That 2005 BOD Spear tackle.... Some thoughts 7 years later?

[Feicarsinn]

For once I didn't bring this up.
Kovana, at the time, the tip tackle wasn't viewed as harshly as it is now, so comparing it to a recent incident like Greylings shot on McCaw has no relevance. It's like comparing the strap from back in the day to detentions for turning up late to class in todays education systems.

I have admitted that I now see this as foul play, but at the time, I was of the era where tip tackles were something to cheer about and I defended the situation very soundly, whenever I saw a tip tackle I would light up, and even set out on my early morning saturday games to emulate them[and did so very well]. I still do at times...

But this is different, because it was off the ball and in a ruck. I feel bad for BOD because since then, I have suffered a similar injury which has now put a plight on my game and my shoulder pops out from time to time and it is alot weaker. But, I hated how much BOD complained, cried and moaned that he didn't get an apology, I still think to this day, the man is a sulker but based mainly on how much he sulked months and months after it happened.

Overall, I no longer condone this type of foul play and now I can say, the King should have been given a suspension and it sucks even more that the TJ was right there. But as I said, the tip tackle was seen differently in that era.

Tip tackle ≠ Spear tackle.

 

[Dizzy]

The way I see the incident is that 7 years ago Umaga got a little bit jealous of the fact BO'D is a better player than him and took it too far.
It happened in a much smaller way in 09 when Umaga was on the voting panel that gave McCaw player of the year when BO'D deserved it.
Each time BO'D came out of it looking the bigger man.
I reckon O`Driscoll put this behind him a long time ago and we shouldn't bother with the debate.

First point.. highly debatable...
Second point... the man cried for months on end about it. And I'm pretty sure if it was brought up, he would sulk some more...

O'Driscoll was never a better player than Umaga. I have actually yet to see BOD have a "GODLY" game [that he has been praised for over years and years] against the All Blacks..

 

[Dizzy]

Tip tackle ≠ Spear tackle.

Spear tackles are what Mr Bill Goldberg use to do my friend! hahahaa

 

[big ginger 8]

First point.. highly debatable...
Second point... the man cried for months on end about it. And I'm pretty sure if it was brought up, he would sulk some more...

O'Driscoll was never a better player than Umaga. I have actually yet to see BOD have a "GODLY" game [that he has been praised for over years and years] against the All Blacks..

No, no and no. He didn't cry for months he didn't want it dragged across the press but Alaister Campbell thought he saw an opportunity. Do you really think it's so wrong to want a handshake and for him to say sorry for my tackle dislocating your shoulder. One of my teammates fell awkwardly on a guy and broke his leg in a match at least he had the balls to say sorry. You cannot use this act to actually attack BO'D

And no Umaga was not better than O'Driscoll I have no idea how you can believe that and if you only use performances for Ireland of all teams against New Zealand than well that's just really stupid.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

First point.. highly debatable...
Second point... he man cried for months on end about it.tAnd I'm pretty sure if it was brought up, he would sulk some more...

O'Driscoll was never a better player than Umaga. I have actually yet to see BOD have a "GODLY" game [that he has been praised for over years and years] against the All Blacks..

The thing is he didn't that was just what your NZ press said to make the tackle justifiable. Alistar Campbell was the person who was complaining and can you blame him really. It was a tackle that could have ended the mans career and confined him to a wheelchair the rest of his life so even if he had cried about it for months you couldn't blame him.

I'm not going to bother to try and persuade you that O'Driscoll has played great again New Zealand because if your that arrogant you won't change your mind but I will say that if it wasn't for O'Driscoll Ireland would have struggled to get within 20 points of NZ in the last ten years.

 

[Shaggy]

Tip tackle ≠ Spear tackle.

Both covered by the same law (10.4(j)) ... both very dangerous, both have zero tolerance by the IRB since 2009, regardless of intent ... for some posters to try to compare current events, to passed events, when the current laws weren't in place is a little stupid

 

[donmcdazzle]

The thing is he didn't that was just what your NZ press said to make the tackle justifiable. Alistar Campbell was the person who was complaining and can you blame him really. It was a tackle that could have ended the mans career and confined him to a wheelchair the rest of his life so even if he had cried about it for months you couldn't blame him.

I'm not going to bother to try and persuade you that O'Driscoll has played great again New Zealand because if your that arrogant you won't change your mind but I will say that if it wasn't for O'Driscoll Ireland would have struggled to get within 20 points of NZ in the last ten years.

