Picture the scene: Last minute of the 2017 Six Nations and England’s Ben Youngs ducks low to make a snipe for the line. Jamie Heaslip is standing straight in front of him but fights his instinct to tackle high.
It’s too late to go low as Youngs has beaten him to it so England get the try.
One imagines that if Heaslip let a diving Youngs over without laying everything into him, no Irish fan would let him forget it.
Sean Reidy must have felt the same, last night, when Aled Davies made a dart for the Ulster line. It looked like a good tackle but, under the new laws, he went too high. Yellow card, penalty try.
The decision caused a lot of consternation among rugby fans and players past and present and has left a lot of people divided.
Former Ireland international Stephen Ferris had a amenable difference of opinion with ex-England forward Ben Kay. Ferris was of the opinion that Reidy was harshly done by but Kay felt it was the right decision.
https://twitter.com/BenKay5/status/817678165619445760
Ferris then made a great point and one that may well crop up a lot in the coming months as players get to grips with the new laws.
turn the clock back a few months and that is great play by Reidy. Question, how do you tackle someone who is diving for the line?
— Stephen Ferris (@StephenFerris6) January 7, 2017
Get low and get low quick seems to be the answer.
Advantage to the backs again.
As for how other refs are interpreting the new laws, Connacht’s Tom McCartney got pinged for going to high with one tackle and, in the same game, this happened to Caolin Blade.
No yellow card for this? Prepare for utter mayhem with this new rule pic.twitter.com/NvClx55OHF
— Tom English (@BBCTomEnglish) January 7, 2017
Crazy stuff altogether.
