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1
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Ex Wasps signing for new clubs
« on: Today at 01:10:40 PM »
Citing dismissed (natch).
2
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Saracens
« on: April 30, 2024, 01:41:54 PM »
And what about McCall and the rest of the coaching staff?
3
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Fat Bill tasered in Majorca
« on: April 29, 2024, 01:37:39 PM »
If anyone's interested, here's the report in today's Telegraph.
Billy Vunipola was tasered and arrested in a Spanish bar in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The England and Saracens No 8 was held overnight by police and fined for disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
The incident took place in a bar in Palma called Epic, with extraordinary CCTV footage showing a topless, laughing Vunipola, 31, surrounded by officers and the bar?s security after the area was cleared by police.
Vunipola played for Saracens on Friday night and was in Majorca as part of a team social for players and management because Saracens have a week off given that they are not part of this coming weekend?s European semi-finals.
Vunipola, who is 6ft 2in and weighs more than 20 stone, required a second taser volt in order to be handcuffed by eight police officers at around 4.30am on Sunday morning, after the first volt hit his wallet. He was later taken to nearby Son Espases Hospital where he was reportedly sedated and bound to his bed surrounded by hospital guards and police officers.
Vunipola: ?Unfortunate misunderstanding?
A spokesman for the National Police of Majorca stated that ?security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises?, which led to police being called before Vunipola ?pushed and slapped an officer?.
In a statement released on Monday, Vunipola said: ?I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand. Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else. I was charged with resisting the law and, following an ?express trial, I have paid a fine of ?240. The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today. I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.?
Bar owner: ?Situation was getting tense?
The bar?s owner, Toni Rocha, praised the police and his doormen for dealing with a ?very difficult? and ?very tense? situation, while backing up Vunipola?s statement that there was no violence and denying that Vunipola had threatened customers and staff with bottles and chairs.
Rocha said that Vunipola had arrived at the bar at around 3am with another player which Telegraph Sport believes to be prop Marco Riccioni.
?It was just Billy and his friend but when they ordered the first round they asked for six Amarettos with orange juice and freshly squeezed lime,? Rocha said. ?I know because I served them. I?m pretty sure they drank them between the two of them, with Billy having four and the friend the other two.
?The friend was fine but Billy started becoming a problem as he became drunker. I had to ask him to put his top on at one point when he took it off while he was at the bar.
?He didn?t threaten customers or staff with bottles or bar stalls or anything like that but he was annoying other customers by pushing them, not in a violent way, but elbowing them and bothering them.
?He put his shirt on when I asked him to first time round. His friend who was co-operative at all times helped him put it back on. But then he took it off a second time and then a third and we decided to call police.
?I?d already got the doormen involved to try to get him to leave and his friend was assisting us but there was just no way we could get him to abandon the premises and the situation was becoming very tense and we saw we were going to have a problem if we tried to use physical force to get him out. I warned his friend I was going to call police and he said: ?Do what you have to do.?
?We thought he was going to calm down when he saw uniformed officers arrive but when the first police appeared on the scene he confronted them and they had to call for back-up.
?It was around 4am and we still had more than an hour left before we were supposed to close. When the back-up arrived the police told us to clear the bar, put the lights on and cut the music.
?The rugby player reacted by confronting the officers when they went to talk to him and insult them. I heard him saying ?f------ cops?. He also hit one of them with his shirt in his hand.
?They tried to get him out and couldn?t until they tasered him. He laughed the first time they went to taser him, it was like a film, and I heard the words ?Another one? and the second time round he fell to the ground and the officers immobilised him and put wrist-ties on him.?
Summing up the incident, Rocha added: ?It could have turned out very different and ended very badly because we were dealing with a strong man who was very drunk and was acting inappropriately and refusing requests for him to leave. We felt things could have got broken or he could have assaulted someone if we tried to force him out.
?I didn?t feel frightened, it was more a feeling of impotence that we couldn?t get him to abandon the premises. But some clients, especially women clients, were feeling frightened and very uncomfortable.?
Police: Second taser shot ?did the job?
The full statement from a police spokesman read: ?In the early hours of [Sunday] morning, at 4.30am, we arrested a 31-year-old foreign man on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
?The events took place in a leisure establishment on the seafront in Palma, when a man was causing altercations inside the establishment.
?The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises.
?The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises. It was then that he confronted the police and attempted to assault the officers.
?The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason. At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn?t discharge.
?It hit him in his wallet which meant it didn?t discharge as it hadn?t hit his muscles. The two prongs have to land on someone?s body to send out electricity and because the wallet got in the way the stun gun didn?t discharge.
?A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.
