The Silver Fern

Here's the decision on that red card:

Zach Mercer red card dismissed

The Montpellier Hérault Rugby No 8, Zach Mercer, has had the red card shown to him during his club’s Heineken Champions Cup, Round of 16 match against the Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park, dismissed following an independent Disciplinary Hearing.

Mercer was sent off by the referee, Andrew Brace (Ireland), in the 50th minute of the match for tackling the Exeter Chiefs back row, Christ Tshiunza, in a dangerous manner in contravention of Law 9.13.

>Law 9.13 A player must not tackle an opponent dangerously
Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.13 relating to dangerous tackling carries the following sanction entry points – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks.

An independent Disciplinary Committee comprising David Martin (Ireland), Chair, Gordon Black (Ireland) and Bogdan Zebega (Romania), viewed footage of the incident and heard evidence by video conference from Mercer, who accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but did not accept that it warranted a red card.

The committee also heard submissions from the Montpellier Hérault Rugby Director of Rugby, Philippe Saint André, from the club’s Defence and Laws Coach, Alex Ruiz, from the club’s Team Manager, Tom Whitford, and from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan. The club’s legal representative, Joris Loupien, was also present during the hearing.

The committee decided that although Mercer had committed an act of foul play, the tackle did not warrant a red card. The sending off was therefore dismissed and Mercer is free to play.

EPCR have the right to appeal the decision.

@nostrildamus said in 6N 2023 England v France:

@Catogrande said in 6N 2023 England v France:

Don’t assume my gender, bitch.

Don't assume @Bones' species!

That is far too difficult to call.

@Crucial said in England v France 6N:

If he was a kiwi I definitely think he’d have a fair few supporters.

New Zealand doesn't have a shortage of highlight reel fans.

@MiketheSnow But where to now for Wales, Mike? Ok get players contracts/pay sorted, but after that? Coaches have already been swapped out. Some older players need to be dropped but not all. Wales is a proud rugby country. Need a new direction/thought pattern and fast.

@Catogrande said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Victor-Meldrew said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Catogrande said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Victor-Meldrew said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Bones said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@sparky said in England v Italy 6 Nations:

@Bones Ollie Lawrence has had a decent game

So has Chessum.

Itoje pretty anonymous. Can't work out if he was engine-room mode or just, well, anonymous.

You sure you weren't watching a recording of last week's game? Itoje played well and came up with one or two really big plays.

Nothing wrong with being anonymous if you're in the tight 5 - means you're doing the hard yakka. Thought it was a pretty uncharacteristic game for him though.

Aah! I take your point. Not as gobby as before. I did pose the question on here during the Autumn series that Itoje is not the whooping, hollering dickhead for Sarries that he is for England and whether that was an Eddie stratagem. Maybe Borthwick doesn't go for the same mind games?

Eddie has openly admitted that he encouraged it. Itoje did buy into it though and it only built on what he was doing anyway.
Let’s hope this is a sign that he’s grown up.

@Catogrande said in England v Scotland 6N:

@Machpants said in England v Scotland 6N:

@antipodean said in England v Scotland 6N:

@Machpants said in England v Scotland 6N:

SA mark 2

70 open-plays kicks in the game against Scotland on Saturday, 34 by England and 36 by Scotland. The difference looks negligible: but scratch the surface, and 13 of the England kicks were launched from positions inside the Scotland half, compared to only two by their opponents.

Testatment to the attacking brilliance of their five-eighth...

Which one?

Evans?

Nah, it was mainly from 9 as I recall and not just a shit option, shit execution too.

Yeah it was very FafDK, but crapper

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks v England:

@TheMojoman said in All Blacks v England:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v England:

@TheMojoman Stevenson or Lam?

I'd love to see Stevenson in the mix but IMO he would be competing for the 14 spot with Jordan, Telea and Reece potentially as 15 cover. Lam is a maybe, not sure he has the same impact as Clarke though as a power winger.

Foster (rightly IMO) clearly wants to play a power winger/finesse winger combination with his 14 also an extra FB with kicking etc. Leads me to believe Jordan will be the first choice 14 when fit. Telea has been the find of the northern tour.

I'm on the Shaun Stevenson bandwagon. He needs to be and AB.

an

@Billy-Tell said in England v Japan:

Japan tactics are baffling. They are not going to win by taking 3s.

Or running it from everywhere

@Daffy-Jaffy first Seibold now Hodgson. What’s with the Aussie leaguies for defence coaches?

