Re: Ireland in NZ
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2022 12:15 pm
Yep, ultimately we can disagree what Porter was trying to do in that last second - but we both agree he never made an effort to do anything except stop the man and certainly never made an effort to not be upright etc (why aren't players crouching a little when they're trying to cover like this? it's weird to me). Ta'avao was a clearer example for me but it's the way the laws have been interpreted that is my bugbear here; whether Porter is "just upright" or whether he's making a "dominant hit" doesn't in reality matter - he was providing enough force on his own to cause serious damage. And I say this despite wanting to encourage more soak tackles.lemonhead wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:50 amNot disagreeing the protocol could expand to include this. It absolutely could, and probably will if these incidences keep rumbling on. Which they will.JM2K6 wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:30 amBasically the point I'm making is that the same tackle made against a smaller player who is arriving with less momentum sees Porter knock them backwards. Essentially, the fact that a giant bloke burst through the attempted tackle has counted against the ball carrier who got his face smashed in. Which is a mad state of affairs.
But Ta'avao was moving forward into the hit and Porter sideways. He braced to stop and receive the contact, not drive forward into it.
Doesn't make it any less dangerous though as he went in totally upright, nor fair that a back running that line would've got smashed and Porter would've been shown red on the spot. Forward on forward always by nature has more stuff let go; it's where the majority of collisions happen and optics wise, a more equitable contest. They need to come up with something better, and fast.