?[On Sunday] afternoon he was taken to court and released on bail pending an ongoing investigation.?
Saracens: ?We?ll deal with this?
Vunipola, 31, was born in Australia to Tongan parents, moved to Wales when he was a child and won a scholarship to Harrow School. He started his professional career with Wasps before moving to Saracens.
The last of his 75 caps for England was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat bv South Africa last year, but he was not selected for Steve Borthwick?s squad for this year?s Six Nations.
Vunipola is widely expected to leave Saracens for Montpellier next season. That move will effectively end any hopes of an international recall, because England players based overseas are ineligible for the national team.
Saracens said in a statement: ?Saracens is aware of an incident involving Billy Vunipola in Majorca. We will of course deal with this incident internally, and will not make any further comment until then.?
Billy Vunipola?s battles with alcohol and the ?what if? hanging over his career
By Ben Coles
Billy Vunipola has admirably never held back from openly discussing his personal battles, publicly addressing his relationships with alcohol and mental health throughout a career which saw him make his international debut for England at 20 years old and become one of the best No 8s in the world, while also battling a torrid run of injuries.
This latest incident in Majorca, however, is by far the most serious, both in terms of the ramifications ? being arrested in a foreign country for the first time ? but also the wider context of this current stage of his career at the age of 31, about to depart the club which has become his home for more than a decade in Saracens with his England career also seemingly behind him.
Vunipola went through a 15-month gap between Test matches after being dropped by Eddie Jones following the 2021 Six Nations, before returning for the 2022 tour to Australia off the back of his form for Saracens. During that spell, he spoke with a therapist for seven months.
?It took me so long to get to that stage because I felt like I was indestructible until I got all my injuries,? he told World Rugby last year, having undergone knee surgeries and three fractured forearms.
?I felt like God broke me down because I was too arrogant, too confident in my own powers and I didn?t rely on God enough, which I didn?t. I needed someone to challenge me and take me away from that feeling you carry.
?Some people after big injuries aren?t the same player. Now I feel like I?m back to just doing it and the next stage is the instincts, believing in myself. It?s a tough balance between being confident and arrogant and I was probably too far on the arrogant side.?
Vunipola also noted the importance of Calum Clark at his club, the former Saracens player who works as a performance psychologist.
In a podcast episode with former Saracens team-mate Jim Hamilton last year, Vunipola revealed that he first started drinking at the age of 25 following his first knee operation.
He said: ?I went from not drinking my whole life to getting my first serious injury... and thinking I?m gonna start drinking. Just before that I broke up with my now wife and I don?t know, I was just going through a weird phase of just wanting to be that 20-year-old who never got to be a 20-year-old. It sounds silly, but I never did that.
?Fresh out of school I was playing for Wasps, on the brink of getting relegated. Even at 17, I played my first game in the Prem, so I never got to just be a kid. It sounds ungrateful but I did it at 25 in the middle of my career. It?s no coincidence that all my injuries happened when I went on a bender essentially for 10 months before I went crawling back to my wife.?
He apologised to his England team-mates during the 2019 Six Nations after returning late to the team?s hotel in Chiswick and breaking team protocol, following an alcohol-fuelled night out with former England centre Ben Te?o.
That incident came shortly after Vunipola had told The Times in November 2018 that he had stopped drinking, following a serious conversation during the summer from his family, including his brother, Mako, the Saracens and England prop.
?I had a lecture off my mum and dad, and my brother, and I finally listened to them. I?ve stopped drinking,? he said at the time.
In 2017 after England won the Six Nations, a dishevelled Vunipola was pictured being helped out of a Dublin hotel at 4.30am by a member of England?s security team, an image which was met with an almost positive reaction at the time with England?s players letting off some steam after a second straight Six Nations title.
?I don?t have any memory of that,? Vunipola said in 2019, reflecting on that moment. ?All I know is that I am not getting in that state ever again.
?I have learnt from that, it?s a learning curve. I didn?t realise until the day after. It wasn?t a great time for myself, but hopefully I won?t do that to my family again. You?ve got to have some control of yourself and I probably didn?t.
?I guess I did [say I was teetotal] but you have to own the situation. It?s funny to talk about now, but at the time it wasn?t that funny.?
Now, seven years later, an incident at a similar time in the morning raises serious questions about what happens next for Vunipola. Most importantly in terms of his personal well-being and even though the legal ramifications have been quickly resolved with an express trial and small fine. His career is at a crucial crossroads; no longer an automatic starter at Saracens with the progress of Ben Earl and arrival of Tom Willis, on the cusp of leaving the club who have helped to nurture him into a world-class player for a new team in a new country and with the door to playing for England again seemingly shut.
