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Video: The Eben Etzebeth ruck clearout that has fired-up Twitter
By Liam Heagney
There was no denying that Lyon were deserving winners in Friday night’s European Challenge Cup final, defeating Toulon 30-12 at Stade Velodrome, but the main talking point on social media in the aftermath was the 72nd-minute ruck clearout by Eben Etzebeth on Davit Niniashvili.
The Lyon player had just dumped the Springboks World Cup winner on his backside in a tackle on the ten-metre line when he got up and chased back as the attack continued.
Having then taken down Toulon winger Cheslin Kolbe on the 22, Niniashvili found himself on the ground after the tackle and Etzebeth arrived to clear him out in a way that divided opinion.
Referee Luke Pearce and his team of officials decided there wasn’t an issue with the collision that unfolded but numerous rugby fans on Twitter didn’t agree and a debate ignited about the legality of the clearout by the South African.
Some comments from EK Rugby Analysis were typical of the debate. “My first reaction was that it was a cheap shot, but Pearce did have a good long look at it in fairness and said, ‘Etzebeth comes in, his right arm binds around the body [...] I'm not seeing anything illegal at the moment.’ It definitely looks much more legal on slo-mo for me.”
He revisited the issue on Saturday with a follow-up tweet. “After a night’s sleep, my thoughts on the clearout: Etzebeth does try to leave a mark on Niniashvili when other options were available. Etzebeth’s clear out is illegal as Niniashvili isn't in the ruck competing for the ball - it's dangerous play.”
Other fans defended Etzebeth over his intervention. One wrote: “Etzebeth’s ability to do everything to impose himself physically but still fall within the laws of the game to not get carded could be his best attribute as a player.”
Another suggested: “I just think the context played into this. If Etzebeth hadn't been tackled five seconds earlier I don’t think this would have got the attention it did. The narrative has played a role.”
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Latest Comments
Vaai is finally having his breakout year getting comfortable and showing great form at lock, and there are form players and experience all across the backrow, why on earth would you drop him to 6. Ridiculous
Go to commentsSo far, the All Blacks have won 8 matches out of 11 this year. That is a near 73% win rate. AB fans and, I assume, the team itself are not content with that and have everything to play for with the remaining 3 tests this year.
Their historical average is something like 77% these days and, although some years will always be better than others it is not likely to drop that dramatically to 70% any time soon. There is too much historical inertia on the stats. It is like saying Ireland’s form of the last 10 years or so is likely to reverse a historical average of 48% wins soon. It just isn’t.
Moreover, when you say they are ‘doomed’ to a 70% flatline are you not just assuming that Ireland will beat them again? How did that work out for you last time?
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