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Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 04/02/2010 14:49:13
Posts: 15,
Visits: 25
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| So Quins didnt get away with one of the most unsporting acts that I have ever seen on a rugby field. I am a Quins fan and being at the Leinster game really couldnt believe what I was seeing. Congratulations to the European Rugby Panel for taking a stand on this blatant disregard for sportsmanship and the spirit in which the game should be played. However I do feel sorry for Williams. He surely did not self harm without direction from his coaching team. I recently attended a coaching conference where Diprose delighted in the use of their 'DEADWOOD' call where props feign injury to allow information to be passed onto the pitch and take momentum away from the opposition. I feel that what Williams did was merely an extension of this tactic and behave in a way that he felt was acceptable and has been encouraged by his advisors. Since turning professional it has been inevitable that the sport should deteriorate to a level akin to that of soccer. I hope that this proves to be a warning shot for all those engagaed in unsporting activity and a wake up call to all those that wish rugby to set a benchmark for the way way in which sport should be played.
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 27/09/2010 15:47:11
Posts: 5,
Visits: 106
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Hmmmm 12 months for bad sportsmanship..............8 to 12 weeks for gouging someone's eye  priorities are a bit mixed up in my opinion.
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 25/08/2010 12:18:32
Posts: 48,
Visits: 90
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Firstly, the ban for Tom Williams is disproportionate, both in comparison to his offence, and with the bans given out to other persons involved. Obviously he was acting on instructions from medical staff (or where did the fake blood come from?) and they on orders from coaching/management. For some reason, the panel must have felt that they had insufficient evidence against these people. However, since they were acting on balance of probability, rather than burden of proof, this seems strange.
However I think the length and scale of the ban, in the ERC's eyes anyhow, reflect the fact that Harlequins were directly undermining the laws of the game. What they did challenged the authority of the referee and ERC. The cases of the Bath players and Quinlan and Burger did not do this in the same way. However, for Williams to be made a scapegoat in the way he has is not acceptable, when the offence was obviously committed by the club as a whole.
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Supreme Being
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 02/02/2012 14:47:41
Posts: 341,
Visits: 1,835
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23/11/2009 19:41:58
Posts: 12,
Visits: 9
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I find the substitution odd. Nick Evans has never been a good goal kicker, he started out as a winger who was a good passer and kicker, so they moved him to 1st 5 (fly half).
Tana Umaga: "I'd like to thank my parents, especially my mum and my dad."
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