Despite having heard from Vunipola and the bar?s owner that there was no violence and accounting for Vunipola?s swift apology, this is still a concerning incident.
Billy Vunipola was tasered and arrested in a Spanish bar in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The England and Saracens No 8 was held overnight by police and fined for disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
The incident took place in a bar in Palma called Epic, with extraordinary CCTV footage showing a topless, laughing Vunipola, 31, surrounded by officers and the bar?s security after the area was cleared by police.
Vunipola played for Saracens on Friday night and was in Majorca as part of a team social for players and management because Saracens have a week off given that they are not part of this coming weekend?s European semi-finals.
Vunipola, who is 6ft 2in and weighs more than 20 stone, required a second taser volt in order to be handcuffed by eight police officers at around 4.30am on Sunday morning, after the first volt hit his wallet. He was later taken to nearby Son Espases Hospital where he was reportedly sedated and bound to his bed surrounded by hospital guards and police officers.
Vunipola: ?Unfortunate misunderstanding?
A spokesman for the National Police of Majorca stated that ?security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises?, which led to police being called before Vunipola ?pushed and slapped an officer?.
In a statement released on Monday, Vunipola said: ?I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand. Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else. I was charged with resisting the law and, following an ?express trial, I have paid a fine of ?240. The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today. I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.?
Bar owner: ?Situation was getting tense?
The bar?s owner, Toni Rocha, praised the police and his doormen for dealing with a ?very difficult? and ?very tense? situation, while backing up Vunipola?s statement that there was no violence and denying that Vunipola had threatened customers and staff with bottles and chairs.
Rocha said that Vunipola had arrived at the bar at around 3am with another player which Telegraph Sport believes to be prop Marco Riccioni.
?It was just Billy and his friend but when they ordered the first round they asked for six Amarettos with orange juice and freshly squeezed lime,? Rocha said. ?I know because I served them. I?m pretty sure they drank them between the two of them, with Billy having four and the friend the other two.
?The friend was fine but Billy started becoming a problem as he became drunker. I had to ask him to put his top on at one point when he took it off while he was at the bar.
?He didn?t threaten customers or staff with bottles or bar stalls or anything like that but he was annoying other customers by pushing them, not in a violent way, but elbowing them and bothering them.
?He put his shirt on when I asked him to first time round. His friend who was co-operative at all times helped him put it back on. But then he took it off a second time and then a third and we decided to call police.
?I?d already got the doormen involved to try to get him to leave and his friend was assisting us but there was just no way we could get him to abandon the premises and the situation was becoming very tense and we saw we were going to have a problem if we tried to use physical force to get him out. I warned his friend I was going to call police and he said: ?Do what you have to do.?
?We thought he was going to calm down when he saw uniformed officers arrive but when the first police appeared on the scene he confronted them and they had to call for back-up.
?It was around 4am and we still had more than an hour left before we were supposed to close. When the back-up arrived the police told us to clear the bar, put the lights on and cut the music.
?The rugby player reacted by confronting the officers when they went to talk to him and insult them. I heard him saying ?f------ cops?. He also hit one of them with his shirt in his hand.
?They tried to get him out and couldn?t until they tasered him. He laughed the first time they went to taser him, it was like a film, and I heard the words ?Another one? and the second time round he fell to the ground and the officers immobilised him and put wrist-ties on him.?
Summing up the incident, Rocha added: ?It could have turned out very different and ended very badly because we were dealing with a strong man who was very drunk and was acting inappropriately and refusing requests for him to leave. We felt things could have got broken or he could have assaulted someone if we tried to force him out.
?I didn?t feel frightened, it was more a feeling of impotence that we couldn?t get him to abandon the premises. But some clients, especially women clients, were feeling frightened and very uncomfortable.?
Police: Second taser shot ?did the job?
The full statement from a police spokesman read: ?In the early hours of [Sunday] morning, at 4.30am, we arrested a 31-year-old foreign man on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
?The events took place in a leisure establishment on the seafront in Palma, when a man was causing altercations inside the establishment.
?The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises.
?The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises. It was then that he confronted the police and attempted to assault the officers.
?The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason. At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn?t discharge.
?It hit him in his wallet which meant it didn?t discharge as it hadn?t hit his muscles. The two prongs have to land on someone?s body to send out electricity and because the wallet got in the way the stun gun didn?t discharge.
?A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.
?[On Sunday] afternoon he was taken to court and released on bail pending an ongoing investigation.?
Saracens: ?We?ll deal with this?
Vunipola, 31, was born in Australia to Tongan parents, moved to Wales when he was a child and won a scholarship to Harrow School. He started his professional career with Wasps before moving to Saracens.
