Club rugby player jailed for in game incident?? is that fair?

Question

A rugby player has been jailed for six months in prison because he apparently stamped during a game which left an apposing player requiring 2 stitches in his ear.

As a player myself I can't believe that this could happen,

how can a player goto the police for this,

how can the court find him guilty?

Surely the sort of people who would press charges are the sort of people who shouldn't play the game. (I am restraining from giving my full opinion of that player)

of all the thousands of lower league clubs in england playing every sat there are injuries sustained in every game wether it is intentional or not, if those players decided to press charges the jails really would be full.

Shouldn't the RFU have stepped in, what are peoples opinion of this?

Answer 1

The reality is the guy could not tackle like a man so he stumped like a coward.  Cowards should be jailed (or made to live in France)

Answer 2

This is hardly the first time something like this has happened and it surely won't be the last.  It has been seen in many countries around the world.

At the risk of not getting your vote for "Best Answer" I have to say that there are many good reasons for prosecuting players for doing things on the field that are outside the rules of their game that could cause serious and even permanent bodily harm to another player.  Without knowing the details of the case you are talking about I would guess that the player pressing charges felt the attack was way out of the bounds of the spirit of the game and that his physical well-being was put in danger.

That much being said, we have to acknowledge that most sports are physical and the participants are competitive with a lot of adrenaline flowing which is why the practice of arresting on the base of on-field activity should be only limited to extreme cases where it is clear that harm was intended.  There is a certain element of risk in all sports and we must accept that before we begin playing them.

To be honest, with the multi-million Dollar/Euro contracts of top athletes today, I am very surprized there are not more charges pressed or, at the least, lawsuits when players feel that their future value might be endangered due to another player's actions.

Answer 3

For someone to go out of their way to hurt another sportsman that just being a coward.

You can't play with someone like that.

I am sorry you feel you have to but its just not right not matter how you look at it.

Answer 4

Just because it's a game doesn't mean you can go out of your way to assault someone.

Answer 5

yes two welshmen went down for punches. bangs and scrapes will happen but they are not as nasty as a stamp on the head .

Answer 6

Wouldn't have happened in my day.................. TWO stitches?? He's having a laugh isn't he??

I've had (amongst many other things) the whole top of one of my ears ripped off in the bottom of a ruck. The bloke who did it bought me a pint in the bar afterwards......... end of story.

Answer 7

mate this is well out of order the rfu should have jumped in an the person who when to the cop should ever play again because as the unwritten rule says what happens on the park stays on the park

Answer 8

I cannot believe your attitude to deliberate foul play.

The reason why rugby is such a good game is that wanton thuggery is not accepted .

I take my hat off to the Judge who passed the sentence and I hope that it serves as a warning to the miniscule % of players who seek to tarnish the image of rugby.

Answer 9

this is not fair however stamping on players is against the laws of the game but the player who was stmped on was doing something wrong

Answer 10

Hey, I know from personal experience how many bumps scrapes and more you guys get from playing, I really admire the game also. Hats off to you. I get where you are comming from, when you sign up...you know what you are getting into. I have the same thing with my job too. However if someone does something on purpose...not just in the normal rough and tumble of the game....he goes out of his way to cause harm,do you really want to be playing with that sort of guy??

Answer 11

I was not there so cannot comment on the incident in question, though I would say this. Any player who causes deliberate serious injury to another player should be dealt with in the most serious manner. potentially an injury can finish a players career, therefore his or her livelihood so they should be protected from this.

I used to play when raking was an acceptable method of play  and still have the scars to prove it. Rugby is a tough game but there is no excuse for thuggery.

If someone in your workplace caused you deliberate injury would you just shake there hand at the end of the day?

A hard played game with a few knocks is OK, and yes you can buy each other a beer or 2 later, but if some tw@t did something like that to me I would not be too happy either.

Answer 12

when youre offside at a ruck you expect a shoeing about the body but i believe the head is a no go area as for jail i believe that as sensible adults we can resolve issues like this ourselfs but its also up to individual and the club i dont agree with bringing in outside agencies into what happens on the park it is like what happens on tour stays on tour

Answer 13

I know its not rugby, but Duncan Ferguson got jailed for assaulting a player during a game in Scotland.

At the end of the day, I suppose if there is wanton thuggery and violence, why should it be considered differrent just because it was on the playing field?

Answer 14

Rugby is a physical game, thats why we love it so.  However, there is a difference between giving someone a good stiff tackle, and using boots on a player.  Even the fair pit of pushing and shoving is less than offensive since tempers can get pretty high on the pitch.  But using steel studs on a fella on the deck is poor sportsmanship  (Danny Grewcock take notice).

Answer 15

The law of the land doesn't stop at the white line of a pitch perimeter.  Players (and officials) have a duty of care to each other, especially in a sport as rugby where activities are inherrently hazardous.  Where cowardly players deliberately injure opponents on a pitch; actions that they would be prosecuted for off it, then the law of the land should intervene. Whether or not a sanction has been imposed by the match official.

Answer 16

Theres nothing wrong with hard tough but fair play, within the rules ! The problem is when some coward resorts to cheap shots or thuggery in play to get one up on you, often your than penalised for retalliating.

My career in Professional Rugby League in Sydney was ended in a spitefull incident against a Fijian Rugby hero who hit me late, high and tore my dislocated left elbow out, resulting in a severed brachial artery. Ever feal that amount of blood flow from your body than you'll know the pain !

This coward thug got off scot free and skipped the country so Raffa Quaffalofi ***** u m**o ! I was prepared to sue everyone from the Ref to the NSWRL, because this was his third attack on me on the field, he ran 20m sideways just to take me out ! I settled against the NSWRL Sports Injuries Compensation which paid my bills and a deposit on a house ! Raffa your most probably dead now or living in poverty SO ***** YOU !