'A dangerous precedent': Wasps issue warning over how some high tackled players are overreacting
Wasps boss Lee Blackett has warned that rugby must avoid football-style red card appeals to the referee by players who are the victims of high tackles. With increased input from television match officials highlighting tackles that either make contact or come too close to connecting with the head, the Gallagher Premiership club coach fears there is a danger that those being tackled could try to influence the officials by overreacting.
“You want the right decision to be made and it’s a tough one," said Blackett a media briefing ahead of Saturday's trip by Wasps to Northampton, their next game following the red card for Ben Morris in their win over Worcester. "At the moment, what I see in rugby is that anyone who gets slightly hit around the head they are staying down.
"It's a dangerous precedent. Everyone wants to win and I hate to watch footballers diving. I'm not saying it is happening all the time but I don’t want it to go into rugby.
“I don’t blame the players for it because they are competitors and want to win and 100 per cent it is happening. We don’t want to be in a situation where players are trying to get other players sent off.
"With crowds (back) it is only natural for a referee to look at the big screen when everyone at Franklin’s Gardens is screaming about a Wasps chop tackle and they are trying to make it a red card.
“I just want it to be accurate and I like VAR in football because the right decision has been made. All we want in rugby is the best decisions made and generally, the best referees make the best decision in rugby.
"What I like is that if the TMO makes them aware then the best referees will sometimes go against the TMO. The strong referees will override the TMO.”
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Skelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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