Then how come you don't hear anyone else whinging about getting tackled dangerously? The Tuqiri one on McCaw was worse in terms of spear tackles. And I've seen some pretty loose tackles from guys like Trevor Leota over the years. In the NRL guys get knocked out with swinging arms and shoulders to the head/neck relatively commonly. Never have I heard the recipient cry about it for nearly as long and demand an apology.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Then how come you don't hear anyone else whinging about getting tackled dangerously? The Tuqiri one on McCaw was worse in terms of spear tackles. And I've seen some pretty loose tackles from guys like Trevor Leota over the years. In the NRL guys get knocked out with swinging arms and shoulders to the head/neck relatively commonly. Never have I heard the recipient cry about it for nearly as long and demand an apology.

Two team captains in the biggest game of 2005. Bigger deal that some poxy NRL game or Bledisloe Cup match that happens about 9 times a year.

 

[Larksea]

hard to see exactly what happened and the result looks bad, but I don't believe for a moment that it was intentional, Tana and Mealamu have like what about 160 test matched between them and this will basically be the only questionable incident you will find on those ~160 caps combined for the two. These guys are not things with a track record for this sort of thing.

I honestly see two big guys cleaning out one much smaller guy who falls awkwardly and was injured. carelessness maybe, but deliberately taking the guy out? no way. If it were two guys like Richard Loe, Ali Williams, Burger or Botha it would get you wondering.

But Tana has won fair play awards and Mealamu (what did happen was mostly because of mealamu) is one of the nicest, fairest and most balanced genuine good guys in NZ rugby history. The thought that these guys would conspire and execute something like this ridiculous in my mind. heck what happened I think they would struggle to replicate if they tried to do it intentionally.

 

[Tribesmen-ce-123]

Then how come you don't hear anyone else whinging about getting tackled dangerously? The Tuqiri one on McCaw was worse in terms of spear tackles. And I've seen some pretty loose tackles from guys like Trevor Leota over the years. In the NRL guys get knocked out with swinging arms and shoulders to the head/neck relatively commonly. Never have I heard the recipient cry about it for nearly as long and demand an apology.

I think it was the scenario in which the spear tackle unfolded in, that created the huge uproar over the incident. Barring the world cup, the British and Irish Lions tours are the biggest events in rugby union, and the whole rugby world was watching. Also, considering the fact that BOD had just been made captain of the Lions and was in the form of his life, he was one of the players that the spotlight was on. Anyways the tackle was so malicious and obviously pre determined ( The kiwi's didn't just spear tackle the Lions Captain, and best player on the team within the first minute of play just by chance) you can see why people would be angry over it. A

BTW Bod has not mentioned that tackle in years, and has moved on from the whole incident, so this thread is repetitive and boring imo.

 

[lucky number 7]

I'm going to weigh in seriously for the first time in this thread.

It was clearly intentional.

If you disagree you are delusional.

Perhaps it was not premeditated that can never be fully proven.. but **** me that was as blatant an intentional spear as I've ever seen.

 

[Dizzy]

The thing is he didn't that was just what your NZ press said to make the tackle justifiable. Alistar Campbell was the person who was complaining and can you blame him really. It was a tackle that could have ended the mans career and confined him to a wheelchair the rest of his life so even if he had cried about it for months you couldn't blame him.

I'm not going to bother to try and persuade you that O'Driscoll has played great again New Zealand because if your that arrogant you won't change your mind but I will say that if it wasn't for O'Driscoll Ireland would have struggled to get within 20 points of NZ in the last ten years.

It wasn't made out so that the tackle was justifiable.. Who even implied that?.. What I meant was,.. dude sulked and acted as if an apology was mandatory. Umaga was being attacked through the media for a long time after that as well, did the guy act up and sulk about it?

And I thought it was a broken collar bone?.. Hardly a career ending and wheelchair confining injury mate, don't exaggerate too far.

Bro, he literally doesn't do eff all when he plays the All Blacks compared to the way the rest of the world praise the man up to be God-like..

No, no and no. He didn't cry for months he didn't want it dragged across the press but Alaister Campbell thought he saw an opportunity. Do you really think it's so wrong to want a handshake and for him to say sorry for my tackle dislocating your shoulder. One of my teammates fell awkwardly on a guy and broke his leg in a match at least he had the balls to say sorry. You cannot use this act to actually attack BO'D

And no Umaga was not better than O'Driscoll I have no idea how you can believe that and if you only use performances for Ireland of all teams against New Zealand than well that's just really stupid.