The last of his 75 caps for England was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat bv South Africa last year, but he was not selected for Steve Borthwick?s squad for this year?s Six Nations.
Vunipola is widely expected to leave Saracens for Montpellier next season. That move will effectively end any hopes of an international recall, because England players based overseas are ineligible for the national team.
Saracens said in a statement: ?Saracens is aware of an incident involving Billy Vunipola in Majorca. We will of course deal with this incident internally, and will not make any further comment until then.?
Billy Vunipola?s battles with alcohol and the ?what if? hanging over his career
By Ben Coles
Billy Vunipola has admirably never held back from openly discussing his personal battles, publicly addressing his relationships with alcohol and mental health throughout a career which saw him make his international debut for England at 20 years old and become one of the best No 8s in the world, while also battling a torrid run of injuries.
This latest incident in Majorca, however, is by far the most serious, both in terms of the ramifications ? being arrested in a foreign country for the first time ? but also the wider context of this current stage of his career at the age of 31, about to depart the club which has become his home for more than a decade in Saracens with his England career also seemingly behind him.
Vunipola went through a 15-month gap between Test matches after being dropped by Eddie Jones following the 2021 Six Nations, before returning for the 2022 tour to Australia off the back of his form for Saracens. During that spell, he spoke with a therapist for seven months.
?It took me so long to get to that stage because I felt like I was indestructible until I got all my injuries,? he told World Rugby last year, having undergone knee surgeries and three fractured forearms.
?I felt like God broke me down because I was too arrogant, too confident in my own powers and I didn?t rely on God enough, which I didn?t. I needed someone to challenge me and take me away from that feeling you carry.
?Some people after big injuries aren?t the same player. Now I feel like I?m back to just doing it and the next stage is the instincts, believing in myself. It?s a tough balance between being confident and arrogant and I was probably too far on the arrogant side.?
Vunipola also noted the importance of Calum Clark at his club, the former Saracens player who works as a performance psychologist.
In a podcast episode with former Saracens team-mate Jim Hamilton last year, Vunipola revealed that he first started drinking at the age of 25 following his first knee operation.
He said: ?I went from not drinking my whole life to getting my first serious injury... and thinking I?m gonna start drinking. Just before that I broke up with my now wife and I don?t know, I was just going through a weird phase of just wanting to be that 20-year-old who never got to be a 20-year-old. It sounds silly, but I never did that.
?Fresh out of school I was playing for Wasps, on the brink of getting relegated. Even at 17, I played my first game in the Prem, so I never got to just be a kid. It sounds ungrateful but I did it at 25 in the middle of my career. It?s no coincidence that all my injuries happened when I went on a bender essentially for 10 months before I went crawling back to my wife.?
He apologised to his England team-mates during the 2019 Six Nations after returning late to the team?s hotel in Chiswick and breaking team protocol, following an alcohol-fuelled night out with former England centre Ben Te?o.
That incident came shortly after Vunipola had told The Times in November 2018 that he had stopped drinking, following a serious conversation during the summer from his family, including his brother, Mako, the Saracens and England prop.
?I had a lecture off my mum and dad, and my brother, and I finally listened to them. I?ve stopped drinking,? he said at the time.
In 2017 after England won the Six Nations, a dishevelled Vunipola was pictured being helped out of a Dublin hotel at 4.30am by a member of England?s security team, an image which was met with an almost positive reaction at the time with England?s players letting off some steam after a second straight Six Nations title.
?I don?t have any memory of that,? Vunipola said in 2019, reflecting on that moment. ?All I know is that I am not getting in that state ever again.
?I have learnt from that, it?s a learning curve. I didn?t realise until the day after. It wasn?t a great time for myself, but hopefully I won?t do that to my family again. You?ve got to have some control of yourself and I probably didn?t.
?I guess I did [say I was teetotal] but you have to own the situation. It?s funny to talk about now, but at the time it wasn?t that funny.?
Now, seven years later, an incident at a similar time in the morning raises serious questions about what happens next for Vunipola. Most importantly in terms of his personal well-being and even though the legal ramifications have been quickly resolved with an express trial and small fine. His career is at a crucial crossroads; no longer an automatic starter at Saracens with the progress of Ben Earl and arrival of Tom Willis, on the cusp of leaving the club who have helped to nurture him into a world-class player for a new team in a new country and with the door to playing for England again seemingly shut.
Despite having heard from Vunipola and the bar?s owner that there was no violence and accounting for Vunipola?s swift apology, this is still a concerning incident.
4
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: US league anyone?
« on: April 22, 2024, 07:17:02 PM »
Well, if we're off to the US the name will need changing just for starters 
5
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Ex Wasps signing for new clubs
« on: April 18, 2024, 03:00:48 PM »
Methuselah.
6
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: The Cheetahs Still at it.
« on: April 01, 2024, 06:44:35 PM »
From the Telegraph:
Leicester Tigers have been fined ?47,000 for their latest historical salary-cap breach which occurred in the 2019-20 season.
The East Midlands club, currently seventh in the league table, were two years ago fined ?309,841.06 following the conclusion of a Premiership Rugby investigation into salary-cap compliance for the seasons 2016-17 to 2020-21. Within that investigation, Leicester were found to have breached the cap by ?98,586.32 in the 2019-20 campaign.
Premiership Rugby on Monday announced that additional payments of ?47,136.91 had been identified relating to Leicester?s cap spend in the 2019-20 season, although this expenditure was ?a separate matter? to the ?300,000 fine which the Tigers received in 2022.
A Premiership Rugby statement added: ?These payments relate to salary during the Covid-19 period, which had not been included in the club?s certification for the 2019-20 Salary Cap Year. Leicester Tigers have paid the overrun tax in full.?
In their own statement, Leicester confirmed that they had accepted and paid the ?47,136.91 ?overrun tax?, once again highlighting that these breaches occurred under the club?s previous regime, overseen for the most part by chief executive Simon Cohen.
?While disappointed to again have historic salary cap spending relating to the 2019/20 season result in this overrun tax, as was the case in March 2022, we accept the findings of Premiership Rugby,? said Andrea Pinchen, chief executive.
?As was the case in March 2022, this in no way relates to any of the most recent four seasons and we are grateful to Premiership Rugby for the cooperative approach in bringing this matter to a close.
?We have accepted and paid the overrun tax and, as stated in March 2022, the current club management ? who inherited this issue ? have a great respect for the Salary Cap regulations and remain committed to ensuring Leicester Tigers is compliant every season.?
In 2020, Saracens were relegated to the Championship after being found to have breached the salary cap in three consecutive seasons - albeit by far greater amounts than Leicester.
In 2016-17, Saracens overspent by more than ?1.1 million, in 2017-18 it was just over ?98,000 and in 2018-19 it was ?906,000.
Leicester Tigers have been fined ?47,000 for their latest historical salary-cap breach which occurred in the 2019-20 season.
The East Midlands club, currently seventh in the league table, were two years ago fined ?309,841.06 following the conclusion of a Premiership Rugby investigation into salary-cap compliance for the seasons 2016-17 to 2020-21. Within that investigation, Leicester were found to have breached the cap by ?98,586.32 in the 2019-20 campaign.
Premiership Rugby on Monday announced that additional payments of ?47,136.91 had been identified relating to Leicester?s cap spend in the 2019-20 season, although this expenditure was ?a separate matter? to the ?300,000 fine which the Tigers received in 2022.
A Premiership Rugby statement added: ?These payments relate to salary during the Covid-19 period, which had not been included in the club?s certification for the 2019-20 Salary Cap Year. Leicester Tigers have paid the overrun tax in full.?
In their own statement, Leicester confirmed that they had accepted and paid the ?47,136.91 ?overrun tax?, once again highlighting that these breaches occurred under the club?s previous regime, overseen for the most part by chief executive Simon Cohen.
?While disappointed to again have historic salary cap spending relating to the 2019/20 season result in this overrun tax, as was the case in March 2022, we accept the findings of Premiership Rugby,? said Andrea Pinchen, chief executive.
?As was the case in March 2022, this in no way relates to any of the most recent four seasons and we are grateful to Premiership Rugby for the cooperative approach in bringing this matter to a close.
?We have accepted and paid the overrun tax and, as stated in March 2022, the current club management ? who inherited this issue ? have a great respect for the Salary Cap regulations and remain committed to ensuring Leicester Tigers is compliant every season.?
In 2020, Saracens were relegated to the Championship after being found to have breached the salary cap in three consecutive seasons - albeit by far greater amounts than Leicester.
In 2016-17, Saracens overspent by more than ?1.1 million, in 2017-18 it was just over ?98,000 and in 2018-19 it was ?906,000.
7
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Hope All English Refs Were Watching
« on: March 31, 2024, 05:02:41 PM »
I didn't watch the game but I understand Northampton were pinged for 9 not using it after 5 seconds during Friday evening's game. Luke Pearce was the ref.
8
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Rugby?s Radical Plans in The Times
« on: March 19, 2024, 05:10:13 PM »
World Rugby is considering a global trial of the 20-minute red card ? where the player sent off is replaced by a substitute after 20 minutes has elapsed ? as part of a swathe of law changes aimed at improving the spectacle.
