But yet legal to fight on the field?what's the diff not much dont u think?


should the police step in and press charges like off field offences?dont get me wrong the biff is good to watch sometimes, but as for children to look up to there heroes isn't a good thing.Like last years SoO fight that saw Steve price's sickéning blow to the head wasnt' a good look on the younger generation and some older..

If the player being attacked wants to press charges he can.

Yup, I know Sean Long was considering it after Newton's assault at the JJB that time. It has happened a lot in football recently, more about getting compo for serious injuries, but there was that incident where some Portsmouth player was elbowed against Spurs (?) and the Police were involved in that.

A blatent cheap shot like the one on Long should be taken higher than the rfl imo. But two players going toe to toe is fair game. It has been part of the game since forever.

leave the biff alone! Tough game played by tough men who don't mind the odd flair up. It's what makes our game different.

technically a tackle is an assault

lol then we won't have a game if that was the case

It Is when Morley does one

One player hitting another could be assault. Two players fighting could be classed as affray. It depends on whether a hypothetical bystander in close proximity would feel personally threatened. Hence a pub brawl would likely be affray but a regulated boxing match normally wouldnt. It does depend on the circumstances but I think CPS would think twice about bringing affray charges over a rugby match fight.

Personally I enjoy a bit of biff at games, so satisfying watching Sculthorpe plant one right on Griffins orrible face for example. But if they were to clamp down on it, I think that an ice - hockey style 5m sin bin could be used.

I look at it in the same way as i look at Boxing, these players get paid to play a High impact, Heavy contact and violent sport. It comes with the Territory, the only thing i feel that should be dealt with by the police are incidents of headbutting and other extreme cases of violence on the pitch.

I doubt that would carry in any sort of legal challenge. Technically a tackle is a tackle not an assault. Off a rugby league pitch it may be deemed such. On a rugby league pitch though no. On a rugby union pitch I believe Bill McLaren used to criticise them by suggesting they were something that had creeped in from rugby league and had no place in rugby union.

Newton would never be out of clink then would he?

The one on Gilmour in the same match was worse IMO and he admitted to Long (according to Long's book) that he intended hurting Gilmour.

Technically as always you are very wrong.

'An assault is any act which intentionally or recklessly causes another person to apprehend immediate and unlawful personal violence '

So a tackle IS technically an assault.


However a defence is the 'unlawful' word in the definition.

A reasonable person would accept that any 'contact' in a 'contact sport' is perfectly lawful, therefore thats why no offence is committed.

HTH