Scotty Stevenson: A Note To Everyone Complaining About That Sam Cane Tackle
Only in a game like rugby union could you ever expect to hear someone saying tacklers have a ‘duty of care’ not to hurt their opponents, writes Scotty Stevenson.
For the uninitiated, rugby union is game played by fifteen large people, all of whom spend at least 70 percent of any given day getting larger and stronger by working out with professional trainers and eating their body weight in whey protein. Rugby is the game for all sizes, as long as that size is at least XL (or you’re a halfback. Halfbacks have special privileges in rugby union because they are most often tiny men with loud, annoying voices).
Once a week or so, these fifteen people run out onto a rectangular grass paddock and proceed to try to run around or over or through fifteen other people who in turn try to put their large bodies in the way so that the other guys can’t do so. The game has been played in this manner for a century and a half (give or take a few years) and in that time it would be safe to wager that not a single participant has finished a season without a bruise, a strain, a knock on the bonce or a broken bone or two. If you have, you’ve probably been doing it wrong.
Rugby is a fiercely competitive contact sport – the only professional oval ball code that allows the ball to be live once the player in possession hits the ground. At this point, a number of large people throw themselves at or near the ball with little regard for their health and safety or the health and safety of the person they are throwing themselves into. It is because of this that sometimes a player will emerge from the fray only to discover that they have lost an eye. Usually they play on. On other occasions a player may be pinned at the bottom of a ruck under a face load of nutsack (in the men’s game that is). In these situations it is best to play dead.
Rugby union likes to claim it is a game for gentlemen (and women) because it has a long history of players beating the crap out of each other for eighty minutes and then sharing a beer together afterwards. Quite frankly, a number of absolute creeps have also played rugby over the last 150 years. They share a beer afterwards only because running around for eighty minutes is thirsty work. Rugby union certainly does build character though. It teaches you how to keep running without the ability to re-inflate a collapsed lung.
In its rush to protect the sport’s image so that helicopter mums will still let their children play, the governing body has, over a number of decades, banned such things as all-in brawls, punching, kicking, biting, rucking, taking a player out while that player is airborne, and referees making crucial decisions in a game without the assistance of a less qualified referee sitting on a chair watching a television in a small room. Most of these things have had a positive effect on the game, and emergency room waiting times.
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As a result of these interventions, the game is safer than ever. At least, it’s as safe as a game can be when that game is played by fifteen (okay fourteen and a half) large people all of whom are trying to stop a team full of other large people by attempting to break them in half. You can’t mitigate for every bump and scrape in the game of rugby union. Occasionally someone will get hurt. Rob Henshaw got hurt on Saturday in Dublin and we all hope he will be okay.
What’s not okay is the subsequent overreaction to the incident that led to Henshaw’s early exit from the game. What’s not okay is claiming a player in full flight attempting to stop another player in full spin has a ‘duty of care’ to that player. A ‘duty of care’? Spare me. What is not okay is picking a still photograph from a game of many fast-moving parts in order to paint as a villain a man who was simply trying to do his job.
Sam Cane’s job is to put players on their backsides. His job is to make dominant tackles. A dominant tackle is one which immediately halts a player’s forward progress and puts that player in reverse. Dominant tackles tend to be made by players who stand tall. Sam Cane made more dominant tackles this season than any other player in New Zealand.
He’s also been on the receiving end of more than a couple. Just recently Cane returned from injury to play for his provincial side, Bay of Plenty, against Otago in New Zealand’s domestic championship. The first time he got the ball a young Otago midfielder by the name of Sio Tomkinson aimed up and flattened him with a classic blindsiding hit. A few minutes later he did it again. They were the kinds of tackles that Cane himself has become famous for. Did they hurt him? Damn right they did. Had he moved his head at the wrong moment they could have potentially hurt much worse. He didn’t, the game went on, and nothing more was mentioned.
On Saturday in Dublin the All Blacks (193) and Ireland (93) made 286 tackles in the test match. On top of this there were 216 rucks. That is a tick over 500 contact points in the game during which someone could snap, break or crack. If people wish to agonise over one tackle, then please by all means go back and watch every single contact in the game and come back to me with a full list of perceived indiscretions. I doubt you’ll have the time nor inclination.
In the meantime, you could always pick a more leisurely pursuit for your viewing pleasure, one in which very large and very strong athletes aren’t compelled to tackle each other with every force they can muster. The players know there is always a risk when they take the field – most of them talk in war metaphors for goodness’ sake – and we must acknowledge that too.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments