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Chris Hala'ufia: Dirtiest player in the Prem?

Draggs

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Just handed a four week ban for a tip tackle.
Priors-
February 2013: Two weeks for striking a player
December 2012: Five weeks for dangerous tackle (overturned)
March 2012: 11 weeks for dangerous tackle (ban increased due to priors)
October 2011: 7 weeks for dangerous tackle
February 2011: 8 weeks for dangerous tackle
April 2010: Three weeks for dangerous tackle
January 2010: Four weeks for striking a player

Everybody calls Botha dirty, but this is something else!
 
Probably.
Think a lot of those are idiocy rather than thuggery though - flying in a bit late etc. different to headbutting someone in the back of the head.
Do think he's a right knob, mind.

Not so sure about his current ban either, even if it was on Seymour. Thought he was unlucky to get a yellow at the time too - the only reason it happened is because Fenby lifted his other leg at the same time, so instead of lifting and driving the two of them span him 180 and halaufia fell on Seymour.
 
He gets a fair few of those bans on reputation. For instance this was a red card and a 5 week ban. Other players would get away with that I'm sure (especially if they played for Leicester of course). Having said that though he created his reputation in the first place though.

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Based on that gif, I would like to believe no one would have got away with that. I know that's probably not true, the judicial review is a terribly inconsistent thing, but that looks completely bang to rights - and frankly lenient given his disciplinary record. Doesn't look intentional, but that's not the point.

What I don't get is why anyone employs him, he's a one man rotation policy.
 
Based on that gif, I would like to believe no one would have got away with that. I know that's probably not true, the judicial review is a terribly inconsistent thing, but that looks completely bang to rights - and frankly lenient given his disciplinary record. Doesn't look intentional, but that's not the point.

What I don't get is why anyone employs him, he's a one man rotation policy.

That was a legitimate tackle in my opinion, borderline but it was the players momentum that made him land on his back.

Oh and regarding whether others would have got away with it, we all know the "I didn't mean it" excuse is perfectly valid provided your an international and play for certain teams ...

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Two wrongs don't make a right duck and momentum is not a valid excuse for dumping someone on their neck. You pick him up, you put him down safely. Its that simple. That's the rulebook.
 
Two wrongs don't make a right duck and momentum is not a valid excuse for dumping someone on their neck. You pick him up, you put him down safely. Its that simple. That's the rulebook.

He wasn't injured and perfectly safe. Seb Jewell dropped down or put down on his head either. It was a fair tackle.

Unfortunate rugby has got so soft with big hits. Brian "Chiropractor" Lima was a well liked by rugby fans in his day now he would be regarded exactly like Hala'ufia. It's the Pacific Islanders who bare the brunt of these soft tackles rules as seen recently with Fiji in Italy and that joke yellow card in the Wales Tonga game. Sadly for them, they don't seem able to adapt to the soft rules and with their reputation are getting harsher and harsher sin bins.

Hala'ufia isn't on a level of Bakkies Botha in my opinion. As Olyy says, big hits are not the same as eye gouging or headbutting someone from behind.
 
He wasn't injured and perfectly safe. Seb Jewell dropped down or put down on his head either. It was a fair tackle.

Unfortunate rugby has got so soft with big hits. Brian "Chiropractor" Lima was a well liked by rugby fans in his day now he would be regarded exactly like Hala'ufia. It's the Pacific Islanders who bare the brunt of these soft tackles rules as seen recently with Fiji in Italy and that joke yellow card in the Wales Tonga game. Sadly for them, they don't seem able to adapt to the soft rules and with their reputation are getting harsher and harsher sin bins.

Hala'ufia isn't on a level of Bakkies Botha in my opinion. As Olyy says, big hits are not the same as eye gouging or headbutting someone from behind.

The game is definitely going soft...............this is not assisted by the Refs who are now more concentrated on spotting and delivering a card to every potential tackle that can be deemed in any way to be a tip tackle.

