Here are your rugby morning headlines for Saturday, April 9.
Shocking red card for hit on Saracens star
Brive's Axel Müller was handed a red card in the European Challenge Cup match for a jumping challenge on Sarries winger Ben Harris, who was floored by the hit ahead of Jamie George's try in the 55-5 win.
Commentator Nick Mullins said: "Brutal goings-on in Brive. Switching between Galway and that game where the French are being heavily beaten by Saracens & treading the line of legality. There’s just been a red for a head-high assault."
Saracens led 8-0 after 10 minutes through Owen Farrell’s penalty and Andy Christie’s try and though Setariki Tuicuvu responded for Brive, they too were soon out of the game. Forwards Eroni Mawi and Nick Isiekwe made it 22-5 at half-time and scrum-half Ivan Van Zyl scored inside a minute of the second period.
Ben Earl and Rotimi Segun dotted down either side of the hour, before Brive full-back Muller was red-carded for the brutal hit on Harris in the lead up to George’s score. Harris would in fact go on to finish the job with a late try, but the hit he sustained was the main talking point after the one-sided game.
50:22 set to become permanent addition to laws
The 50:22 kick rule and the goal-line drop-out rule will reportedly become a permanent part of rugby’s law book from next season after successful trials. The Times reports that World Rugby’s law review group met this week and is set to confirm next month that the new laws are here to stay.
Both were introduced last August as part of player welfare-driven global law trials which also included tightening up rules around players “pre-latching” before contact.
Barrett calm over return from concussion
All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett is feeling good ahead of a return to rugby, having struggled with a couple of head injuries which left him fearing for his career. The New Zealand playmaker suffered a blow to the head against Ireland last autumn which left him suffering from persistent headaches throughout the southern hemisphere's off-season. He also admitted during that time that he thought his career might have been over.
Having once returned for the Blues, only to suffer another knock o the head, he's now set for a second comeback for the Auckland side against the Chiefs. And despite a tumultuous six months, he said he is feeling fine ahead of taking to the pitch once more.
“It’s purely based on my symptoms,” he told Stuff.NZ ahead of the Chiefs matchup. “If I was suffering similar symptoms after that Highlanders game that I did over the summer for a few months then we’d be having a different conversation. I’d be looking at becoming symptom-free, and getting clear in the head, and ultimately there are more important things in life than rugby.
“It would be a case of talking to my doctors … but fortunately I woke up and I was feeling clear in the head, feeling great, and that gave me lot of peace of mind and confidence that everything was fine. That’s always the risk given it’s a physical game. It’s part of the reason we love playing rugby.
"It always has been physical, and always will be. But there comes a point where you have to be smart, I guess, around your quality of life and life after footy. For some people it’s forced earlier retirement than they’d prefer, but at the moment things are all tickety-boo, and my hand isn’t forced, purely because of how I’m feeling … this one I bounced back from really quickly.”
Lions tour showed Simmonds how much he missed Test rugby
Sam Simmonds says last summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa made him realise how much he missed international rugby. Lions head coach Warren Gatland selected the Exeter No. 8 for his squad despite not featuring for England since March 2018. Instead, his impressive club form was enough to get him on the plane to South Africa, where he managed to win a Test cap.
Since the tour, Simmonds has returned to the England fold. And he credited touring with the Lions as making him want to get back into Eddie Jones' plans even more.
“That [Lions tour] was the start of me really wanting to get back into the England fold,” he said. “It made me realise what I had been missing through injury or not being selected, so that spurred me on, and to get selected again was amazing. Over time, when I wasn’t getting selected, I just felt like there was something missing and I wanted to test myself again and be back playing at the highest level. I have enjoyed playing for England, I have enjoyed training, I’ve enjoyed testing myself at that level again.
“Maybe in the past, I was a little bit of rabbit in the headlights and didn’t maybe take the opportunity that was put in front of me and didn’t really express myself, whereas I feel like the Lions gave me the confidence to do that, and then that added into playing for England. Warren said he knew I was not playing international rugby at the time, but to keep doing what I was doing and I would definitely be considered. It was literally like a minute and a half [conversation], but for me that was good. For whatever reason, I wasn’t being selected for England at the time, but I felt like I was in good form, so it was nice to be able to still be recognised when you are not actually playing international rugby.”
All Blacks flanker suffers major injury blow
New Zealand flanker Shannon Frizell has suffered a major injury blow which could rule him out for the rest of the Super Rugby season. Barely a minute into the Highlanders' clash with Moana Pasifika, Frizell was caught in an awkward tackle. Afterwards, he could be seen supporting himself with crutches following the match.
Following the match, Highlanders coach Tony Brown confirmed it was likely a season-ending injury. “I think we've lost those boys for the season by the looks,” Brown said. “Both of them MCLs.
“You can't replace those two guys. Shannon was playing the best rugby he’s been playing for a long time. He’d be very disappointed. Potentially, his year is done.”
