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Citing officer has come to a conclusion about last Saturday's Leicester-Bristol brawl

By PA
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Players involved in the mass brawl that marred the end of Leicester’s Gallagher Premiership defeat by Bristol on Saturday have avoided disciplinary action. Leicester prop Ellis Genge and Bears No8 Nathan Hughes were involved in one flashpoint as tempers flared at the climax of a fractious Mattioli Woods Welford Road showdown.

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The final whistle also saw Richard Wigglesworth of Leicester and John Afoa of Bristol tussle near the corner flag, resulting in players from both sides running in and leading the incident involving Genge and Hughes. However, the citing officer has declined to trigger disciplinary proceedings due to no offences reaching the threshold of a red card.

The Rugby Football Union is still looking into the contentious ending that saw Tigers boss Steve Borthwick accuse opposite number Pat Lam of lying during a heated touchline disagreement.

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The argument centred on whether Afoa, who had been substituted earlier, was fit to return to the field after fellow Bristol prop Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro picked up a late yellow card for repeated team infringements at the scrum.

Afoa’s half-time withdrawal had been recorded as tactical, but Lam claimed the player was injured and therefore unable to go back on. Borthwick was recorded on pitchside microphones saying: “Pat you just said he was injured. Don’t lie, Pat, don’t lie. Just don’t lie.”

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Trevor 24 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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