I am not blaming them, as no doubt it would affect their rating to be accused of missing one, but the time taken to review them all when there are 5 pairs of judicial eyes (including the TMO who is, or should be, allowed to intervene) watching the game and the bent to go against the potential "aggressor" is spoiling the game for no real good...........without doubt a tip tackle is dangerous where the guy comes down on his neck or even shoulders or driven into the ground but landing on his back? Really?

With regard to this particular tackle.......why was the other guy not punished as he was equally responsible as they each lifted up a leg?!!
 
It is going soft . Did anyone see the penalty Ben Youngs had against him for throwing Steve borthwick out the way when SB was quite clearly just trying to get away with standing in a stupid place and slowing everything down
 
It is going soft . Did anyone see the penalty Ben Youngs had against him for throwing Steve borthwick out the way when SB was quite clearly just trying to get away with standing in a stupid place and slowing everything down

You highlight the other nasty side of modern pro rugby.......playing for the penalty and that overgrown disgrace of an ex England Captain demonstrated it to perfection by standing there with his arms up waiting to be hit...............
 
I don't think the its a case of the game going soft, nowadays with players so much bigger and stronger these tackles have the potential to do much more harm than in the past so they have to be monitored more carefully for player welfare.
 
That Gif Hit IMO was perfectly legit , he didn't lift the players legs he hit him so hard the player was upended , most of this due to the runners momentum himself. The player wasn't dropped nor was he put on his head or neck or shoulders , nor was he lifted.

I feel that hit should be commended.
 
That Gif Hit IMO was perfectly legit , he didn't lift the players legs he hit him so hard the player was upended , most of this due to the runners momentum himself. The player wasn't dropped nor was he put on his head or neck or shoulders , nor was he lifted.

I feel that hit should be commended.


I agree..............I was talking about his recent "misdemeanour"!
 
Two wrongs don't make a right duck and momentum is not a valid excuse for dumping someone on their neck. You pick him up, you put him down safely. Its that simple. That's the rulebook.
He wasn't picked up though mate , look at the hit , His shoulder hit , he arched his back and the player came off his feet from the impact , , his arms don't move the whole time , I don't think this constitutes lifting the player as opposed to smashing him with a good solid tackle
 
He wasn't picked up though mate , look at the hit , His shoulder hit , he arched his back and the player came off his feet from the impact , , his arms don't move the whole time , I don't think this constitutes lifting the player as opposed to smashing him with a good solid tackle

Semantics. The player went up, he didn't come down safely according to the laws. People can go on about the game getting soft, fair enough if that's your opinion, but the laws are the laws and that's not a legal tackle. Personally speaking, any tackle that brings you own team down to 14 men is de facto a bad tackle.

As for the idea he's not on the same level as Botha (Duck), uhm, no. The flying headbutt on Olly Morgan? The straight arm to that Racing Metro bloke's head? He's well up there.
 
He gets a fair few of those bans on reputation. For instance this was a red card and a 5 week ban. Other players would get away with that I'm sure (especially if they played for Leicester of course). Having said that though he created his reputation in the first place though.

diapo80373df3d1307ce25e69f0dc2bda9319.gif

I actually agree that was a legal tackle, based on I don't feel there was a lift (from the gif). It looked to me that the collision point was around the chest and the impact drove the top half of his body backwards while his legs contrinued forward. Unless someone is lifted and turned past the horizontal I don't believe that can be illegle...
 
Would just like to reiterate the point that hitting hard (even if the hits are questionable) does not make you a dirty player. You could be a mean *******, but to me a dirty player means gouging, stamping etc.

I'm sure Hala'ufia makes his fair share of illegal hits, but I've never seen him attempt to gouge or headbutt a player. The only thing that strikes me as dirty from that list is striking another player, and plenty of players are guilty of that.

 
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Would just like to reiterate the point that hitting hard (even if the hits are questionable) does not make you a dirty player. You could be a mean *******, but to me a dirty player means gouging, stamping etc.

I'm sure Hala'ufia makes his fair share of illegal hits, but I've never seen him attempt to gouge or headbutt a player. The only thing that strikes me as dirty from that list is striking another player, and plenty of players are guilty of that.



Agree 100% with that I wanted to say something similar but didn't know how best to word it but you've done that for me.
 
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