I had his tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Perth last Sunday as a penalty, and even that went against my better instincts.
asserted
that → have → instincts
It was not “foul play”, despite what World Rugby says.
asserted
Rugby → say → what
Rugby fans have been gaslit for years with that terminology when anyone with even a degree common sense can see what happened.
asserted
what → gaslit → sense
Paisami was upright because he wanted to shut off the possibility of an offload.
asserted
he → want → offload
When the two collided it was more cheek to cheek than anything, and even that contact looked secondary to their upper bodies meeting.
asserted
bodies → collide → anything
Drunken teenage discos see bodies embrace more vigorously.
asserted
bodies → see → ?
But, boy, did Feinberg-Mngomezulu make sure the incident was noticed, throwing his hands up in the air and launching himself towards space for the benefit of the watching Oscar judges.
asserted
incident → make → judges
That’s another pernicious result of the crackdown on supposed “foul play”.
asserted
That → ’ → play
Simulation hasn’t crept into rugby, it’s been invited through the front door by World Rugby.
asserted
it → creep → Rugby
I’d bet good money that high-ranking people within World Rugby don’t even think that incident was foul play, but the game has gone so far down that path it’s hard to turn back.
asserted
it → bet → path
If that doesn’t make sense, that because what we saw in the Wallabies-Springboks Test last week doesn’t make sense.
asserted
saw → make → sense
You would assume that this vicious outbreak of thuggery would result in multiple HIAs to look after player welfare.
asserted
outbreak → assume → welfare
But again you would be wrong, with neither Feinberg-Mngomezulu nor Malcolm Marx requiring tests after “foul play” by Paisami and Harry Wilson.
asserted
Mngomezulu → require → Paisami
In fact, the only HIA the Springboks seemed concerned about was one for Eben Etzebeth, who had a neck injury or a head injury that was significant enough to remove him from the field, but not bad enough for the Springboks to immediately return him to the field when it became clear he couldn’t be replaced with another player.
asserted
he → seem → player
Etzebeth has been named in the Sharks’ 23 for their game against Leinster in Durban this weekend, so make of that what you will.
asserted
you → name → what
World Rugby has a year to sort out this mess before the Rugby World Cup in Australia.
asserted
Rugby → sort → Australia
What percentage of the 1 million-plus ticket purchasers have made that investment so they can watch TMOs pore over inconclusive video evidence in search of “foul play” whose very definition has been arbitrarily invented in the first place.
asserted
definition → make → place
A good lawyer should take on World Rugby and require a 5 per cent ticket refund for every yellow card dished out during games.
asserted
lawyer → take → games
Supporters pay for 15 v 15, but can never be guaranteed of it.
asserted
Supporters → pay → it
In an era when actual foul play is rare, World Rugby seems hellbent on rage-baiting the people who actually keep the game alive.
asserted
who → seem → game
England copped eight yellow cards during the Six Nations, including a harsh one in their last game against France and another against Scotland that coach Steve Borthwick later revealed prompted an apology from World Rugby.
asserted
Borthwick → cop → Rugby
These are tournament-defining, and arguably career-defining, decisions but the game does not seem to be slowing down in its determination to send players from the field.
asserted
game → define → field
The Wallabies did the game’s administrators a massive favour on Sunday.
asserted
Wallabies → do → Sunday
Had they not hung on to win that Test, all hell would have broken loose.
asserted
hell → hang → Test
They were emphatically the better side but were a whisker away from losing the Test to a man receiving instructions on a mobile phone.
asserted
They → lose → phone
We can laugh at the absurdity now because the Wallabies won, but Rugby Australia should be furious.
asserted
Australia → laugh → absurdity
Rugby’s recovery in Australia is fragile, because it is up against a well-funded rival.
asserted
it → fund → rival
Perhaps the penny will finally will drop up north if the NRL buys the Super League and starts eating some of rugby’s lunch in the UK.
asserted
NRL → drop → UK
But until then Wallabies supporters, and future fans of the code, need to be assured that what they are watching is a credible and fathomable sport that knows the difference between accidental contact and the sort of act that merits a four-game ban.
asserted
that → need → ban
Some of the wind has already been taken out of the Wallabies’ win, because Paisami’s absence from the Bledisloe series already threatens Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s highly promising shift to the wing, especially if Len Ikitau is no good.
asserted
Ikitau → take → wing
Rugby can be great again, but the last quarter in Perth was so far removed from that.
asserted
quarter → remove → that
The Aporia
