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Sat 21 Feb 2015 | 08:31
Waratahs lock Dave Dennis makes two brutal hits against the Rebels

25
Comments

Waratahs skipper Dave Dennis made two ferocious tackles as his side bounced back from opening round defeat to beat the Rebels 38-28 in Melbourne on Friday night. Hits below, plus you can also see the blooper that resulted in a League convert being yellow carded.

In an exciting match that ended with Kurtley Beale scoring the winning try for the Waratahs, Dennis made his first huge hit early on, smashing Jack Debreczeni and getting a turnover for his side.

Dennis missed last season's Super Rugby title winning finale due to an injury layoff that included a third knee reconstruction. This season he is playing in the second row, and despite being just 192cm and 113kgs, he feels that he can excel and make a difference in the position.

"I've always felt that lock is a position people think you've got to be 120kg and two metres tall; if you've got a good technique and you've got good guys around you, you can get away with playing a little bit lighter," he said in preseason.

Capped 18 times by the Wallabies as a loose forward, his mobility has aided the Waratahs cause, and against the Rebels he found himself in position to stop two backs dead in their tracks.

First it was Debreczeni and then the second tackle, on former Reds sharp shooter Mike Harris, was tough to watch. Harris stayed down, causing the officials to take a look at the tackles legitimacy, but play was waved on Harris was forced to leave the field after the knock.

As that happened, young winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, a Fijian flyer who scored two tries on the night and used to play rugby league for the Wests Tigers, was yellow carded for making a rookie mistake.

He tapped the ball out dead in-goal deliberately, which is allowed in League, but not in Union. Another convert, Israel Folau, did the same thing when he first started out. Naiyaravoro was sin-binned, then watched on in horror as the Rebels scored what could have been the match winning try.

"Just putting it down, it wasn’t in my head, I thought it's be easy just to knock it out. To be honest I didn't know, which was my fault, and I learnt a big lesson so it's not going to happen again," said Naiyaravoro, who remains eligible for both Fiji and Australia.

Both hits from skipper Dennis can be seen in the video below. Brutal.

Posted By: Grant Constable

25 Comments

  • jmehrtens
    12:24 AM 27/02/2015

    How is that not a penalty try?

  • weltot
    12:02 PM 25/02/2015

    The fact that his arms are on Harris' chest only proves my point - Dennis COULD have grasped the player, but did not. Not a tackle.

  • stroudos
    10:34 AM 25/02/2015

    Indeed. I'll put my hand up and admit that I would be in pieces after being on the receiving end of a tackle like this. But that doesn't make it illegal or dangerous.

  • stroudos
    10:32 AM 25/02/2015

    Well, DrG just did, so not sure why you're asking the same question again. But, as I explained on an earlier post:

    If you freeze the video on the replay around 1:10, you can clearly see Dennis's left arm on Harris's chest. And I believe the still RD has used at the top of this page is of the second tackle too - in this image you can see his right arm on Harris's chest.

    This clearly illustrates that Dennis indeed attempted to grasp the ball-carrier, with both arms no less.

    Therefore it is a legal tackle. And a very good one too.

  • weltot
    2:32 AM 25/02/2015

    My "statement" is the World Rugby definition of a tackle.

    When the ref shouts "not held", it means a tackle was initiated but not completed - the would-be tackler has grasped the ball carrier, but lost that grip on the way to ground.

    In the above example, no attempt is made at holding the ball carrier, therefore it's not a tackle, and so is illegal.

    Again, does anyone want to point out how that second hit and a stiff-arm/shoulder charge are different?

  • drg
    9:43 AM 24/02/2015

    You mentioned 'trying to grasp a player'...

    So a tackle is not made unless a player is held, however an attempt at tackling CAN be made if the player attempts to grasp an opponent...

    Ever been 'tackled' then got up and continued running whilst the referee shouts 'not held'? Well, by your statement, the referee should be shouting 'advantage' or blowing his whistle, because the moment you hit the deck and weren't held the opposition player would have 'probably done something illegal'....

  • mattyp
    4:06 AM 24/02/2015

    The in-goal is not part of the field of play, but it is part of the playing area.

    What he did was a penalty offence because he intentionally knocked the ball over the dead ball line. Yellow card worthy as a professional foul, and very very lucky it wasn't a penalty try, which is what I certainly would have awarded, per the below law.

    10.2(c): A player must not intentionally knock, place, push or throw the ball with his arm or hand into touch, touch-in-goal, or over the dead ball line.

    Sanction: Penalty kick on the 15-metre line if the offence is between the 15-metre line and the touchline, or, at the place of infringement if the offence occured elsewhere in the field of play, or, 5 metres from the goal line and at least 15 metres from the touchline if the infringement occured in in-goal.

    A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents a try that would probably otherwise have been scored.