The sport?s world governing body also wants to explore the use of a shot-clock to speed up scrums and lineouts ? having introduced it for penalties and conversions ? and further down the line will look at the feasibility of lowering the height of the tackle in the elite game to the base of the sternum.
More immediately, referees have been told to crack down on water-carriers coming onto the pitch and the proliferation of ?caterpillar rucks?, by making the scrum half use the ball quicker.
These, and other potential changes to the laws of rugby, are recommendations from a recent Shape of the Game conference in London which gathered coaches, former players, referees and administrators during the Six Nations.
The most eye-catching suggestion is a world-wide trial for 20-minute red cards. The move has proved popular in the southern hemisphere, where it has been trialled in Super Rugby Pacific, as it punishes the offending player and team without spoiling the spectacle, as can happen when a red card is shown early in a match. However, its opponents fear it is a weak punishment that could lead to targeted thuggery.
The 20-minute red card would only be introduced alongside harsher sanctions for those sent off for dangerous tackles that made contact with the head.
World Rugby?s council will vote on the proposal in May, so there could be a global trial of 20-minute red cards as early as next season.
The governing body has moved to close several loopholes that are being exploited in the laws. Referees will be compelled to call ?use it? and start their five-second count at rucks earlier, to try to stop the formation of long ?caterpillar rucks? to protect a scrum half?s box-kick. They are heavily unpopular as they lead to predictable passages of play and several minutes of lost time from matches.
If an attacking player does not use the ball within the allotted five seconds after the referee shouts ?use it?, a scrum will be awarded to the defence, as is the standard ? albeit irregular ? practice.
Players will be asked to play the ball after it is clearly won and available in a ruck. If scrum halves move the ball down the caterpillar of players with their foot, the ruck will be deemed to be over.
The appearance of water-carriers will be restricted too. From July 2022, water-carriers were only allowed to appear at two allocated moments in each half. In January 2023, this was changed to allow them to also enter the field of play after tries, but World Rugby believe teams have pushed this too far.
For example, the Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins was involved in an argument with the French referee, Mathieu Raynal, during Saturday?s Six Nations match against Italy. Jenkins questioned whether Stephen Varney, the Italy scrum half, had made a high tackle to which Raynal replied: ?Your job is to bring the water on.? Jenkins hit back with: ?Your job is to ref the game,? after which Raynal banned him from returning with water.
To stop this sort of behaviour, World Rugby want referees to re-enforce the present rule, where water-carriers can only come onto the field after the scoring of a try, unless no tries are scored in the first 15-20 minutes or there is a lengthy injury break.
World Rugby also want to deal with the emergence of ?Dupont?s Law? ? a loophole that the French scrum half, Antoine Dupont, readily exploited, which has led to dead passages in games.
Law 10.7, which covers offside in rugby, states that players who are in front of the kicker can become onside as soon as the kick receiver has either passed the ball or run five metres with it. This means that in a territorial kicking battle, a group of chasers can station themselves in the opposing half, well in front of their own kicker, so they can try to charge down the catcher as soon as he runs or passes.
This means kickers have often held the ball and stood still, which kills the spectacle, as it did when Finn Russell and Thomas Ramos engaged in a long, stationary kick-tennis battle in the Scotland-France Six Nations match.
In Super Rugby Pacific, they have tried to stop this happening with a law trial where players will remain offside until they have been rendered onside by a team-mate who has come from behind the kicker, or the kicker himself.
To remove more dead time from matches, World Rugby want to introduce a law amendment where teams cannot take a second scrum from a free kick which is awarded after a scrum, and it is also keen to trial a shot-clock for scrums and lineouts.
Under a law trialled early last year and then brought in fully for the World Cup, kickers have 90 seconds to take a conversion and one minute to strike a penalty, but there are set to be trials where that time is reduced further. Owen Farrell was timed-out when taking a penalty against Samoa in the pool stage, while Paolo Garbisi hit a post with a penalty that would have earned Italy an historic Six Nations win in France, when he rushed his kick with the clock ticking down after the ball slipped off the kicking tee.
In future, players could call a ?mark? when they catch the ball inside their own 22 from a kick-off, to encourage more attacking play from both the kicking and receiving team.
A specialist working group will be established to look at reducing the influence of the TMO after high-profile incidents where they have intervened, such as Ben Whitehouse?s call to penalise the England No 8, Ben Earl, for a no-arms tackle last Saturday against France, which led to Ramos kicking the winning penalty in a 33-31 victory.
Another group will look at the ?appropriateness? of lowering the tackle height to the base of the sternum in elite rugby, as is now the case in the community game in 11 countries including England.
