Tue 17 Jan 2017 | 04:38
Will Skelton carded for slap after theatrical James Davies fall

43
Comments

Saracens pulled off a remarkable final play of the match to snatch a valuable Champions Cup draw with the Scarlets at the weekend, putting the Welsh side out of the competition. It was a particularly heroic effort from the 2015 champions as just minutes before, they lost Will Skelton to the sin-bin for a slap on Scarlets back-rower James Davies.

As most will know, Skelton is a towering figure and any kind of impact received is likely to leave its mark. While Davies no doubt felt the strike from the Wallaby second row, the Wales internationalist did himself no favours with what appeared to be a severe case of play-acting.

This act probably did little to alter referee Alexandre Ruiz's decision to show Skelton a yellow card, but it is worryingly becoming more frequent in the game these days.

To the letter of the law, Skelton deserved his sin-binning, but in a scene reminiscent of Pascal Papé's comical play-acting that saw Edinburgh's Phil Burleigh get sent off before Christmas, Davies' behaviour left a sour taste.

Saracens were undeterred in the end and scored a fantastic last-minute try from Chris Ashton, who is now joint second with Brian O'Driscoll on the all-time European Cup try score list, just three behind Toulouse's Vincent Clerc.

What are your thoughts on the incident?

43 Comments

  • 2:49 AM 22/01/2017

    He even claims that he used his shoulder so it is OK in the first part of that video.

  • the_osprey
    3:08 PM 21/01/2017

    Clark is a total idiot, a one-man argument for all players undertaking psychological testing before being allowed to play the game

    I was at this match thinking "what the hell is he doing?" - the video shows only some of the niggly behaviour he was involved in - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNgWg8kGMWk

  • the_osprey
    2:58 PM 21/01/2017

    There's one English and one Welsh commentator. The English one says "James Davies certainly made the most of it". OK they didn't say he acted badly, and perhaps they should have done. But do you know for sure that the Welsh one deliberately omitted to mention it because of nationality bias? Or are you just making some general point about Welsh people? I don't quite understand.

    Back on point, play acting should be a yellow card. Happy for refs to lean towards harshness here.

  • stroudos
    3:25 PM 20/01/2017

    Hear hear!!

  • finedisregard
    11:04 AM 20/01/2017

    Millennials have done other things to bring the game in disrepute like: complain to refs, dance in a try zone, wear white socks on a rugby pitch, get tattoos like RL players, wear fluorescent jerseys, wear fluorescent boots, and drink protein shakes after games.

    None of these things are acceptable.

  • drg
    8:19 PM 19/01/2017

    "Saracens will be hyper extending him a warm welcome".....LOL

  • stroudos
    9:05 AM 19/01/2017

    Very disappointed meanwhile to see Saracens have signed Subhuman Scumbag Calum Clark - this tweet made me laugh:
    https://twitter.com/welshdalailama/status/821707489460764672

    It does invite the question though: is simulation as bad as deliberately breaking a hooker's throwing arm? Maybe not quite, but as Vincent Vega off of Pulp Fiction might say, it's definitely in the same ballpark. It really is that heinous in my opinion, because it's pervasive - we're on a slippery slope already.

  • stroudos
    7:14 AM 19/01/2017

    Nice one, cheers.

  • pete
    5:09 AM 19/01/2017

    That was uncomfortably embarrassing to watch...

  • 1:47 AM 19/01/2017

    I expect I am not the only one who read that with a Nigel Owens accent.

  • dancarter
    10:40 PM 18/01/2017

    Nearly every current professional rugby player is a millennial, as they are defined as people born in the early 80s-mid 90s (i.e. people currently aged approx 20-35). The majority of rugby players don't behave in such an embarrassing manner, so to blame an entire generation for the actions of a few within that group seems unfair.

  • drg
    10:34 PM 18/01/2017

    Lol...

    well, you'd think he'd be pretty focussed on getting his rugby career sorted because he certainly isn't going to run a modelling career along side it!

  • dancarter
    10:32 PM 18/01/2017

    Agreed. I'll get started on the #prayforDavies hashtag.

  • oldflyhalf
    8:40 PM 18/01/2017

    James Davies - he is a real footballer, no doubt. I think he was lost in the park and he was doing wrong the rugby pitch. :)
    Will Skelton - he is a little rogue. no brain ...nothing to do. :)

  • finedisregard
    7:44 PM 18/01/2017

    Millennials have ruined rugby. This man is a coward.

  • drg
    7:20 PM 18/01/2017

    Warning for Skelton, red for Davies...

  • drg
    7:19 PM 18/01/2017

    I like where gonzoman has gone with it. Ok Stroudos I'm probably 100% sure, but it's just that niggly thing that's coming into the game where we're policing shit that really shouldn't need policing amongst "men".

    And this isn't a backs V forwards thing here either, but backs on a whole might be ever so slightly understood if they fell after Skelton clocks them, but Davies is supposed to be a flanker for crying out loud - the recent heritage, McCaws, Pococks, Betson, Burger, Moody, Back, Martyn Williams, there are some tough bastards who have scrummed down on the flank, and this prat wobbles around after a small tap!!

  • drg
    6:55 PM 18/01/2017

    Thanks RD. Yup, complete prick, should have been banned for that. Bad language, in heat of the moment is bad enough, but then gesturing after the warning should get him a ban!

  • dancarter
    6:24 PM 18/01/2017

    Clearly Skelton shouldn't have slapped him, but Davies' behaviour is embarrassing. As mentioned elsewhere in the comments, it's disappointing that the commentary team didn't mention his play acting. Hopefully some senior teammates or coaches take him to one side and have a word with him about it.

