down. Not sure if that's still the case as I'm no longer quick enough to worry about scoring that sort of try.

  • stroudos
    3:59 PM 31/03/2014

    I don't understand all this business about him running back. It's not about which direction the ball moves. It's whether you had control of the ball when it touched the ground. They got rid of the "downward pressure" thing a few years ago, but you still need to have control of the ball.

  • anenthusiast
    3:57 PM 31/03/2014

    This is from a Canadian supporter

  • anenthusiast
    3:56 PM 31/03/2014

    Interesting, as soon as Isles goes to 15's the US sevens starts competing

  • stroudos
    3:53 PM 31/03/2014

    I would bet money on me being wrong, but I thought there were a few instances where this has happened.

  • byehiday
    3:22 PM 31/03/2014

    as i understand it any mens level cap, whether 7's or 15's, locks a player down to that country or am i wrong? i know u20's caps dont but i thought mens level does

  • byehiday
    3:20 PM 31/03/2014

    i came here to say the same thing, looks like a fine try to me.

  • byehiday
    3:19 PM 31/03/2014

    he played american football up through college actually, and being american and playing with football converts i can say that football practices are so ingrained in the players heads that often its hard to get them to open up and flow with rugby play

  • fatprop
    3:03 PM 31/03/2014

    'He's got a really unusual style though, hasn't he? I mean apart from the pace, agility and acceleration it's that low body position / centre of gravity that seems to completely throw defences'

    It's from his American Football background, they run on their heals and in weird straight lines.
    Back onto dropping the ball over the line, Umaga did it and I don't think anyone really cares about that. The best have done it. Just score 20+ tries a year and it don't matter.

  • guy
    2:41 PM 31/03/2014

    Good to see him play 15s. I do hope he will bulk up a bit. There is less space in 15s and somehow I have a sneaking suspicion he will twist an turn his way straight into some Jerry Collins-ish monster that will break him to pieces upon first contact.

    But as I said: very Exciting!

  • stroudos
    2:19 PM 31/03/2014

    Ach, they'll have been singing in the streets of Hawick when that laddie droaped the ball...

    Someone in Scottish rugby needs to lock this guy in a room and make him sign up before it's too late and he's got an actual 15s cap for USA.

    He's got a really unusual style though, hasn't he? I mean apart from the pace, agility and acceleration it's that low body position / centre of gravity that seems to completely throw defences - I don't think a single player got a hand to him here, did they?

    It's also amazing how an American can say "I *just* want to be the best rugby player" and yet somehow it doesn't sound immodest. Just seems like a natural thing for them to say, (along with the obligatory God-bothering blabbery).

  • connachtman
    1:50 PM 31/03/2014

    I am always telling our U7 minis to carry the ball in 2 hands! Case in point.

  • danknapp
    1:23 PM 31/03/2014

    I know the man well from playing alongside him in my imagination. He'll listen to my advice and learn from it.

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