Quote: JWarriors "Again, laughable. If tackling a player to the floor, pinning him down, but not throwing any punches is worth a red or even yellow in your book then you're watching the wrong game petal.
Smith should be banned for petulance/stupidity, but again, what he did wasn't dangerous in any way, just unsportsmanlike. The fact of whether or not it was a yellow or a red for Smith is irrelevant as there was less than ten mins to go and he will still receive the same ban from the panel regardless.'"
Hey JW I'm all for rough and ready rugby, hit on Brown by your player resulting in him having to leave the field not to return nothing wrong with it and few hits from your players on our kickers again most OK, but the odd 1/2 were late or avoidable IMO so not OK. Ah Van on JC high shot and not acceptable, certainly not deliberate again IMO, red card for me I will take but no ban or 1 game at most and told to improve technique. It's a tough sport and players get hit, all part and parcel. Ah Van should have been going under the arm / shoulder rather than over the top as that technique could lead to head shot as it did but all happened in live play with ball in motion / play.
However Tomkins attacks a player when the ball is dead and for absolutely no reason as all Phelps has done was go and have a word with Smith for kicking Hanbury, phelps was not pushing Smith nor did he have his hands raised. He runs from 20 metres away to get involved and we and others have had players in the bin for doing this and being the cause of the brawl / melee because they are seen as the cause of the problem. So Both Smiths and Tomkins decisions to do what they did where out of context with what was going on IMO and they should both know better and to walk away unpunished is wrong so both should be banned for 1 game at least.
Just because he hugs him and puts him on the deck doesn't mean it is OK and acceptable.
