Tweet reignites debate about Brian O'Driscoll's concussive 2009 collision with Danie Rossouw
The hype surrounding the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa will step up another notch this Saturday when UK-based Sky Sports replays the entire three-match series from the 2009 tour. Next year’s clash between Warren Gatland’s tourists and the country that Rassie Erasmus guided to 2019 World Cup glory is keenly anticipated - and if it's in any way as epic as what happened when the Lions last toured South Africa, it will be fantastically received.
Ex-England and Lions midfielder Will Greenwood has been doing his bit to ramp up interest ahead of the re-run of the ’09 series and a tweet showing footage of Brian O’Driscoll’s concussive collision with Danie Rossouw has sparked much reaction on social media.
In the TV commentary, pundit Stuart Barnes claimed at the time that the game-stopping second-Test tackle “is the sort of hit from one of your players that lifts players. That’s brilliant play from O’Driscoll.”
Eleven years on, Greenwood said: Holy S*** - Remember this hit!!! One of the most brutal test series you will ever witness!!”
Irishman O’Driscoll wasn’t inclined to agree, though, tweeting a reply emphasising how he doesn’t remember the collision that so excited Greenwood. “Not so much,” he said.
The 61st-minute clip from a match the Springboks went on to dramatically win to clinch the Test series sparked huge debate on Twitter about the legality of the tackle and whether it would be carded today, whether O’Driscoll was onside when he first started his run-up towards Rossouw, and how in the current climate of player safety it is wrong to be ‘celebrating’ an incident that left two players injured with concussion.
Latest Comments
They lost the game period move on
Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
Go to comments