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'I'm thinking of playing in goggles just in case'

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Wallabies utility back Tom Wright has revived memories of the infamous 2014 night when kicker Bernard Foley had his shots at goal distracted by Argentina fans beaming lasers in his direction. Australia fell to a 21-17 Rugby Championship loss at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza and they now return to that same ground for this Saturday’s tournament opener. 

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It’s not their first time back at Mendoza since laser-gate – they travelled there in July 2015 and won 34-9 with Foley scoring five of his nine kicks and were back there again in 2017 to win 37-20 with Foley landing five from ten. 

However, despite those successes, it was the mishap from eight years ago that a tongue-in-cheek Wright touched on ahead of this weekend’s round one encounter. Foley finished that 2014 night three from six off the tee after a laser pen flickered over his face when lining up a seemingly straightforward kick that would have put the Wallabies 20-18 ahead in the dying minutes. 

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Instead, following a match where he had been subjected to this laser treatment all through, his effort hit a post, enabling Argentina to go on and record a treasured home Rugby Championship win. The treatment of Foley mirrored what had happened two years earlier to Kurtly Beale and Mike Harris in a 25-19 Wallabies win and this subject of lasers was touched on by Wright in preparations ahead of their latest away match in Argentina.

“I’m thinking of playing in goggles just in case, just to rule out any sort of foul play or whatever,” he quipped at a media briefing (click here to view on the RugbyPass YouTube channel). “Nah. If there is a laser, there’s a laser. There is not much I can do from the middle of the field.”

In 2014, Foley had brought the issue to the attention of match referee Nigel Owens but no retake of his late miss was allowed. That differed from the previous year in La Plata when Aaron Cruden of the All Blacks was allowed a retake after an initial miss with a laser on him. Foley was philosophical at the time, stating: “It’s not great but I suppose it’s part of it. It’s not what made me miss the kicks so you can’t draw on it too much. It’s disappointing that it is here and in the game but it wasn’t the reason I missed the kick.

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“It’s not great. It was happening all night on all the kicks. I’m not too sure what you can do with the crowd there. It’s a bit like the soccer stuff that they do over here, the carry-on. You can’t be doing it. But how do you stop them? Maybe the re-kick will teach them, but who knows?”

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Trevor 38 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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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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