Koroibete's red card was overturned today .. sliding up doesn't count in the SH it seems
Creating a new thread as the new boards was constantly alerting me every time someone posted in the old one and I couldn't figure out how to turn that off.
Good to see it's not just us peasants having issues 😂
got to feel sorry for rugby refs these days.
The SH reaction to "high" shots seems to be 180 degrees at odds with NH reactions.
The koroibete tackle is now shown to be legal, yet hes off the pitch for 76 minutes against France. Australia to their best to grab a 3 point victory against the french thirds.
if that was a RWC final imagine the fall out.
we're getting to a stage where the technology about concussion is coming on in leaps and bounds, plus the new WR announcement of the independent concussion consultants role in return to play....
so are we at the point of saying "stop messing with the tackle laws" because there's a world of confusion / interpretation out there in regards to what is legal and what is not.
Heineken champions cup pool draw is being broadcast from 12.00pm tomorrow
Watching it now, such a convoluted draw.
Nearly had a heart attack and thought we were in a pool with Exeter and la Rochelle somehow when I tuned in.
Munster , Wasps & Castres so far it looks tasty
I see Australia and NZ have pulled out of the world cup and want it rescheduled to 2022 ... are they serious ?
Like the attitude down there will be any different next year !!
That's rugby league.
Neil Francis could be in a lot of trouble now. He was on Luke Fitzgerald's podcast and referred to mixed race player Marcus Smith as having an "Oompa Loompa tan." They've since edited that audio out of the podcast by the original is floating around on twitter.
Francis has has a history of making borderline racist and homophobic remarks in his columns. This one might finally finish him.
WTF.
The man is a clown.
hahaha, oompa loompa tan
God he is some fool. Beyond me why he ever got a column.
In today's climate I'd say Francis won't even get a slap on the wrist
Hopefully
This is utterly wrong.
https://twitter.com/TheLooseH/status/1418528281205301248?s=20
Is 'today's climate' not the most sensitive ever about these things? Like, he's doing a podcast for the Irish Independent, not a talk show on Fox News.
There'll be some sort of 'taken out of context, didn't mean anything' half-apology. If he didn't have a track record, you might allow it but this isn't great.
I really don't want to be the one defending Francis (and I'm not sure he deserves the benefit of the doubt, given his history) but is there a chance he may not have been aware of Smith's parentage, and thought the comment was more along the lines of the type of thing that was thrown at Gavin Henson in the past?
He's so ill-informed at times that I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case and he couldn't pick Marcus Smith our of a lineup. But tbh, if you're that ill-informed, even that is probably enough for him to lose his job.
If he was aware of it, and ploughed on anyways, then it's utterly appalling behaviour.
You would have thought Fitzgerald would have said something........ . Or perhaps not.
I would say he almost certainly wasn’t aware, that in itself is the height of stupidity when working in broadcasting. Regardless of his lack of knowledge mocking someone for the colour of their skin is what he’s done here.
This one's not going to be swept under the carpet.
https://twitter.com/premrugby/status/1418599249684672512?s=19
Looks like he's been let go:
https://twitter.com/JosephNaughton4/status/1418608793223458822
Yep let go and not before time https://m.independent.ie/news/rugby-pundit-neil-francis-apologises-for-comments-about-outside-half-marcus-smith-40684353.html
But where will I get my uninformed comments on the haka, pacific island poaching and AB brutality…?
#ripfrancisindo
Wouldn't be surprised if the pro-free speech brigade who know zero about rugby make their way over here to argue that Neil Francis was 'cancelled' and that he wasn't trying to be racist.
What an opportunity for the virtue-signallers. They'll all be creaming themselves.
Francis has put his foot in his mouth here, but by far the most likely explanation is that he assumed Smith was Caucasian and thought he was a preening Gavin Henson type.
It reminds me of that time Jeremy Clarkson referred to Rafael Nadal as "that ape" on Top Gear when he first won Wimbledon. Of course, no-one batted an eyelid. But the reaction would have been very different if it emerged that Nadal was one eighth black, or something.
Yes he slagged a guy off for the colour of his skin. Being ignorant isn’t a defence.
Don't try to excuse racism richie. It's isn't a good look for you
Cheap out for the Indo to get rid of him tbh!
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