I think it was slightly late, it looks a million times worse when you use super slow motion though. Don't think it's worth a ban IMO.

I do hope we don't start going over the top about shoulder charges and foul play. The media seem to be focusing on it and making out it's full of dirty tackles. It's not, there are no more dirty challenges, or any worse challenges than they were 5, 10 o 20 years ago.

So, for "Wakey fans", read Bren???

A bit of a sweeping generalisation there, Gronk!

Talk about a chip on the shoulder/inferiority complex/one-eyed, unsubstantiated opinion.*

*Delete as necessary.

dboy where have you been? I am so happy that you have returned to bless us all with your rapier wit and impartial observations.....

This has always been in our game.

It's up to the officials and the judiciary to ensure 'dirty play' doesn't get rewarded.

As someone who grew up watching the great John Holmes get consistently clattered off the ball by opposition "enforcers", we're in danger out creating a mountain out of a molehill here.

The Bousquets challenge was a bad one, and has been rightly (if leniently) punished. Those kinds of hits are still fairly rare these days though, thankfully.

Ey up Wayne.

Just so amazingly busy at work...you know how it is!

O'Brien is lightweight. Got a little smack later too and was groggy. Was a fair hit. O'Brien is just not big enough yet.

No he didn't. The initial contact was between Chase's shoulder and Hardaker's head, that's why he got banned. Or are you going to make up more stuff to defend Chase's tackling?

Eh?

So, the final ruling is that Scruton's first contact with O'Brien was legal, and that in total it was no more than a Grade A offence, incurring a small fine.

Everyone happy?