Australia edged Kenya 7-5 to top Pool D in the rugby sevens tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but Corey Toole paid a hefty price for the privilege.
That's after Damian McGrath's men showcased a keen understanding of the rule book to pull off a rarely seen rugby phenomenon. Toole, 22, found himself isolated and with few options in front of him when he encountered a wall of red, green and black deep in Kenyan territory.
But rather than settle for your average takedown, the underdogs grouped up to execute a perfect choke tackle, surrounding their target to stop any chance of an offload. The choke tackle is a legal means of slowing (or in this case, stopping) the attack provided the carrier's knees don't touch the turf.
Not content with merely stopping the attack, however, Kenya stripped possession by walking Toole over the touchline and safely dumping him out of play. Referee Finlay Brown could have called a maul had another member of the Australia team managed to join the mass, but it was all but impossible to do so.
John Manenti's men could only look on as Kenya careered the sandwiched star out of bounds, while the commentator exclaimed Toole was taken out "like a sack of spuds." Johnstone Olindi—who scored twice in Kenya's pool-opening win over Uganda—was among those who made sure his opponent's landing wasn't too soft.
Toole didn't get much running done during the sequence, but the youngster nevertheless looked exhausted from the ordeal once he found some breathing space on the floor. As fate would have it, it was he who scored the deciding try against Kenya before also grabbing the decisive try in their quarter-final win over Samoa.
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Some social media spectators were in awe at the nous shown by Kenya to stop Australia in their tracks and take possession in such ingenious fashion. One user on Twitter called the move "so awesome," while another lauded the "brilliant" execution.
Other questioned Australia's stand-off approach, however, and were left with the impression the visitors from Down Under could have done more to help their team-mate in need. One asked 'what the Aussies were doing', while another wrote: "Why didn’t Australia get a few in and drive it forward?"
Fans at the Coventry Building Society Arena weren't complaining in any case, with many unaware the choke tackle could be used to turnover possession in such a manner. Kenya may even inspire a movement to make the manoeuvre more common practice in sevens, with Fiji and South Africa set to contest the final on Sunday.