The use and timing of substitutes will also be analysed, after the likes of South Africa ? with their ?Bomb Squad? ? and France have utilised powerful forwards from their benches, as rugby tries to create more space on the field while improving rates of injuries.
The World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: ?Change is in rugby?s DNA. Two hundred years ago we were born from a desire to change, and we are harnessing that same spirit to excite the next generation of fans and players.
?That means being bold, embracing change by dialling up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it.?
Immediate law changes
? Referees to call ?use it? and start their five-second countdown at rucks earlier, to avoid ?caterpillar rucks?
? Hookers must maintain a full ?brake foot? by putting one foot forward at scrums to aid their stability
? A crackdown on water-carriers entering the field
Possible law changes (to be voted on by World Rugby council in May)
? Closing the ?Dupont Law? loophole, by tweaking the offside rule from kicks, to reduce kick-tennis battles
? Remove the option of a second scrum when a free kick is given at a scrum
? Outlawing the dangerous ?crocodile-roll? at rucks
Possible trials
? A shot-clock for scrums and lineouts
? Ability to mark the ball inside the 22m from a restart
? The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice
? Further protection of scrum halves at the base of rucks and scrums
? Play on if a lineout is not straight, but the throw is uncontested
Areas for further analysis
? Possible global trial of a 20-minute red card
? A big safety review of the breakdown, and possible removal of the ?jackal?
? A review of the role of the TMO
? A review of how and when replacements are used
? Possible introduction of a lower tackle-height for the elite game
The sport?s world governing body also wants to explore the use of a shot-clock to speed up scrums and lineouts ? having introduced it for penalties and conversions ? and further down the line will look at the feasibility of lowering the height of the tackle in the elite game to the base of the sternum.
More immediately, referees have been told to crack down on water-carriers coming onto the pitch and the proliferation of ?caterpillar rucks?, by making the scrum half use the ball quicker.
These, and other potential changes to the laws of rugby, are recommendations from a recent Shape of the Game conference in London which gathered coaches, former players, referees and administrators during the Six Nations.
The most eye-catching suggestion is a world-wide trial for 20-minute red cards. The move has proved popular in the southern hemisphere, where it has been trialled in Super Rugby Pacific, as it punishes the offending player and team without spoiling the spectacle, as can happen when a red card is shown early in a match. However, its opponents fear it is a weak punishment that could lead to targeted thuggery.
The 20-minute red card would only be introduced alongside harsher sanctions for those sent off for dangerous tackles that made contact with the head.
World Rugby?s council will vote on the proposal in May, so there could be a global trial of 20-minute red cards as early as next season.
The governing body has moved to close several loopholes that are being exploited in the laws. Referees will be compelled to call ?use it? and start their five-second count at rucks earlier, to try to stop the formation of long ?caterpillar rucks? to protect a scrum half?s box-kick. They are heavily unpopular as they lead to predictable passages of play and several minutes of lost time from matches.
If an attacking player does not use the ball within the allotted five seconds after the referee shouts ?use it?, a scrum will be awarded to the defence, as is the standard ? albeit irregular ? practice.
Players will be asked to play the ball after it is clearly won and available in a ruck. If scrum halves move the ball down the caterpillar of players with their foot, the ruck will be deemed to be over.
The appearance of water-carriers will be restricted too. From July 2022, water-carriers were only allowed to appear at two allocated moments in each half. In January 2023, this was changed to allow them to also enter the field of play after tries, but World Rugby believe teams have pushed this too far.
For example, the Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins was involved in an argument with the French referee, Mathieu Raynal, during Saturday?s Six Nations match against Italy. Jenkins questioned whether Stephen Varney, the Italy scrum half, had made a high tackle to which Raynal replied: ?Your job is to bring the water on.? Jenkins hit back with: ?Your job is to ref the game,? after which Raynal banned him from returning with water.
To stop this sort of behaviour, World Rugby want referees to re-enforce the present rule, where water-carriers can only come onto the field after the scoring of a try, unless no tries are scored in the first 15-20 minutes or there is a lengthy injury break.
World Rugby also want to deal with the emergence of ?Dupont?s Law? ? a loophole that the French scrum half, Antoine Dupont, readily exploited, which has led to dead passages in games.
Law 10.7, which covers offside in rugby, states that players who are in front of the kicker can become onside as soon as the kick receiver has either passed the ball or run five metres with it. This means that in a territorial kicking battle, a group of chasers can station themselves in the opposing half, well in front of their own kicker, so they can try to charge down the catcher as soon as he runs or passes.
This means kickers have often held the ball and stood still, which kills the spectacle, as it did when Finn Russell and Thomas Ramos engaged in a long, stationary kick-tennis battle in the Scotland-France Six Nations match.
