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Australian fans furious with 'ludicrous' Reece Hodge ban
World Rugby’s decision to ban Wallabies winger Reece Hodge for three weeks has not gone down well with the Australian public.
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The Melbourne Rebels utility back faced a hearing on Wednesday following his tackle on Fiji’s Peceli Yato at the weekend. Hodge’s challenge left the flanker concussed and forced him off for the rest of the game. Yato also sat out Fiji’s shock loss to Uruguay.
The ban was initially for six weeks but was reduced due to Hodge’s character and disciplinary record.
However, a number of former players, journalists and fans from Australia have shown their dismay at the ban, believing it sets a bad standard for the rest of the tournament.
Rugby World Cup winner and former Wallaby midfielder Tim Horan said that tacklers will have to be extremely careful for the remainder of the tournament, given the punishment that Hodge was struck with. Others have suggested that there have been far worse tackles throughout the tournament, such as in Samoa’s match with Russia (for which two Samoan players have now been cited).
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Whilst there is little doubt that the Samoan players will receive longer bans than Hodge, it is a valid point that there have been tackles so far this RWC that have gone unnoticed and not been cited. Then again, that’s not necessarily a reason to go easy on Hodge, with the majority of the rugby world thinking that his tackle deserved a red card in the match.
However, Australian fans still feel that Yato led with his head in trying to bounce Hodge, and the winger simply did not have time to lower his body to make a safer tackle. But ultimately, there was contact to the head with his shoulder, and it did clearly affect Yato.
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As the officials have already faced a lot of criticism so far this RWC for missing dangerous incidents, and as head injuries are a major concern for World Rugby, Hodge was not expected to get away with his poor technique.
This has been the reaction:
I'm all for the safety and welfare of rugby players. But 3 weeks for Reece Hodge tackle puts ALL @rugbyworldcup players on notice. #itsnottouchfooty @FOXRUGBY
— Tim Horan (@TimHoran12) September 25, 2019
Wow!!
Way to go @WorldRugby ??????
— Drew Mitchell (@drew_mitchell) September 25, 2019
Absolute joke, if that’s the standard at this #RWC2019 than there’ll be plenty of players off the park #RWC19
— Paul Kneeshaw (@Stick_Beetle) September 25, 2019
I am without speech. This is ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous. https://t.co/NefulB1dmv
— Michael Atkinson (@kinson88) September 25, 2019
What a load of BS and a horrible precedent. The tournament is being decided in the @WorldRugby board room by a bunch of suits. It’s a contact sport. Let the players play and stop ruining the game #RWC2019 https://t.co/idf1xUWX8a
— Will (@willagnew) September 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/thetoombulboyz/status/1176809821460467712?s=20
And rugby Australia wonders why the game is losing fans in numbers
— Rob Kennedy (@rcgkennedy) September 25, 2019
What a joke.
— Anthony Hird (@AJHirdy) September 25, 2019
Hodge is now set to miss the next three pool games, including this weekend’s clash with Wales which will likely decide who will top Pool D.
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Fortunately for Australia, he will be back in time for the quarter-finals.
Do the All Blacks get an unfair advantage from performing the haka? One Irish journo thinks so:
Comments on RugbyPass
What a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
2 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
2 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
227 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
227 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
227 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to comments