'It's reckless - there is one loser here and it is James Ryan'
Former Scotland second row Jim Hamilton had predicted that red-carded England lock Charlie Ewels will be on the receiving end of a six-to-eight-week ban when the result of his upcoming Six Nations disciplinary hearing is known. Eddie Jones’ pent-up forward was sent off just 82 seconds into last Saturday’s round four game versus Ireland after he clattered into the head of James Ryan with his own head.
Referee Mathieu Raynal had no hesitation in brandishing the red card having reviewed the footage of the Ewels tackle on the big screen at Twickenham and while the decision was roundly booed by numerous England fans in the stadium, ex-Scottish forward Hamilton and his Rugby Pod co-host, ex-English out-half Andy Goode, have sided with the French official and insisted he made the correct call.
Ewels is now set to appear at a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday night and if Hamilton’s hunch is correct, it won’t be until May that the Bath player is seen on a rugby pitch again. Goode kicked off the red card discussion on the latest show, outlining: “Charlie Ewels sees James Ryan, James Ryan leaves the ball for (Johnny) Sexton and Charlie Ewels follows. People are like, ‘Oh it’s accidental’. If you are running upright and you are half a yard away from a tackle it is your own fault. There is no question it’s a red card.”
Hamilton wholeheartedly agreed. “All I am thinking looking at that, if you are giving Duhan van der Merwe a two-week ban for a hand-off (three weeks but with the last week scratched if he attends tackle school), Charlie Ewels is getting six to eight weeks for that and I say that not because I want to see him get banned for six to eight weeks, I am talking degree of danger.
“I’m talking about everything in the game in which we are all hoping gets rid of in terms of head-on-head contact. We don’t even need to sit here and answer that question of whether or not it was a red card. I refuse to answer it – it was a red card. There is one loser here and it is James Ryan. That’s it.
“Yes, England lost and was the game worth it [14 versus 15)]? I actually think it was better for it. England, that whole emotional spin, the atmosphere at Twickenham, the booing and that whole hysteria around it made it more of a game and just to back to the point on Charlie Ewels, he is the one out there with dust in his face in the arena but you can’t tackle like that now and he has gone in with force. That is the thing and there is no getting away from it.
“I know the Duhan van der Merwe thing is old news but if you are giving a red card and two weeks for that, then Ewels should be getting a long ban for that because it is reckless. But I really enjoyed the game.
“I really enjoyed that England tried to fight back, I enjoyed their scrum coming back into it and the emotion that that lifted. I enjoyed seeing the vulnerabilities around Ireland and how it should have been easier for them to play England because England were down to 14 men and it wasn’t and it made it a real Test match.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments