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Mon 16 Oct 2017 | 09:36
Owen Farrell dump tackle sparks fiery confrontation with Teimana Harrison

17
Comments

While Saracens' 57-13 away victory over Northampton Saints in the opening round of the European Champions Cup got their campaign under way in emphatic fashion, this incident with Owen Farrell sparked a lot of discussion.

Number eight Teimana Harrison took exception to a solid Farrell dump tackle on Ben Foden, causing a bit of scuffle that included Farrell striking (pushing?) Harrison in the face with his elbow.

The tackle itself was a throwback to years gone by, before the days of over-analysing the position of the legs to see if a card - and usually a suspension - should follow.

Foden's legs did indeed go slightly past the horizontal, but upon review, referee Pascal Gaüzère ruled that the tackle was okay. He did end up penalising Farrell for the use of the elbow though. 

"I was just trying to get him off me," said the England back, who clearly brought a smile to coach Eddie Jones' face as he watched on from the stands.

Sarcens director of rugby Mark McCall was a bit concerned about how Farrell handled things.

"I thought the tackle was fine. His reaction when himself and Teimana Harrison were at each other worried me a little bit," McCall said.

Farrell was booed by the Saints' faithful, but it mattered little as he helped his side to a eight-try victory, as Saracens go in search of their third successive European Cup title.

Posted By: Grant Constable

17 Comments

  • weejockmcplop
    5:20 PM 03/11/2017

    Farrell yet again demonstrates poor tackling technique. Definite yellow as he took his man off his feet when there was no need to and then duped him. What then happened in the scuffle could also have been called as both players made contact with the others head.

  • drg
    11:26 AM 19/10/2017

    Lote Tiquiri against McCaw is one of the worst I've seen..

  • dancarter
    5:59 PM 18/10/2017

    I would guess that accidents from scrummaging in the front row have ended more careers than spear tackles. Saying that, I am amazed by some of the spear tackles and aerial collisions that players are able to get up from and keep playing. Le Roux against the Highlanders and BOD vs NZ spring to mind.

  • drg
    2:05 PM 18/10/2017

    I also found a video I thought to share of a jockey suffering a serious injury in a horse race...then I realised it was a totally different sport...

  • katman
    10:23 PM 17/10/2017

    Still sounds a bit hectic for my liking. I'll wait for it to come out on Wii.

  • im1
    5:57 PM 17/10/2017

    here you go

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YERQQAOyE70

    any extreme example, 3 on one tackle, but the point is that this is what could happen, so the line has to be drawn somewhere and it has to be far enough away from this to try and make it as rare as possible

  • 10stonenumber10
    5:04 PM 17/10/2017

    According to the quins forum, the root of George Lowe's career ender was from a spear tackle in a game against Saracens.

  • drg
    12:26 AM 17/10/2017

    Well that's why I prefer the glitter throwing version of the game...well, as long as everyone is wearing respirators and goggles and they adhere to a strict underarm throwing rule and not within 1m of each other..

  • mise
    11:29 PM 16/10/2017

    Harrison defo came into him with forearm/elbow onto neck, possibly twice, before OF does the 'only trying to get him off me' routine. (great sentence to roll out at that time!)

    Tiny bit too much lifting in the tackle, but only tiny. Prob a peno by today's laws, but prob shouldn't be.

  • jimmy23
    8:25 PM 16/10/2017

    "This goes back to trying to impose your physicality on the opposition"

    With all due respect jockmcg, this is a contact sport. That's kind of the point.

  • jockmcg
    6:17 PM 16/10/2017

    Ignoring the handbags that went on after the tackle, both players guilty of pushing elbows into the others face, poor technique from Farrell lifting the play in the tackle when there is no need. This goes back to trying to impose your physicality on the opposition which only increases the risk of serious injury. The rule is that if you lift a player you must bring them back down safely and Farrell simply doesn't do that. Rugby already has a problem with injuries and referees need to be much stricter on poor tackling techniques

  • colombes
    5:22 PM 16/10/2017

    @3:36 "my couscous plate is bigger than yours, wanker."

  • vladimir
    3:15 PM 16/10/2017

    Guessing from the thumbnail.
    Harrison: See my teeth? Nicely cleaned, aren't they?
    Farrell: Seems so, but your shaving not quite. Let me sweep and polish you jaw.
    Wyles: No, no! He promised to me to check my shaving.
    Foden: Unshaven is fine, Chris.

  • katman
    2:41 PM 16/10/2017

    Pffft. Tackle was a beaut. As was his subsequent reaction to the pumped up tool who ran in to dish out retribution. Seriously, anyone taking exception to a tackle like this must piss right off to another sport. Has any rugby player ever suffered any of the horrendous life threatening injuries we're always told accompanies this "lifting the legs beyond the horizontal" nonsense?

  • im1
    1:42 PM 16/10/2017

    I don't think this should have been a yellow card (which it wasn't) but I think under the current guidelines its was. Without Foden's arm going down, he is beyond the horizontal. I wouldn't be suprised if Farrell gets a post match warning from the citing commisioner for this i.e a yellow.

    Sarries were close to perfect yesterday and scarily have another 1 or 2 gears in them with Billy V to come back.

  • drg
    12:30 PM 16/10/2017

    Fodens wife, 2 children and himself could have died.... red card, lifetime ban, death penalty and a bowl of cous cous...

  • jimmy23
    11:51 AM 16/10/2017

    As a Saints fan I was really pissed off with the reaction of the crowd. A lot of people complain about how the game "is going soft" but it seems any home crowd is more than happy to be enraged by the tiniest of things these days.

    Obviously a disappointing result for me but at the end of the day I will always back an English side when it comes to the overall tournament, good to see that Sarries are still the No. 1 contenders.

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