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Thu 3 May 2018 | 10:49
Tackler almost hurdled but still sent off for dangerous play

18
Comments

New Zealand U20 Billy Proctor received his marching orders for this tackle in the first quarter of the clash with Fiji U20s in the Oceania Championships on Tuesday. The contentious point was that he was left with little option after the Fijian attacker jumped into the tackle.

Despite the deficit, New Zealand U20s went on to win  55-15, adding to their first-round victory of 97-0 against Tonga on Friday night.

Outside centre Proctor, from Wellington, was sent off in the 18th minute by referee Damon Murphy after he tackled opposition back Ilikena Vudogo in the air, causing an awkward landing.

Vudogo had leapt high for a wayward pass, almost hurdling Proctor in the process, with the latter simply hanging on with very little time to pull out of the challenge.

Upon conferring with his assistant referee on the sidelines, Murphy felt that the tackle was dangerous enough to warrant a red card, due to the tackle in the air and the way that Vudogo landed.

It seemed like a tough call but referees have been put in a tough spot by the powers that be.

The New Zealand win sets up their meeting with rivals Australia, who beat Tonga 91-7. The clash is this coming Saturday 5 May, to be played at Bond University Rugby Club on the Gold Coast.

credit: rugby.com.au

Posted By: Grant Constable

18 Comments

  • drg
    1:34 PM 06/05/2018

    But I mean the referee decisions are causing mixed bags. I think it's great that there was no protestation from the players here. I personally have never played a game where a referee has changed his mind due to someone bitching at him about something or other. I'm aware that fairly recently a pro game pro player got in a referees ear (Ireland game? Or Wales game?), but it's very rare that a referee will go "oh, you guys don't reckon it was a red card...hmm.. ok, uhh, is a yellow ok then? Or idk, penalty try to you because he jumped?" so it's testament to the code of respect that you just try your best not to bitch at the referee... I think this young kiwi may have said "fuck" after the card? Whether that was "fuck" *you're a shit referee that's a terrible decision* or "fuck" *I can't believe I've got myself sent off* is anyone's guess.

    But going back again, the laws are so stringent in some respects that they're being used in perhaps the wrong cases.
    Was this intentional? was it really that bad? Would a yellow card be unreasonable? No... But, this referee opens the book, law dictates that xyz = red

    Dagg incident:
    Was it intentional? Probably not. Was it really bad? It was pretty damn bad. Would a red card be unreasonable? No probably not.. referee opens law book, reads "to the head with force = red" and still says yellow... Which I believe was intent based, rather than incident and outcome based.

  • 10stonenumber10
    10:48 PM 05/05/2018

    That is the point.
    They have been broken by the discipline.
    Stockholm Syndrome.
    These guys were born AFTER the game turned professional.
    They know no better.
    They didn't grow up with real rucking.
    They grew up with yellow cards and 8 man benches.
    They have never been dumped on their arse/lifted without a penalty/potential card.
    To them, the "Third half" is an impossible numeric figure, rather than recognising it as the cornerstone of Rugby culture.

    A TMO would have sorted this out. There wasn't one, so he had to follow the book to the letter.
    I'm amazed nobody questioned it. Even the scrum halves were quiet. I don't condone football style referee protests, but a quiet word from the captain is often respected by the whistle bearers.

  • drg
    1:04 AM 05/05/2018

    Oh for crying out loud... I can't wait for those incidents where someone intercepts the ball RIGHT on the 22.. or was it just in the 22, or just out of the 22, oh no, um TMO,, multiple angles, an eventual decision, followed by a "controversial points awarded" post on RD, couple with some significant bitching from yours truly and everyone else that thinks it's a fucking stupid idea..

  • drg
    1:02 AM 05/05/2018

    Yeh, but 1010 that only shows discipline in respecting the referee.. we know the laws state red is probably correct, but it's the laws I have issues with, not necessarily the referees.

    The issues I have is that we see situations like the recent tackle on Dagg was it? Where I said I'm surprised it was a yellow card when the referee even said the words "high and with force" - by all accounts, in this day and age that should be a red... Then in this situation, a ridiculous moment if play, very little could be done and it's a red, when perhaps the lenient side of things could have allowed a yellow - or preferably nothing at all...

    We've got real mixed bags..

  • 10stonenumber10
    5:45 PM 04/05/2018

    What next, 5 man scrums in your own 22 so the back row can stand in the defensive line?

  • 10stonenumber10
    5:44 PM 04/05/2018

    It was an unavoidable situation.

    Accidents do happen, referees should be allowed a degree of flexibility when there is no TMO.

    Nobody said a word to the referee. Even if the decision is wrong, a red in the first 20 minutes... these guys accepted it without question.

  • jmdavies
    1:28 PM 04/05/2018

    World Rugby have just approved a '9 point try' trail, as requested by Rugby Australia, applying to all Western Force games next season.
    7 Point for a Try when the move starts in your 22, 2 point for the conversion.

  • drg
    12:53 PM 04/05/2018

    A 9 point try? I'm missing something?

  • drg
    12:51 PM 04/05/2018

    It's funny that the book says red, it didn't used to say red... Or at least the words leading up to it didn't use to contain incidents like this... As FD said.. change the book..

  • jmdavies
    9:09 AM 04/05/2018

    3rd option, step to one side, courtesy the attacking player, allow them to run through for a '9 point try' #thisisrugbynow

  • pete
    6:27 AM 04/05/2018

    God I gave this exact example about year or so ago and wasted half my life trying to explain it, the answer I was given was to stand still and take a knee to the head???? to me it seems like you either brace for a tackle (committing a foul) or suffer brain damage.

  • finedisregard
    11:39 PM 03/05/2018

    The AB defender did nothing untoward.

    Change the book. This is wrong.

  • 45678
    9:42 PM 03/05/2018

    The tackle on Kyle sinkler springs to mind during the lions test last year.

  • tphillipsstl
    6:44 PM 03/05/2018

    I'd have gone yellow. Nothing at all 5 years ago.

  • 6:43 PM 03/05/2018

    James Haskell got it 100% right....

  • the_osprey
    4:08 PM 03/05/2018

    What a joke

  • 10stonenumber10
    3:34 PM 03/05/2018

    It wasn't a deliberate act to draw a penalty/card, unlike the old restart "dummy jumpers", this is much too high risk to start becoming a thing.

    Quality step by Fiji 10, then a terrible pass 3ft above Vudogo's head. Both 13s were running collision lines. NZ went low and committed early, Fiji had eyes on the ball and jumped to claim it, expecting to get smashed as soon as he lands, but at least it isn't a loose ball and the line can be reset (unlike his ribs).

    Red is what the book says. Red is what he got. These are teenagers, referees show 0 tolerance in youth games to set an example, which the players hopefully bring with themselves beyond age grade.

  • heavyhooker
    1:58 PM 03/05/2018

    About six months ago I said this was going to start happening where passes are high and therefore preventing defenders from being able to tackle the receiver. This crap has to end..you jump you take the consequences of being tip tackled or dumped like this.

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