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Rugby and banter go together like salt and pepper, one without the other is just, well a bit boring!
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Luckily for rugby fans, the game is full of characters who are more than capable of holding their own in witty comebacks, hilarious jokes and bizarre one-liners.
This list looks at some of the best moments captured on a rugby pitch in recent memory.
6. Nigel Owens – ‘This is not soccer!’
Rugby’s great comebacks start with rugby’s greatest referee! Welshman Nigel Owens is correctly regarded in the pantheon of rugby’s most influential characters of the professional era.
Combining an impeccable understanding of the game, it’s laws and how to implement them, Owens rarely got it wrong throughout his career.
It was his personality however that gathered the most attention, his ability to connect with players on a personal level and to just be “one of the lads” whilst also being able to crack the whip was a skill few have possessed either before or since.
In this instance, Owens is overseeing a Pro12 clash between Munster and Treviso. Having had just about enough of the constant backchat, in particular from Treviso scrumhalf Tobias Botes.
In a hilarious interaction that had players, fans and pundits in stitches, Owens introduced himself to Tobias before delivering the now famous ‘This is not soccer line’.
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Pure Gold! Enjoy!
5. Andy Goode & Wayne Barnes – ‘He is allowed to tackle you if you have the ball!’
The man, the myth, the legend, former England flyhalf Andy Goode was one of the most recognizable faces in the game during his playing days.
Now making his way in the media world as one of the games top pundits and podcasters, Goode had several hilarious incidents on the pitch that quite frankly fill a full list on their own.
In this particular instance it is his interaction with referee Wayne Barnes that is hilarious. After a full game of hilarious jabs at each other, starting with Barnes saying ‘tackling as well Goodie’ as the flyhalf chased up his own kick and put in a good tackle leading to a Newcastle penalty.
Barnes states a clear rugby fact to Goode that was really the icing on the cake of a great afternoon or rugby banter.
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Goode who was playing for Newcastle Falcons at the time was trying to wind down the clock when he got smashed in a big tackle. Lying in a heap on the advertising boards, Goode looks to Barnes for some sympathy.
One point the flyhalf neglected to take into account is that in the rugby when you are holding the ball in the field of play you can be tackled! A point Barnes quickly pointed out to him!
4. Andrew Hore – ‘Are we not allowed to tackle Dan Carter?’
If a rugby player were to be a god in a particular country, you’d be hard pressed to find a more likely option than Dan Carter in New Zealand.
Widely regarded as the greatest flyhalf of all time, many fans believe that DC is the greatest player full stop.
An absolute magician who made the impossible seem mundane, DC was a key component to the All-Black machine that won back-to-back World Cups in 2011 & 2015.
Playing for his beloved Crusaders, Carter was facing off against many of his soon to be All-Black teammates as they took on the Hurricanes in the final round of the Super Rugby tournament.
Two of these teammates Ma’a Nonu and Andrew Hore in conjunction with Carter would be involved in one of the funniest moments of the season.
In front a of a crowd of 17,000, Carter’s great mate Nonu lined him up for what by any standards was a no arms challenge which when dealt out by the 110kg Nonu is a hell of a shot.
To Carter’s credit he bounced right back up, but the referees had other ideas as they rightly reprimanded Nonu and had a chat with Hore.
It was at this moment that Hore delivered the line of the season!
3. Tana Umaga – ‘We are not playing tidily-winks out there!’
Poor Dan Carter was once again on the receiving end of Nonu’s wrath. This time it would be Nonu’s former captain and mentor Tana Umaga who would deliver the line to the referee.
At that time (well throughout his career) Carter was firmly cemented as New Zealand’s golden boy. Opposition players were often caught complaining about referee’s “protecting” Carter in the sake of the All-Blacks interest.
In a moment frustration Umaga explains to the referee that Rugby is a physical sport and that Nonu’s hit was marginal at best.
Admittedly I am very much reading between the lines here, but you get the gist! Have a listen to this moment from an All-Black legend.
2. Nigel Owens – ‘How many times have I refereed you?’
Of course, Owens was going to appear on this list multiple times, the moment in question this time took place during the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
On the same day that the rugby world was processing the shock result of Japan knocking over the mighty Springboks in the game’s biggest ever upset. Two other tier 2 sides dreamt of making their mark on the tournament as Georgia and Tonga locked horns.
A fixture that would pit two contrasting styles, Georgia’s forward grunt would overcome Tonga’s attacking flair in a tightly contested 17 – 10 wins to get their campaign off to the best possible start.
Leading the way for the Georgian’s was their immensely powerful front row, all of whom played in Europe’s top leagues.
Key amongst them was Clermont star Davit Zirakashvili whom Owens had previously dealt with on a number of occasions.
As the two sides get ready to pack down for a scrum, Zirakashvili makes a comment of not understanding Owen’s instructions leading to this great interaction.
1. Romain Poite – ‘I am the referee not the coach’
England vs Italy has historically been a very one-way affair as the Red Roses tend to bowl over their continental counterparts with relative ease.
In the first forty minutes of their 2017 Six Nations match up, England’s record run of 17 consecutive victories was on the line as the Azzuri pitched up with one hell of a game plan to bamboozle their hosts.
By not committing any players to the breakdown, Italy caused England to infringe repeatedly leading to several Italian penalties and a significant 10 – 5 lead at halftime.
Unfortunately for the Azzuri this was going to be as good as it got as England came out with a renewed game plan in the second stanza to come away with a 36 – 15 win.
In a bizarre half, England’s star laden side couldn’t figure out how to counter Italy’s lack of commitment at the breakdown.
This confusion resulted in England backrow James Haskell asking an unlikely source for some clarity.
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
29 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
6 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
29 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
29 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
6 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
6 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
6 Go to comments