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'Players aren't stupid... they're the most educated group we have ever had in the history of rugby'
Rob Baxter has called on players unhappy with the direction in which rugby is now being policed to take a stand and make their voices heard amid the recent clampdown of high tackles, a situation that has resulted in Exeter having two players suspended at the business end of their Gallagher Premiership title defence.
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The Exeter coach was left bemused by the inconsistent use and non-use of mitigation in the Premiership refereeing decisions surrounding last weekend’s yellow and red carding of Dave Ewers and Sam Skinner, while he was also unhappy about the subsequent citing of Ewers where he felt the emphasis was on Exeter having to try and prove the citing officer was wrong to cite rather than his player being innocent until proven guilty.
Baxter hinted that a number of players across the game in England have already made soundings that they are generally unhappy with some of the disciplinary trends that are emerging and that they want a say in how the sport is run as it is their careers that are at stake every weekend.
It was only a few weeks ago that Exeter hooker Jack Yeandle lamented to RugbyPass how he felt like a criminal during the proceedings that followed the first card of his 200-plus game career and speaking ahead of this weekend’s Premiership semi-final against Sale, Baxter said: “There are a number of players playing now who feel the rules and law changes and disciplinary procedures are not being directed for them – and people need to understand players aren’t stupid.
“They are aware there is huge pressure on governing bodies based around the so-called (concussion) legal procedures against them. People are aware these are potentially ongoing and I haven’t got a problem with that. If people want to do that, that is fine.
"I’m struggling with the whole process"
– It's rare for Rob Baxter to get upset but that is how the Exeter boss was at Wednesday's Premiership semi-final media briefing #EXEvSALhttps://t.co/0C5g9ZV3Az
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 16, 2021
“But there also has to be two sides to that in that there are players playing now who need to have some input into the laws, the rules and the regulations and if the players who are playing now stand up and say they want these law changes because they believe it protects them, protects their careers and their futures, great. They need to come out and say that. Or if they actually believe that the game is changing to a game that they don’t like and they don’t want it to be, they also need to come out and say that and their opinion needs to be heard. There are always two sides to these things and it’s only right that both sides are heard.”
Asked what he had heard in the background about players voicing their disapproval of the clampdown, Baxter added: “Some players have already started that process of making comments on it and their comments should be given more credibility. These are the guys who are living and having their career here but they are also guys who are all made aware of the consequences of head injury and concussion.
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“These guys go through a concussion education module every year, it’s not something that is laughed off and joked off. These are the guys that go through the HIA protocol stuff so there is a huge awareness, they are not ignorant. I think people just turn around and go well, these players are just ignorant of what the repercussions of playing the game might be. They are 100 per cent not.
“They are the most educated group of players we have ever had in the history of rugby union and if some of them still turn around and say I’m not sure I like the way the game is going, they are not doing that from a position of ignorance. No one can claim that. So I do think the way some of them are thinking, it should be part of the process of where the game goes.”
Being on the naughty step for the first time in his career wasn't a fun ordeal for Exeter hooker Jack Yeandle https://t.co/ERsQFOSfYU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 15, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell 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.
14 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?
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