In Super Rugby Pacific, they have tried to stop this happening with a law trial where players will remain offside until they have been rendered onside by a team-mate who has come from behind the kicker, or the kicker himself.
To remove more dead time from matches, World Rugby want to introduce a law amendment where teams cannot take a second scrum from a free kick which is awarded after a scrum, and it is also keen to trial a shot-clock for scrums and lineouts.
Under a law trialled early last year and then brought in fully for the World Cup, kickers have 90 seconds to take a conversion and one minute to strike a penalty, but there are set to be trials where that time is reduced further. Owen Farrell was timed-out when taking a penalty against Samoa in the pool stage, while Paolo Garbisi hit a post with a penalty that would have earned Italy an historic Six Nations win in France, when he rushed his kick with the clock ticking down after the ball slipped off the kicking tee.
In future, players could call a ?mark? when they catch the ball inside their own 22 from a kick-off, to encourage more attacking play from both the kicking and receiving team.
A specialist working group will be established to look at reducing the influence of the TMO after high-profile incidents where they have intervened, such as Ben Whitehouse?s call to penalise the England No 8, Ben Earl, for a no-arms tackle last Saturday against France, which led to Ramos kicking the winning penalty in a 33-31 victory.
Another group will look at the ?appropriateness? of lowering the tackle height to the base of the sternum in elite rugby, as is now the case in the community game in 11 countries including England.
The use and timing of substitutes will also be analysed, after the likes of South Africa ? with their ?Bomb Squad? ? and France have utilised powerful forwards from their benches, as rugby tries to create more space on the field while improving rates of injuries.
The World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: ?Change is in rugby?s DNA. Two hundred years ago we were born from a desire to change, and we are harnessing that same spirit to excite the next generation of fans and players.
?That means being bold, embracing change by dialling up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it.?
Immediate law changes
? Referees to call ?use it? and start their five-second countdown at rucks earlier, to avoid ?caterpillar rucks?
? Hookers must maintain a full ?brake foot? by putting one foot forward at scrums to aid their stability
? A crackdown on water-carriers entering the field
Possible law changes (to be voted on by World Rugby council in May)
? Closing the ?Dupont Law? loophole, by tweaking the offside rule from kicks, to reduce kick-tennis battles
? Remove the option of a second scrum when a free kick is given at a scrum
? Outlawing the dangerous ?crocodile-roll? at rucks
Possible trials
? A shot-clock for scrums and lineouts
? Ability to mark the ball inside the 22m from a restart
? The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice
? Further protection of scrum halves at the base of rucks and scrums
? Play on if a lineout is not straight, but the throw is uncontested
Areas for further analysis
? Possible global trial of a 20-minute red card
? A big safety review of the breakdown, and possible removal of the ?jackal?
? A review of the role of the TMO
? A review of how and when replacements are used
? Possible introduction of a lower tackle-height for the elite game
9
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: U 20s tonight
« on: March 17, 2024, 09:40:53 PM »
Pani's try was beautiful.
10
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Ex Wasps signing for new clubs
« on: March 15, 2024, 08:54:38 AM »
So does Thomas Ramos 
11
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Ex Wasps signing for new clubs
« on: March 14, 2024, 10:05:07 PM »How successful Wade will be at Kingsholm will depend on how Skivs wants to play the game.
Last season at Racing with Finn Russell at 10 he played in 9 games & scored 7 tries
This season in a team playing more conservative rugby he has also played in 9 games but only scored 2 tries.
Maybe with Atkinson at 10 next season Gloucester can get him the ball in some space?
Gareth Anscombe at 10
GA also plays full back.
13
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Wasps update February 2024
« on: February 28, 2024, 03:08:13 PM »
WTF is Trigger's broom? I've heard of Occam's razor, Planck's constant, Pascal's wager and Pythagoras' theorem, but just what has Roy Rogers and Trigger got to do with it?
14
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Wasps update February 2024
« on: February 27, 2024, 02:19:25 PM »
Latest from the BBC.
Wasps no longer considering temporary Sixways move as they pursue new stadium.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68411809
Wasps no longer considering temporary Sixways move as they pursue new stadium.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68411809
15
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Wasps update February 2024
« on: February 26, 2024, 04:09:54 PM »Same here, Garruda, but it might help keep Wasps alive ..... and kicking. I'll probably have popped my clogs by then, but until then maybe not. So I'll just join the many far flung fans who love the club but can't get to see live matches.
Wonky, a (probably apocryphal) story about Leopold Stokowski, the great conductor. His contract came up for renewal and he insisted on a 20 year extension - he was 95
