'Ridiculously reckless': The Rugby Pod reacts to Mike Brown's red-carded stamp and gives its verdict on Marcus Smith's latest magic
This week’s edition of The Rugby Pod has focused on two players at the opposite ends of their Harlequins careers, veteran Mike Brown, who is joining Newcastle next season after 17 years at the London club, and young Marcus Smith, who has been lighting up the Gallagher Premiership with his recent match-winning exploits.
Harlequins consolidated their push for end-of-season playoff qualification with Sunday’s compelling home win over Wasps, last year’s beaten finalists. However, they nabbed victory against the odds as they looked set to be beaten following the first-ever red card for Brown, the 35-year-old full-back.
He was sent off by referee Wayne Barnes early in the second half for a stamp on the face of Tommy Taylor and is expected to receive a ban following Tuesday night’s virtual disciplinary hearing that would likely end his Harlequins career without an on-pitch farewell in next month’s knockout stages of the league.
The Rugby Pod co-host Jim Hamilton said on their latest edition of the show, “He’s had the red mist there”, an opinion followed up by Andy Goode who believes a long ban is now inevitable for Brown.
“I don’t believe Mike Brown would have thought to deliberately stamp on his [Taylor’s] head but he is deliberately trying to stamp on him somewhere, put his boot on him somewhere, and it’s unfortunate it has gone on his head and hit his eye and it is really dangerous,” said Goode.
Not the way he would have wanted to end his career at Harlequins ?https://t.co/C6tLY55cce
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 9, 2021
“He [Taylor] could have lost his sight in his eye to be fair but anyone who is now saying you just hope they go soft on him [Brown] so he can get a Quins farewell, it’s just crazy. It’s a stamp, it’s landed on his head, it’s ridiculously reckless. Do I think he tried to stamp on his head? No. Do I think he deliberately tried to stamp on him because the red mist came out? Yes, so therefore you have to accept the consequences. A long ban is probably coming for it.”
While the Brown sending-off was a depressing negative from Sunday’s Premiership contest, the match-winning contribution of out-half Smith was the polar opposite and it left Goode, the ex-England No10, enchanted by the skills of the uncapped 22-year-old who signed a Harlequins contract extension in February.
“Marcus Smith, what a worldie of a player,” reckoned Goode. “He has won Harlequins’ last two games after the buzzer with a try himself. You hope he is going to play for England this summer. We don’t need to play George Ford against the USA, just give Marcus Smith the reins because he is so exciting.
“He has got game management, he has got a box of tricks that for me no other player apart from maybe (Danny) Cipriani in his pomp has probably had on the Premiership over the last however many years and he is managing Harlequins into the top four and who knows for him really because he is producing magic week in week out.”
We've nabbed ourselves a Lion for this week's Pod.
Any guesses? pic.twitter.com/kzxNb3cxga
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) May 10, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments