attackng the head /face in rucks mauls

handsomecake

i think its an epidemic at this stage particularly in mauls where you have a guy sticking up out of the maul and someone has him in a headlock.

look at burgers 2 swipes at pockock,then pulling him down by his head.

dont know why it aint policed more

irishbucsfan

Surely that's contact with the eye area though?

MungBean

I think this is more to do with Burger being Burger than players heads/faces being attacks in rucks. Theres hardly a game goes by where he isnt involved in something like that.

davegrohl48

Shalk Burger - an out an out thug if ever there was one. Gets away with murder regularly.
Don't himself and Bakkies Botha specialize in throwing themselves into the head of someone who is around a ruck? That is not clearing out a ruck that is trying to injure someone.
That is a bad incident in the video you have posted there. Should have got a ban for it.

SuprSi

As mentioned, that's just Burger. He should definitely have seen red for that and a ban. I'll never forgive him for that eye gouge on Fitz in the Lions tour - what a knacker. Should have seen red for that but only got a yellow. He got some reception in Croker when we beat them afterwards!

Shelflife

Its a high tackle pure and simple, should be pen every time and an odd yellow and that will sort it out pretty quick.

its very dangerous and needs to be stamped out in the rucks and mauls.

yimrsg

That gif encapsulates that whole match.

It's an incredible piece of play by Australia with 3 men trying to turnover possession or slow it down and Pocock requiring Burger, Spies and Matfield to clear him out of the ruck and awful ineptitude from SA where there is no one at the breakdown trying to retain possession and Burger acting the eejit.

was Burger even in that ruck/tackle? Seems to be off his feet and trying to tear Pocock's face off.

Unfortunately not a once-off incident for him either.

JustinDee

handsomecake wrote: »

i think its an epidemic at this stage particularly in mauls where you have a guy sticking up out of the maul and someone has him in a headlock.

look at burgers 2 swipes at pockock,then pulling him down by his head.

dont know why it aint policed more

Match was a free-for-all.
Most other refs would have pinged Sth Africa before a player even had a chance to do that.
Burger would have been better helping to form the ruck. Had he done that, Pocock would have had to get his mits out and get away.

CatFromHue

That's ridiculous and in my opinion Burger should get a few weeks off for that. I mean disregarding the repeated grappling of the head he is also coming in from the side and should have been penalised for that alone.

It's dangerous and frankly stupid rucking. You are never going to be able to move a guy from that angle by pulling him by the head if he is as fixed in place as Pocock is. It's only when Matfield comes in and rucks Pocock from a proper position does he move.

If I saw a guy on the opposition doing that I would be thinking we have these guys rattled, they've lost it. It actually gives me confidence.

handsomecake

what annoys me about it and would infuriate me as a player is that you can go to the gym and take all the protein shakes in the world but you cant "build up "your face. it should be a no-no.

and for a bit of balance horwill absolutely clotheslined brussow in the face during a tackle,u-noticed by the ref. left him bloodied. it was a complete forearm that would knock a joe soap like ourselves out cold.
its become really attritional and these guys just decide even if the ruck is lost,well im gonna run in to him at 100 miles an hour anyway.
100 cap players will become more of a rarity i think as these guys are smashing each other to oblivion.
say warburton for instance- i wonder will he get 100 caps or will he be broken up by then

RMD

Really need to become stricter on such events. I would be genuinely happy to see a 3 strike system come into play, first offense is a mandatory 3 months, 2nd is 12 months and 3rd is a lifetime ban. Eventually someday a player will do something like what Burger's doing there and an eye will come out / a player be blinded.

funky penguin

Burger looks like a tiny terrier trying desperately to take down an uninterested elephant. That clip makes me love Pocock even more.

CatFromHue

The more you look at that gif the more things you see wrong:

SA man holding the ball on the ground
Burger in from the side
Burger grappling around the head

What did the ref give in the end does anyone know?

Shelflife

Not sure what he gave in the end, but he totally destroyed SA at the breakdown area, he made a balls of the game and even though SA had the winning of it he certainly didnt make it easy for them.

If you want a master class on how to lose control of the ruck/tackle area and keep a weaker side in the game this would be it.

Poor Bryce completely lost the plot during that game.

.ak

Wow, Pocock is a superhero. I love the way he's more interested in getting that ball and is pretty much ignoring Burger, like an annoying child hanging out of his hair.

I love the expression from Matfield as well, he's like 'What are you at Schalk? Fine, I'll just do it.'

MungBean

CatFromHue wrote: »

The more you look at that gif the more things you see wrong:

SA man holding the ball on the ground
Burger in from the side
Burger grappling around the head

What did the ref give in the end does anyone know?

Think it was scrum South Africa for an earlier knock on or something. I'm almost sure I remember seeing that and saying surely Burger cant be allowed do that then the ref bringing it across the pitch for something that happened earlier with Pocock looking on bewildered.

Could be wrong though, I'd have to see it again to be sure.

Nermal

JustinDee wrote: »

Match was a free-for-all.
Most other refs would have pinged Sth Africa before a player even had a chance to do that.
Burger would have been better helping to form the ruck. Had he done that, Pocock would have had to get his mits out and get away.

The ruck was already formed and Aus should be penalised for hands as far as I can see. Not trying to excuse dangerous play, but I can see why SA got frustrated in that game.

Nermal

Nermal wrote: »

The ruck was already formed and Aus should be penalised for hands as far as I can see. Not trying to excuse dangerous play, but I can see why SA got frustrated in that game.

who formed the ruck?

Nermal

Deleted User wrote: »

who formed the ruck?

Tackled SA player? Or does he not count as he's on his knees? If not, someone joins behind Fourie. No sign of hands coming off at that point.

Nermal

Nermal wrote: »

Tackled SA player? Or does he not count as he's on his knees? If not, someone joins behind Fourie. No sign of hands coming off at that point.

tackled south African is no longer involved in the game as he is on the ground. There is no ruck.

irishbucsfan

Nermal wrote: »

Tackled SA player? Or does he not count as he's on his knees? If not, someone joins behind Fourie. No sign of hands coming off at that point.

No the tackled player does not count and Pocock has his hands on well before the supporting player arrives. No sign of the tackled Saffer releasing despite that.

.ak

Yellow 18 is the tackler.
Yellow 18 rolls away.
Yellow 7 second defender, ruck formed.
Yellow 7 is on feet, entitled to play the ball.
Attacking green doesn't release the ball.
Penalty against green - not releasing the ball.
After referring with my AR who confirms green 7 makes contact with yellow 7's eyes red card.

Damn, I should do Lawry's job!

castie

.ak wrote: »

Yellow 7 second defender, ruck formed.
Yellow 7 is on feet, entitled to play the ball.

This doesnt seem correct to me?

Doesnt matter if your on your feet.
If its a ruck you cant play the ball with your hands.

It's not a ruck. It's a tackle.

No South African player binds another to drive over the ball until Matfield gets there

castie

The more I look at this the more I think Pocock wasnt supporting his own weight for alot of that and hence off his feet.

Watch Pocock's knee sitting on top of the tackled guys arm.

Badabing

http://youtu.be/dz_EQ1wMV_M

Bakkies Botha at his worst.