  • dancarter
    6:24 PM 18/01/2017

    Agreed. If players know they will get ripped apart for it on air then I think that only acts as a deterrent. The guys at rugby HQ could do a whole lot worse than make a new top 5 video for play acting, to name and shame Hogg, Davies, Pape etc.

  • gonzoman
    6:10 PM 18/01/2017

    Exactly - if you're worried about the possibility of carding him for playacting if he wasn't, then you have a really easy out. Ref chat should have gone something like this:
    (to Skelton): "You've made contact with the head - you know there is zero tolerance for that, so off you go" *show yellow*
    (to Davies): "I'm not convinced that your reaction was genuine. Embellishment has no place in our game. Regardless, you pulled him out of the maul by the head and neck, so it's a yellow for you too."

  • jonnyenglish
    5:04 PM 18/01/2017

    Yellow for the slap, yellow for the dive, tell them both to put their handbags down, fuck off, and stop showing Rugby up.

  • stroudos
    4:39 PM 18/01/2017

    I'm 100% sure this was simulation and so are you.

    Aside from that, the chat should have been about Davies cheating and preventing Skelton from playing the game by grabbing him round the neck.

  • tphillipsstl
    3:30 PM 18/01/2017

    Proud supporter of all Welsh rugby. I can't stand this type of behaviour. I wish he would have gotten a yellow as well. If I'm the coach he has some internal discipline.

  • rugbydump
    3:20 PM 18/01/2017

    Here you go https://streamable.com/a80l6

  • drg
    12:20 PM 18/01/2017

    I'd have probably said something like "mate, the way you fell after that tap, I don't want to risk breaking your hand just shaking it!!"

  • drg
    12:17 PM 18/01/2017

    I'm with Stroudos, it's disgraceful for them not to effectively shame him on air....

    The main issue I do have is that I'm 99.9% sure this was simulation, BUT, what if it wasn't? Sweet spot an all that.... The problem I have is that now the game which policed itself is changing, we're having to call out things which never happened? Or rarely happened....

  • stroudos
    11:42 AM 18/01/2017

    As someone who's generally been reluctant to board the Ashton hate-wagon, I do hope that is correct. Giving this a-hole some verbal abuse would be absolutely acceptable, in my opinion. Bit hard to tell from the other video though.

    Wholeheartedly agree on the suggestion of twatting the diving prick properly. In for a penny in for a pound! I cannot believe Davies had the audacity to insist on shaking hands. Skelton proved himself to be the bigger man figuratively as well as literally, but I'd have been very happy to see him tell Davies to piss off. Or at least, give him a contemptuous glare and walk off.

  • im1
    11:36 AM 18/01/2017

    spot on.

  • stroudos
    11:33 AM 18/01/2017

    This scumbag needs to be literally tarred and feathered.

  • stroudos
    11:29 AM 18/01/2017

    Here's how I'd have called it:

    - Red 7 interfering on the wrong side of the maul: penalty.
    - Red 7 grabbing black 19 around the head and neck: penalty, in light of the recent directive AND combined with the initial offence, this becomes a yellow card.
    - Black 19 kindly escorting red 7 out of the area in order that they can both get on with their game: play on.
    - Red 7 theatrics - yellow card, compounded by the yellow I'd have already issued for grabbing black 19 round the neck/head, gets upgraded to red.

    World Rugby has specifically outlawed simulation now and the officials MUST enforce it ruthlessly. Technically, the sanction is just a penalty - should be a yellow at an absolute minimum - but to let it go unpunished is very very dangerous indeed.

  • danknapp
    11:25 AM 18/01/2017

    This makes me really angry, because World Rugby have made everything about 'outcomes' nowadays. The sanctions are worse if you injury someone. World Rugby, as we've been saying for a few years now, must take action to stamp out simulation.

    Does anyone actually know how you go about bring new directives into the game? Who makes the decision? Who would need to be lobbied in order to make these changes?

  • danknapp
    11:21 AM 18/01/2017

    #PrayforJames

  • stroudos
    11:15 AM 18/01/2017

    I love the photo at the top of that article. Christ that bloke looks stupid!!

    What did he say back then? I'm guessing, with the reference to a gesture as well, something along wanchor lines...

  • stroudos
    11:13 AM 18/01/2017

    It's an utter disgrace that they didn't mention Davies's behaviour. If an English commentator showed anything like this type of bias, we'd never hear the end of it from our Celtic friends.

  • oliver
    9:58 AM 18/01/2017

    either Pape is better at acting or that slap was really really weak....
    so are the commentators welsh? I'm surprised they don't mention Davies'behaviour at all.

  • jimmy23
    9:19 AM 18/01/2017

    I propose we raise some funds to help Davies deal with the psychological trauma of this heinous incident.

  • colombes
    9:15 AM 18/01/2017

    Maybe time for Jonathan Davies to tell 1 or 2 rugby fundamentals to his little brother.

  • drg
    2:17 AM 18/01/2017

    http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38295842

    Thought I recognised the name.... The guys got a reputation for being a prick... He should be put in stocks and flogged...

  • ronan
    9:06 PM 17/01/2017

    davies should have also been given a yellow for being a bitch...

  • drg
    8:18 PM 17/01/2017

    Will have to research Ashton's try, but I'm starting to think that he was being mouthy to that 7(?)... Perhaps that was the reason...

    As for this... Skelton was off for the remainder of the match with a yellow, he should have smacked that diving prick when he went to shake hands! He's off anyway!

    Don't get me wrong, I don't condone sucker punched, but that diving prick deserved something worthwhile to hit the deck for...

  • guy
    6:51 PM 17/01/2017

    Skelton seems to be prone to this kind of stuff but ffs World Rugby: do something to stamp out play acting...pleeeeaaaaasssse! So infuriating to watch.

  • welshosprey
    6:00 PM 17/01/2017

    Skelton is always good for a card.