Steward makes two decisions which result in the second most dangerous possible outcome behind head to head contact in my mind. Firstly, he jumps, without his feet on the ground he has very little control of what he's doing. Secondly he turns his shoulder towards Keenan, maybe instinctively shouldn't matter after the first bad decision, if he opens up his body it delays contact ever so slightly and increases the chance of Keenan hitting his torso which increases the chance of there being no injury.
I've maintained the whole way that he was very unlucky but that two small bad decisions ended up with the worst possible result - it's enough for me to show red if we're actually serious about this.
I think the incident being low paced and in a static situation is the difference. Look, I wouldn't be upset if we start being more serious with them but that's not where the game is and I don't think anyone arguing for a red there is doing so with sufficient knowledge and/or in good faith.
It's two players going for a loose ball. I keep saying that rugby has lost its mind over a knock on. If Hansen puts a delicate kick through there and the same happened no one would argue the result. We have advantage in rugby so you play the whistle, I don't think Steward did.
Andy Dunne is a really good pundit over here, he thinks Steward tried to get away with a sneaky one using the knock-on as an excuse. Now I don't think that's true for a second, it's a rare case of him being wrong, but it's far less ridiculous to suggest a player using a breakdown in play as cover to get a borderline hit in than it is that a player would go looking for head contact to get the opposition a red card as has been suggested here.
If we want to allow this in the pro game, and it's clear that most people do, we have to have separate head contact rules for pro and amateur rugby. Until then we have to do better.
You don't know that's what happened, you've seen one angle of it. I also said in my first response to you it was probably a red but I couldn't say for sure without more angles.
Again you're making stuff up here to suit your view. Firstly, he's not clearing out the ruck, he's securing the ball by latching on to Irish players, Sheehan and VdF if I'm not mistaken. Secondly, Ryan doesn't run in, he has both feet on the ground entering the ruck. And thirdly, he just absolutely doesn't clobber him, there's no recoil, no whiplash, he pushes him with his shoulder.
We just don't see incidences like this given cards, maybe we should and I wouldn't be against it.
I never made that argument, I said I didn't have a hot take because the officials and citing commissioner agree.
I shouldn't be put on the back foot, or ridiculed because of bad faith arguments like these. I am of the opinion right now that had Keenan hit Steward in a reverse of the incident we'd all mostly be in agreement that he should have seen red, Olyy and a couple of others would be the exceptions. This is a very anglo-centric website, it is very hard to voice an opinion against the English position and not be berated from all angles by posters who aren't even giving you the respect to read your posts correctly. Every point I've made I've relayed back to the laws of the game and evidence we have, and yet I've been ridiculed or called a hypocrite directly or indirectly by at least three other members. Do a bit better.