I dont think it's wrong to WANT one, but I certainly have a problem with EXPECTING one and sulking when you dont get one.. For those who haven't read Umaga's autobiography, they had a phone conversation where O'Driscoll actually asked for one and Umaga refused, then O'Driscoll threw his toys and the conversation ended badly. Then there was a time when Umaga was in France and the pair saw each other at a match, apparently O'Driscoll still felt a bit effy about the tackle and the tension was still there.

LMAO!!! Umaga was probably the greatest centre around. We will never agree but it is what it is.

 

[Shaggy]

I'm going to weigh in seriously for the first time in this thread.

It was clearly intentional.

If you disagree you are delusional.

Perhaps it was not premeditated that can never be fully proven.. but **** me that was as blatant an intentional spear as I've ever seen.

To what end ... even if you could jump in a time machine, and go back and judge this particular incident by today's laws, the zero tolerance makes the intent a manditory red card, regardless of intent (because they didn't ensure the tackled player's safety).

The point is that these incidents are best left in the past, as the only good thing that can come from these incidents now, are law changes, to prevent similar incidents from happening again ... and that's already happened

 

[donmcdazzle]

Two team captains in the biggest game of 2005. Bigger deal that some poxy NRL game or Bledisloe Cup match that happens about 9 times a year.

That wasn't his point though was it. He was saying that the dangerous tackle was justification for O'Driscoll having a cry, my point was that no other players have put on such a tantrum after being tackled dangerously.

 

[donmcdazzle]

I think it was the scenario in which the spear tackle unfolded in, that created the huge uproar over the incident. Barring the world cup, the British and Irish Lions tours are the biggest events in rugby union, and the whole rugby world was watching. Also, considering the fact that BOD had just been made captain of the Lions and was in the form of his life, he was one of the players that the spotlight was on. Anyways the tackle was so malicious and obviously pre determined ( The kiwi's didn't just spear tackle the Lions Captain, and best player on the team within the first minute of play just by chance) you can see why people would be angry over it. A

BTW Bod has not mentioned that tackle in years, and has moved on from the whole incident, so this thread is repetitive and boring imo.

Again, what planet are you living on that you think the AB's were so threatened by one player (who had/has never even played well against the AB's), that they cooked up a plan to intentionally injure him via spear clear-out?! It is one of the stupidest things you could ever say. The AB's have come up against many better players than him in the past so why would they feel the need to do it in this specific instance? Surely we should have targeted George Gregan as he used to do us far more damage than O'Driscoll ever has.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

my $0.02

it was dangerous and both should have been banned and it definately should have been spotted and carded at the time, even before the new rules, as far as i know a tackle like that off the ball has "never" been allowed in rugby....BUT, i cant understand those who cant budge from the idea it was a plan and he was targeted, they are both thugs who should have been strung up...and as for being jelous of another player! please!

if anything i would say there are more kiwi's who have come around to the fact that they were wrong (although it was not intentional) than others who are still as furious as if it had just happened yesterday

and as for the OP, this was clearly started to wind everyone up. stop acting like you have the "mature" stance and kiwis are all completely oned mongrels, the "mature" stance would be to acknowledge that the truth lies somewhere inbetween the two exteme stances that became evedent 7 YEARS AGO!

 

[Kiwiwomble]

i'll add to this

7 years?!?!...does anyone else feel old?

 

[admartian]

Nah, it was legit. The ground just got in the way of the tackle.

 

[nickdnz]

I'll add one more thing. Umaga was nominated for player of the year in 2005 (won by Daniel Carter). Captained NZ to a very comprehensive victory over the Lions and then Tri Nations. His form was outstanding - easily the best centre at the time. One more thing, NZ won the series by plenty, I think to say it was premeditated was a little laughable considering, to be honest - the teams were a class apart.



He coulda doid!

 

[smartcooky]

BUT, i cant understand those who cant budge from the idea it was a plan and he was targeted,

The same sorts of idiots who believe that BOD's injuries were part of a preconceived plan also believe that....

► JFK was shot by a second gunman hiding behind the Grassy Knoll in Dealy Plaza

► NASA faked the Apollo landings using a studio in downtown Las Vegas

► the 9/11 attacks were planned and carried out by the CIA/NSA/FBI (randomly pick any three upper case letters and create your own secret agency)

It defies belief that anyone could be so stupid and ignorant as to believe it, but believe it some do.