@nostrildamus said in Australia v England - the decider:

@MajorRage said in Australia v England - the decider:

@Derpus said in Australia v England - the decider:

@ACT-Crusader Something seriously wrong with you if you'd rather England win.

England fans have never:

Punched me on a train after a game Ruined a dinner party over rugby
> 3. Tried to start a fight with me after the ABs lost

Cmon England.

I'd be surprised at number 3 as well..

My experience of England rugby fans over the years has been almost entirely positive. Very little in the way of unpleasantness, just the occasional bit of boorish behaviour. Maybe it’s different seeing things from an opposition viewpoint. I would also say that my overall positive view of England fans is mirrored by all the other countries too. In the main, rugby fans first, jingoistic second.

@Stargazer

Good on Mitchell for honouring the bet. Awful voice though.

@Stargazer said in Australia v England - 1st Test:

I actually agree with the decision in Swain's case. That was the softest head butt to get red-carded I've ever seen. It was stupid to respond to a provocation like that, no doubt, but it's ridiculous that he gets suspended while the grub who pulled his hair (and the incident earlier in the game) didn't even get a mandatory meeting with the Disciplinary Committee.

The softest I've ever seen was Mose Tuiali'i on Marius Joubert. It was more like a head push than a butt. Tuiali'i was red carded in the first half, the Stormers would still lose and Tuiali'i would be suspended for 3 weeks (entry point was 6 weeks).

And some say history doesn't repeat?

Swain decision definitely seems worthy of getting the blood pressure up over lol

@mariner4life said in France v England:

The damning thing for Eddie is I think England are playing less than the sum of their parts. That's on him.

Has he ever kept a job this long?

Yet Ian Foster is still in his job.

Some heated discussion:

@mikethesnow said in 6N 2022 : England v Wales:

@mariner4life said in 6N 2022 : England v Wales:

@mikethesnow said in 6N 2022 : England v Wales:

However, despite gaining loads of metres when he was brought down it either resulted in turnover ball or a penalty for holding on.

i noted a couple of very good Welsh breaks came to nothing because the support play was absolute zero. There were white jerseys everywhere scrambling, and not a red jersey in sight.

Cuthbert the best line breaker on the day and the worst culprit of running away from support

That game epitomised Cuthbert for me. All the physical attributes but just not very bright. Also i think that England missed an opportunity to put the ball behind him as his positioning is a bit suss and he has the turning circle of a supertanker.

@nta said in Scotland v England:

@pakman makes my case - when did that happen? 🙂

Vs France in Paris a few years ago

@smuts said in England vs Springbokke:

I hope @Catogrande is recovering well. But I’m also hoping the boks are heading home thinking about how critical developing a more incisive attack is.

Thank you. My recovery was going well but due to recent self medication consisting mainly of Chenin blanc, I may be relapsing.

@nta said in England v Australia:

@higgins no ruck - play on, unfortunately.

Further to that: the option for Ikitau was to hit the deck and wait, but it wouldn't have made a lot of difference - only Leota and McDermott were in frame and there were about 8 Poms on their feet.

@junior I think NZ have been able to get this from their coaches who have been overseas and had to fashion game plans based on the players at their disposal. It has forced them to innovate.

Maybe an idea for NZ would be to (shock, horror) invite some non-NZers to coach in NZ and introduce NZ players to different approaches and techniques. Worked ok for the Crusaders with Ronan O'Gara.

Fine's tour over following three match ban

Winger Viliami Fine will miss Tonga's remaining tour matches against the French Barbarians and Romania after he was suspended for three weeks following his sending off against England.

The 23-year-old appeared before an independent judicial committee via video link, having received a red card for striking the head of England's replacement flyhalf Marcus Smith.

Fine was dismissed 13 minutes after coming onto the field as a replacement for Walter Fifita and admitted the incident was worthy of a red card.

The Disciplinary Committee ruled the Otago winger struck his opponent with the upper part of his arm, that the strike was not powerful and there was no injury to the player.

The suspension was halved from six weeks to three, after the committee accounted for Fine's clean record, early guilty plea, apology to Smith and the way in which he approached the disciplinary process.

Viliame Fine will also be banned for a third match which is still to be determined. He has the right to appeal the suspension within 48 hours.

Nov 11, 2021  /  Pacific Tonga make five changes for French Baabaas clash Tonga make five changes for French Baabaas clash

Tonga have made five personnel changes to their starting fifteen to take on the French Barbarians in their latest Northern rugby tour match in Lyon.