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Will Greenwood wants draconian action taken against try-celebrating, fluorescent bib-wearing replacements
England World Cup winner Will Greenwood had called on referees to start taking draconian action to stamp out the flashpoint caused by replacements celebrating tries in the dead ball area and antagonising opposition players.
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The issue of the reserves joining in celebrations and sparking dust-ups with opponents came to the fore last weekend in the UK with incidents in the Edinburgh-Glasgow Guinness PRO14 derby and the Gallagher Premiership derby featuring Harlequins and Saracens.
Greenwood, the ex-Test level midfielder, now wants officials to stamp out the flare-ups by punishing the subs who transgress after a try is scored.
Writing in his latest UK Telegraph column, Greenwood proposed: “It’s time to ban the substitutes from the field of play and give yellow cards or penalties to ensure it doesn’t happen. It shouldn’t be too hard to spot the transgressors – they’re the ones wearing fluorescent bibs, jumping up and down and shouting.
“Replacements have no place on the field of play for celebrations. The dead ball area is the field of play. All they do is agitate a team that has just conceded a try and are frustrated already. Add in the deliberate shouting and cheering, the bumping and the jostling, and you have a physical altercation that is waiting to happen.”
WILL GREENWOOD: Get celebrating substitutes off the pitch – they are simply inciting trouble | @WillGreenwood https://t.co/KHaov1U2ei
— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby) August 28, 2020
Reflecting specifically on last weekend incidents, he added: “At Murrayfield, Peter Horne ran a great line off Adam Hastings close to the line and scored for Glasgow. Edinburgh players who were attempting to tackle Hastings end up amongst and adjacent to the celebrating Glasgow players.
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“That is fine, but in amongst it all were five or six fluorescent-bibbed Glasgow subs bumping and jostling everyone, whooping and hollering and being supremely irritating. Everything flared up and while no punches were thrown, things were teetering on the edge.
“It was totally out of order – messy, horrible and unnecessary. There was a brilliant piece of commentary from Chris Patterson at the time: ‘It frustrates me. It’s inflammatory when replacements are in behind the posts getting involved with celebrations as well. It can spill over.’
“He was right. Hastings scored a few minutes later and we immediately saw six or seven fluorescent bibbed replacements come charging on. At that point, Mike Adamson, the referee and hero of the day, got involved: ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, back away subs. When a try is scored I don’t want to see you sprinting to the try line, it’s just going to incite things.’
“The Premiership was no better. For Saracens against Quins, Michael Rhodes made a break up the right, got lucky with an offload that bounced off a Quins player’s head to Saracens new young prop Sam Crean, who burst clear.
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“He offloaded to Billy Vunipola, who charged down the line, got stopped just short and after a quick ruck, Maro Itoje picked up and dotted down for a superb try. We then had three bib-wearing players run on and start celebrating in amongst the wreckage of the ruck which included Quins players. Why were they on the pitch?”
"Compare Cockerill’s win percentage to his 4 permanent predecessors and he handsomely outstrips them all… by any objective measure, Edinburgh are a team transformed"
– Stirring ode to Scotland's current fave Englishman by @JLyall93??? @EdinburghRugby https://t.co/K0NtUqCXGw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments