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Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rugby's 20-minute red card is a dangerous departure that risks devaluing the importance of player safety
'A good sketch is better than a long speech.' So spoke Napoleon Bonaparte, who was probably outlining a battle plan at the time. Those words came to mind following news from World Rugby that the 20-minute red card will now be trialled global. In case you hadn't heard, this refers to instances where a player is red carded but their indiscretion is deemed unintentional. In such cases, the player will still be sent off, but his team will be able to bring on a replacement after 20 minutes. We will see it in operation during the Lions tour . This is no surprise and nobody should be shocked. It has already been in place in southern hemisphere rugby for several years. Reasonable people understand the merits involved when serious foul play borders on the accidental or unavoidable. However, when it consists of slamming a shoulder into an opponent's face, for example, it is debatable whether the 20-minute red card should even be considered. READ MORE Let's think about the emperor's words in today's parlance. It would be very helpful if World Rugby drew us a modern-day sketch. By this, I mean video clips of what we can expect, including straight reds given in the past that would now lead to a replacement being introduced. They will have plenty of examples and could easily splice it together in an informative little movie. Is French club rugby becoming more popular than Ligue 1? Listen | 20:26 Bordeaux seem to represent a rare enough phenomenon; a domestic rugby team growing in both on-field and commercial success. They are the best attended club in France, to the extent they can boast to be more popular than the local football team. We all know of their on-field talent, the likes of Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud and Mathieu Jalibert playing a brand of rugby which is easy on the eye. Of course, with Joey Carbery and Noel McNamara involved, there is Irish interest in the French side as they prepare for Saturday's Champions Cup final. But how has the on-field product built into their off-field success? Is their rise an indication of France's domestic success, as rugby's television rights continues to dwarf those of football's Ligue 1? To what extent can this story be repeated elsewhere?Host Nathan Johns is joined on the podcast by France-based rugby journalist James by John Casey. We did see one clip in the Challenge Cup final. Bath's Sam Underhill smashed head-on-head into Lyon fullback Davit Niniashvili. It was a horrible collision. Unfortunately, referee Hollie Davidson misread it, deeming that a so-called step inside by Niniashvili was sufficient to mitigate to yellow. The referee clearly erred, with a chunk of criticism also to be laid at the door of the TMO, Mike Adamson, who failed to steer Davidson in the direction of a red card. Unsurprisingly, it has been cited. While the right team won, the referee will review her overall performance with a measure of disappointment. We've all been there – it comes with the job. In sniper mode, Underhill had a clear line of sight to the target before he pulled the trigger. He didn't miss. When the global trial kicks off, this high-level foul play will go to the bunker. It's hard to believe that those in high places think this is what the game needs. It is, we are told, designed to punish the player, but not to punish the team or the spectacle. Balancing safety with spectacle is an impossible task. Inevitably, it removes the safety element from its priority position. An extra 10 minutes of bin time cannot possibly have the same deterrent effect as straight reds. Lengthy suspensions and fines for coaches were perhaps alternative options, but turkeys have a habit of not voting for Christmas. The global trial announcement also informs us that referees can issue a straight red if they deem it appropriate. Oh, come on. Pull the other one! The evidence to date simply does not back that up. Referees send everything to the bunker and once it arrives there, it cannot be upgraded to a straight red. Nika Amashukeli shows a yellow card to Tommy Freeman of Northampton Saints (not pictured) during last Saturday's Champions Cup final in Cardiff. Photograph:The minuscule number of straight reds given down south have been for truly heinous acts. Stamping, kicking, eye gouging, head butts and targeting the lower limbs at breakdown will, rightly, still see red. Dangerous collisions to the head, such as Underhill's, are not mentioned, despite being the primary cause of brain injury. Recently, this column outlined an incident in a southern hemisphere fixture. It involved a spear tackle by the Blues' Mark Tele'a on his Reds opponent Tim Ryan. It went to the bunker, so Tele'a was replaced. The judiciary subsequently handed him a paltry three-match ban. If that's what we can expect, then this global trial decision risks being remembered as one of rugby's blackest days. Referee Nika Amashukeli has found himself in many interesting matches. However, last Saturday's Champions Cup final provided him with a new level of difficulty. It was nonstop pressure-cooker stuff and both halves were like chalk and cheese. Bordeaux supporters will rarely have watched their team resort to a kicking game to grind out a win. Having dominated the first half with a blistering display of creative rugby, they found that Northampton had somehow hung in there. They evened things up on the stroke of half-time with a try by the superb Alex Coles. He was then subjected to a defender sliding into him, knees first. It wasn't the worst cheap shot of its kind, but it warranted a penalty. The second half saw a complete switch of tactics. Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert, kicking well and repeatedly, pinned the Northampton team in their own backyard, while French forward power supplied the only try of the half. This altered approach kept Northampton scoreless after half-time, which was quite some feat. [ Why are so many young Irish rugby players moving to France? Opens in new window ] [ Matt Williams: Decision to abandon men's Sevens programme has shattered the dreams of generations of players Opens in new window ] There are few referees who could have come out of this torrid, attritional affair as well as the Georgian. The TMO, Marius Jonker, was also highly involved, some say too much. There was an unusually high number of critical moments and failing to advise the referee would not have pleased the teams' coaches, who demand microscopic perfection. Having let the players get on with things in a magical first half, Amashukeli became much busier as the match went into dogfight mode. Nobody would contend that every refereeing decision was right as that's never going to happen. But it was a fine performance by the man in the middle, notable for his typical calm assuredness. At least half a dozen of his ilk are needed, but they don't appear to be emerging. So, the European season ends with a deserved French victory – their fifth in succession. Who can halt their Napoleonic march towards a sixth? It won't be easy.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Zinedine who? Bordeaux's rise to rugby-mad city with Europe's biggest crowds
The streets of Bordeaux are prepped to celebrate the fulfilment of a union formed of something old and something new. In the city where French rugby built its first provincial home, a teenaged coalition senses its maiden glory. Merger is a dirty word in rugby. Time and time and place again, attempts to combine teams are viewed as a sacrifice of history. Better to fail alone than succeed together. Not so much in Bordeaux and, because it's a merger, in Bègles. Though the city of wine carries the cachet, her southern suburb is an equal partner in the club with the highest attendances in Europe, on the cusp of success to match. Union Bordeaux Bègles, born in 2006, could become European champions on Saturday. As
Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Champ Rugby: second-tier revamps with French-style play-offs
The Championship will be relaunched next season with a new name, a new format and a vision to build English rugby's second tier into a 'credible league' that can ultimately join forces with the Gallagher Premiership in being run by one body. The 14-team league will be known as Champ Rugby, with each season ending in a six-team play-off competition at the top end of the table. The winners will be crowned champions and advance to a play-off against the bottom team in the Premiership to decide whether they win promotion to the top flight. The bottom team in Champ Rugby would go straight down to National League 1, the third tier, with the 13th-placed team facing the team who finish second in National 1
ABC News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Fijian rugby Olympic medallist Josaia Raisuqe dies in car crash in France
Fiji rugby player Josaia Raisuqe has died in a car crash in France, where he played for Top 14 side Castres Olympique. The 30-year-old was a member of the Fiji sevens side that won silver at last year's Paris Olympics. Local media reports said his car was struck by a train at a level crossing. The club, which he joined in 2021, expressed its sadness on Facebook and extended its condolences to his loved ones. The Fiji Drua also posted a tribute on social media, saying their hearts are heavy. "We lost more than a player — we lost a brother, a teammate and a true son of Fijian Rugby," it said. "Rest in peace, Jo. Your spirit will forever live on in the game and in our hearts." The Fiji Association of Sport & National Olympic Committee said it joined Castres and the wider rugby community in mourning the "immense loss". "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Josaia's family, loved ones, teammates and the grieving rugby fraternity both in Fiji and abroad. "Vinaka vakalevu for your contributions to Fijian sport." RNZ
