04/20/24
November 22, 2006
Wake up, you're off!: To quote the New Zealand Herald: Ah, the irony. Welsh lock Huw Richards was having a pat-a-cake struggle with Gary Whetton during the 1987 World Cup semi in Brisbane [...] Richards was revived by the side of the pitch just so he could be shown the red card for giving Whetton a few handbags before Shelford arrived with his peacemaker.
They were thinking - as they did, back then - that the guy starting it got what he deserved, and, as the instigator, deserved the boot.
posted by rodgerd at 04:31 AM on November 23, 2006
Maybe, but do you really think the slap was a sending off offence? You see things worse than that in the modern game that don't even get a sin binning. The Shelford punch, though, was way out of proportion and also cowardly (gee, it's real brave to punch someone when they're looking in the opposite direction). But still, in those days what happened on the field stayed on the field. My cousin was a rugby player (I almost said "a professional", but of course he wasn't) for Neath in those days and he'd get into worse fights than that. You'd see him in the bar after the games laughing his head off with the same person he'd been punching the shit out of two hours earlier. Rugby players are a strange breed!
posted by afx237vi at 08:05 AM on November 23, 2006
To be really pedantic, the video clearly shows that referees didn't use red cards at that point in time. They weren't introduced for what, I dunno, another decade? But what the hell was the ref thinking? The so-called sending off offence was barely a slap. It didn't even make contact. But all three officials were standing five yards away looking directly at Shelford when he flattened Richards! Crazy decision.