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Wed 14 Mar 2018 | 06:00
'Toughest player on the field' reacts to being dropped by sneaky punch

18
Comments

Brumbies halfback Matt Lucas was warned following round 4 of Super Rugby, after his sucker punch in the midriff of Rebels number eight Amanaki Mafi. The incident sparked a scuffle, after Mafi did his best to get Lucas in trouble.

The off-the-ball shot dropped the Rebels and Japan star, who has been a major part of their success so far in this year's campaign. 

He fell to the floor in pain, then laid it on thick in what appeared to be quite a performance. 

"He's hoping that they check the big screen and wonder how he got hurt. I don't like that." commented Greg Martin. 

When there was no reaction from the referee, Lucas got in his ear, further angering Mafi, who hopped up and gave him a shove. That led to a bit of a melee, with one of the giant Arnold brothers quickly getting involved and Lucas somehow sneaking off unscathed. 

While Lucas instigated it, and the quick punch may well have hurt, Mafi's alleged 'gamesmanship' on the floor was not great to see. 

It was the scrumhalf that has been officially warned though, after he contravened Law 9.12. A player must not strike with the hand.

A Warning is issued when foul play incidents are very close to, but do not meet the Red Card threshold for citing. Therefore, it was deemed that a Warning in this case was sufficient. 

Aside from the theatrics, the Rebels went on to win the game 33-10, scoring five tries to two to notch up their third maximum points haul in succession. 

Posted By: Grant Constable

18 Comments

  • danknapp
    4:00 PM 21/03/2018

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw

  • drg
    12:16 PM 16/03/2018

    There was that guy on youtube who build a mancave bunker in his back garden in the UK - I doubt it was nuclear proof, but looked like a laugh (with a big price tag)...

  • jimmy23
    9:03 AM 16/03/2018

    Would be best to not seek planning permission, you never know which agency could be spying on you for the government.

  • 10stonenumber10
    12:39 AM 16/03/2018

    Tin foil is 2 for 1 at the moment. Do you need planning permission for a nuclear bunker under the patio?

  • drg
    10:51 PM 15/03/2018

    Drinking, kebabs and fighting?

  • 10stonenumber10
    7:13 PM 15/03/2018

    The ball IS flat. It is hollow too.


    Now I know why NZ are so good. Next stop is the Antarctic, and we all know what the conspiracy theorists say goes on there...

  • jimmy23
    3:43 PM 15/03/2018

    @10stonenumber10
    I think you'll find the ball is actually FLAT!!

    Gawd.

  • gforce
    1:51 PM 15/03/2018

    Don't know about you, but I, am certainly UNREAL ! ;-)

  • 10stonenumber10
    1:47 PM 15/03/2018

    Did you take the red or the blue pill?

  • drg
    12:48 PM 15/03/2018

    Am I real?

  • 10stonenumber10
    12:31 PM 15/03/2018

    All of rugby is fake. The tackles aren't real. The ball is a hologram.

    Lomu was originally a glitch in the avatar creation system. The fans loved it so much the developers created a whole new DPS/Tank class in his image.

  • drg
    10:15 AM 15/03/2018

    JFK assassination was faked, he was currently on set for the moon landing filming which was released many years later. Last I heard JFK was living in a favela in South America running a cartel and hustling holiday makers at pool...

    ...well at least that's what I read on the interwebs, so it must be real.

  • danknapp
    9:08 AM 15/03/2018

    It was an unexpected head shot which killed JFK. Think about it.

    Open your eyes, sheeple.

  • rememberthemer
    3:34 AM 15/03/2018

    It was an unexpected body shot that killed Houdini.

  • 1:35 AM 15/03/2018

    If you are not prepared to it, any body shot can drop you just like that. I really don't think Mafi was faking it.

  • pgrugby
    12:34 AM 15/03/2018

    I was wondering where he got punched also. I can't really tell where he got it. It looks to me like it might have been right in the Solar Plexus, "sucker punch in the midriff" - I've been hit there and it doesn't matter how hard the punch was, you drop like a stone. If that was the case, I don't think he was acting - but really I can't tell from the video or replays.

    Does he have a habit of diving? If not, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

  • andinov
    12:23 AM 15/03/2018

    "Mafi's alleged 'gamesmanship' on the floor was not great to see"

    I am the first person to criticise the creeping 'soccor-ization' of rugby but is this not a case of Lucas catching Mafi in the jewels?

    I think it becomes quite understandable as to how Mafi was 'dropped' with a single punch, the requirement of a few mins to get back to his feet and the shove that followed.

  • drg
    10:32 PM 14/03/2018

    Get floored by a midget who looks like a 10yr old with stick on beard, then get into a shoving match with a bloke even bigger than you.... Hmmmm...

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