I know. It’s an area that is really open to interpretation, probably too open. It’s now at the point that unless the player actually catches it or juggles it it’s a penalty.
but that at least creates an expectation for the player. That sort of attempt at an interception is a high risk strategy, such that if you feel like you’ve miscalculated the incentive to then deliberately foul to avoid being exposed is really high. this strict interpretation at least tells the player that unless you pull it off squeeky cleanly you will be penalized, and possibly more, which allows the player to make an informed decision about what he wants to do.
Yep 100%. Heat of battle and all that I guess.
Have they changed the rules regarding runners and obstruction recently? I keep seeing phases of play where the ball is passed behind a line of runners that might well have been given as obstruction previously but seems to be allowed now.
They seem to have tightened up on it.
I’m not happy at the moment. This game was there to be won barring school boy errors. Last play now.
Yet again losing possession due to lack of support in the tackle
French ref giving a red card how dodgy. Was just a coming together.
Oooffff, (doesnt count), but that was a fantastically brutal finish on that disallowed try.
Haha no.8 vs a scrum half who goes high… was only ending one way!
He starts off trying to outrun him to the line, realized what the match up was and just thought fucking bosch and straightened up 
Those were my favourite match ups when I played running from flanker… a 9 or 10! 
Pretty straightforward red, I thought, just really lazy tackling technique. To stay on the pitch after making initial contact to the head in a tackle requires a lot of mitigation, and there just wasn’t anyway. Well done to England for riding out that first 10 minutes and staying in the game, it is proving to be a better match than it appeared it would be early.
Was a yellow card previously, not saying it wasn’t a bad tackle though.
This is a pretty remarkable performance from England given how on top Ireland looked the first 20 minutes.
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They’re were immense which begs the question where has this fire and intensity been the rest of the tournament.
Like we actually chased down kicks and forced turn overs for once…
Its the hope that kills you.
credit to England for not folding earlier. They actually managed to suck Ireland into a typical English game of scum penalties and kicking. Clive Woodward has probably soiled himself during that.
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Really poor game from Henderson in particular. So many mental errors.
Odd game in that the final score kind of reflects what he overall balance looked like i should be, but with that only happening he last 5 minutes because England were blowing out of their arse by that stage. I remember one drop 22 hey took and looked to be exhausted and I was stunned to see there was still 20 minutes left on the clock at that point. I think the final score was an inventible reality after that.
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Yeah. It seems that players have really lost their heads this year. Last night Wales turned into Scotland of 3 years ago with forcing fantastic field position and possession only to cough up possession or a stupid penalty. Ireland likewise for the first 20 of that second half. I thought their scum half had a bit of a mare during that period and to me when Murray came on things clicked. All too rushed before that. Thankfully Dellaglio showed his usual level of grey matter and awarded him MoTM.
yes but this is the way the game works and why I’m surprised that Ireland were sucked into England’s game. All they needed to do was be patient and work England with the full knowledge that tries would come in the last 10 minutes. But they went a bit tilt.