  • weltot
    3:33 AM 24/02/2015

    A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground.
    A ball carrier who is not held is not a tackled player and a tackle has not taken place

    Dangerous charging. A player must not charge or knock down an opponent carrying the ball without trying to grasp that player.

    Explain to me the difference (to the "tackled" player) between that second hit and a stiff-arm/shoulder charge.

  • reality
    10:14 PM 23/02/2015

    Canuck, my point wasn't that in the heat of the moment he just made a mistake. The quote in the article above is, "To be honest I didn't know, which was my fault, and I learnt a big lesson". From what it seems, it's not a case of him making a mistake - it's a case of him simply not knowing what the rules of rugby union are, and if a professional team decide to employ him and are well aware of his league background, you'd think they'd tell him what the rules are.

  • bloblabli
    9:39 PM 23/02/2015

    I do hope you aren't a ref because you'd be a very poor one. man the fuck up man!

  • eddie-g
    8:27 PM 23/02/2015

    To be fair here, of the new rules that converts have to learn, in terms of importance this one is pretty low down the list.

    But it is another reason why you don't go throwing League guys straight into international union. All this stuff does need to be learned, and experienced in matches, and it can't happen overnight.

  • eddie-g
    8:20 PM 23/02/2015

    The in-goal area is obviously part of the field of play, but you aren't allowed to palm the ball over the dead-ball line or touchline - ref's decision as to whether its a yellow card offence, but it is a penalty in both cases.

  • 10stonenumber10
    5:15 PM 23/02/2015

    This is Rugby. Not Hugby. The second hit was fine, he wasn't tackled, he simply bounced off the brick wall stood in front of him. Speaking from experience playing men's rugby before U19 weighing only 8 stone on a good day... that is what happens when you run into someone twice your size. Applied physics. Be thankful they don't land on you as well, that is where most damage is done.

  • oldflyhalf
    5:06 PM 23/02/2015

    ...ok, sir, you won. :)

  • canuckrugger39
    3:55 PM 23/02/2015

    I don't really understand your point. Just because he messed up doesn't mean they haven't taught him the rules, it just means in a stressful situation he had a brain fart and reverted back to his league tendencies. He messed up, lesson learned move on. He also scored two tries that game for the Tahs. By your logic, they never should have picked Israel Folau, and I think that one worked out pretty well for them.

  • stroudos
    1:27 PM 23/02/2015

    "Tackle with the shoulder" isn't a very useful phrase!

    I think it's clear in the video that neither g or h applies to either of these tackles. On the second one, if you freeze it on the replay around 1:10, you can clearly see Dennis's left arm on Harris's chest. And I believe the still RD has used at the top of this page is of the second tackle too - in this image you can see his right arm on Harris's chest.

    So you can hardly say he didn't "try to grasp that player".....

    Now, I would *not* like to be smashed like that, but that is another matter.

  • oldflyhalf
    10:16 AM 23/02/2015

    @strfoudos

    sorry sir, "my comment" relates to the second phase of the videoclip, tackle with the shoulder. :)

  • weltot
    6:20 AM 23/02/2015

    Absolutely hate these "tackles". If you don't fall with the man, you've probably done something illegal.

  • benny
    12:18 AM 23/02/2015

    I can't quote the law but I remember Dan Carter being carded for the same thing vs the Boks a few years back. If it's in the in goal area, I assume there's a better chance of disrupting a try scoring opportunity illegally, hence the card.

  • stroudos
    10:33 PM 22/02/2015

    @oldflyhalf - You're not suggesting that either of those apply here though are you?

  • oldflyhalf
    7:44 PM 22/02/2015

    (g) Dangerous charging. A player must not charge or knock down an opponent carrying the ball without trying to grasp that player.
    Sanction: Penalty kick

    (h) A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping a player.
    Sanction: Penalty kick

  • 45678
    5:43 PM 22/02/2015

    I thought it is only a professional foul if the ball is deliberately palmed out in the field of play, which the dead ball area is not? I'm clearly out of touch if this is not the case

  • reality
    9:32 AM 22/02/2015

    Surely league converts are provided with some sort of guide which explains the differences between league and union? If the Waratahs player 'just didn't know' then I'd say the Waratahs management need to either start giving lessons to their converts or just not pick converts.

  • 12:32 AM 22/02/2015

    Actually check that he made no attempt to wrap that's an easy yellow

  • 12:28 AM 22/02/2015

    I know this hit was legal and I know this will be an unpopular opinion but I'd like it to become illegal. He's not really trying to wrap his arms and he doesn't have to because if he hits him so hard he can't it's ok. Except it's not, theses types of hits cause long term problems to the hitter and the ball carrier. If he was forced to take more care in his tackle we wouldn't have an injured player who didn't have the ball when hit. Makes for great viewing but not great for the game.

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