gingergenius
First XV
There are many issues we can all think of that we'd like changed about rugby, and I'm sure we all have our own contrasting opinions on almost every separate issue. But diving, or playacting surely can be agreed upon unanimously as a dishonest, foul practice.
Playacting is one of the big reasons given by rugby fans as to why our sport is 'purer' than football. Football in 2012 is rotten to its core; we cannot allow rugby to head this way. Yet increasingly I am seeing blatant attempts to deceive the referee and cheat. Cheating has always been accepted to some extent when the cheating is part of the 'mysteries' of the laws of the game - hands in the ruck, etc. But when the only outcome of the cheating is the increased likelihood of a member of the opposition being severely punished, it is utterly unacceptable.
I will post three recent examples of CHEATING I can think of from the top of my head:
1) Yannick Nyanga for Toulouse vs Leinster, 2011
2) Benoit August for Biarritz vs Saracens, 2011
3) Fulgence Ouedraogo for Montpellier vs Perpignan, 2012
This practice is not common, but it is happening more and more frequently. In my opinion, it must be ironed out, for the sake of the integrity rugby prides itself on.
The football response to this was to punish the cheat with a yellow card for diving. This is a policy decision as ineffective as Prohibition, because any football match nowadays is an absolute mess of cheating and deception. Punishments in the hands of the match referee do not work.
Rugby already has a well developed citing procedure in place. It is not perfect, but in general dirty and violent acts missed by the referee and TJs are reviewed and those responsible are punished.
Can I please generate support here for the citing of players who bring the ethics of the game into disrepute by unsporting and dishonest behaviour? This offence is just as bad, in my opinion, as many of the dangerous tackle incidents, and should warrant at least 8 weeks out of the game, as a punishment and more importantly, deterrent, for those like Nyanga, August and Ouedraogo who have decided to disrespect the traditions and values of rugby.
Playacting is one of the big reasons given by rugby fans as to why our sport is 'purer' than football. Football in 2012 is rotten to its core; we cannot allow rugby to head this way. Yet increasingly I am seeing blatant attempts to deceive the referee and cheat. Cheating has always been accepted to some extent when the cheating is part of the 'mysteries' of the laws of the game - hands in the ruck, etc. But when the only outcome of the cheating is the increased likelihood of a member of the opposition being severely punished, it is utterly unacceptable.
I will post three recent examples of CHEATING I can think of from the top of my head:
1) Yannick Nyanga for Toulouse vs Leinster, 2011
2) Benoit August for Biarritz vs Saracens, 2011
3) Fulgence Ouedraogo for Montpellier vs Perpignan, 2012
This practice is not common, but it is happening more and more frequently. In my opinion, it must be ironed out, for the sake of the integrity rugby prides itself on.
The football response to this was to punish the cheat with a yellow card for diving. This is a policy decision as ineffective as Prohibition, because any football match nowadays is an absolute mess of cheating and deception. Punishments in the hands of the match referee do not work.
Rugby already has a well developed citing procedure in place. It is not perfect, but in general dirty and violent acts missed by the referee and TJs are reviewed and those responsible are punished.
Can I please generate support here for the citing of players who bring the ethics of the game into disrepute by unsporting and dishonest behaviour? This offence is just as bad, in my opinion, as many of the dangerous tackle incidents, and should warrant at least 8 weeks out of the game, as a punishment and more importantly, deterrent, for those like Nyanga, August and Ouedraogo who have decided to disrespect the traditions and values of rugby.
