Nick Phipps Takes The Reins As International Rugby's Biggest Villain
Wallabies halfback Nick Phipps’ behavior this Rugby Championship season has seen him rise rapidly through the ranks of rugby villainy. Jamie Wall looks at some of his greatest precedents.
Two blatant acts of bad sportsmanship this year have catapulted the perpetually bronzed Phipps into the number one position on the list of current rugby villains.
Exhibit A: throwing poor Malakai Fekitoa’s boot into the Westpac Stadium cheap seats (as if Fekitoa doesn’t have enough to worry about lately as it is)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vL2vAf4C7U
Exhibit B: dropping a shoulder into an Argentine trainer in the final round match at Twickenham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wet6AwSrMQY
In a game where good sportsmanship is often promoted to almost nauseating levels, becoming international rugby’s biggest villain could be seen a relatively easy achievement. However, Phipps is very much the latest in a list of thugs, cheats and unhinged maniacs who have brought a bit of colour to the often personality-deficient world rugby environment.
These are some of his most villainous precedents:
Johan le Roux
Anyone feel like a snack? The Springbok prop did in a 1994 test against the All Blacks, nibbling on Sean Fitzpatrick’s ear a couple of years before Mike Tyson took ear-biting to a truly global audience. Le Roux received a massive 19-month ban, the longest ever in international rugby, as well as the infamy of the being one of the few men convicted of attempted cannibalism in international sport. It didn’t stop him from releasing a tell-all book entitled Biting Back, which was more or less a 300-page whinge about how crap touring New Zealand was.
Richard Cockerill
The All Blacks haka is a challenge, and generally the done thing for opposition players is to stand there looking staunch until it’s finished. Not so English hooker Cockerill, who decided that swearing profusely at his opposite Norm Hewitt would be a good idea in 1997. The All Blacks won the test comfortably, but Cockerill again raised the ire of NZ fans in another loss the following season by obnoxiously celebrating a try that closed the scoreline between the two sides to a mere 42 points.
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Michael Brial
The Wallaby flanker’s name has become so synonymous with one incident it’s pretty much impossible to find any other information about the rest of his career. His assault on Frank Bunce in the second 1996 Bledisloe Cup test seemed completely unprovoked, although the fact that Bunce cocooned himself immediately does give a clue that he knew what was coming. Brial’s test career ended soon after, so he never had to face a hostile New Zealand crowd, but since then his name has been used for nothing else than to describe spirited, but ultimately futile, flurries of punches.
Sir Colin Meads
Old Pinetree is the most legendary All Black of all time, but he didn’t get his mythical status by being a nice guy all the time. As well as being sent off in a test against Scotland in 1967, he also earned a lifetime of derision from Australian fans for prematurely ending the career of Ken Catchpole. The halfback, often rated the finest to ever pull on the Wallaby jersey, had one leg pinned in a ruck when Meads wrenched the other as hard as he could. This tore Catchpole’s groin muscles irreparably – hence why Meads is held in wildly different regard on either side of the Tasman.
George Gregan
In a nice bit of symmetry, we end on a Wallaby halfback who Phipps could definitely learn a thing or two from when it comes to getting under an opponent’s skin. It only took three words from the eventual 139-test veteran in the 2003 Rugby World Cup to solidify his standing as the owner of (if you’re an All Blacks fan) the most ruthless sledge of all time. With the semifinal all but in the books for the Wallabibes, Gregan was picked up on the ref’s mic reminding the All Blacks that they’d have to wait “four more years” for a World Cup victory. Of course, he was wrong – it turned out to be eight.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt 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.
26 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….
26 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!
4 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
13 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 comments