Tonight saw the second semi final in the Rugby Under 20 World Cup between England and South Africa played in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Under 20 game is quicker and more physical than the adult game which is sometimes hard to believe. The first game of the day saw France knock over the baby All Blacks 26-22 which is not something you see very often.
The youngsters do get stuck in and does bring back memories of how hard rugby is on your body at this age group. This was the big difference I noticed when moving from the under 20 level up to adult rugby. The adult game is more structured and less loose so the game is slowed down being more clinical in short bursts. Even though the players are extremely fit it is not easy to go hammer and tongs for 80 minutes and why slowing the game down catching a breather is the only way unless you have reserve players. Back in the 1990's only if you were injured were you replaced.
Tonight's encounter was brutal and was border line violent with one England player sent off for headbutting an opponent on the ground. Not only was this a full red card reducing the team to 14 players for the remainder of the match, but it sparked the South African team who at that point were struggling. The score was 20-12 to England which then became 40-20 to South Africa playing with a higher intensity that England could not live with. England lost 53-37 and the match was over as a contest 10 minutes into the second half.
There is a fine line between aggression and being illegal as rugby is a contact sport where players can be seriously injured. The laws are in place to protect the players as much as possible so head contact is prohibited so a headbutt is a clear red card which is not seen very often as the television cameras are everywhere.
The stupidity when a player does this type of thing thinking he is tougher than the other players is utter madness. The England team may have been on top at the time, but they were going through a tenderizing process by the South African team. Most teams can compete with a better team for 40 minutes, but during the last 40 minutes will find it impossible to maintain the same intensity and will fall away when their bodies break down. The headbutt was simply idiotic and gave away any chance his team had of causing an upset. The player let down all his team mates and this is not something a coach can plan for. The game is all about keeping your players on the field because the chances of winning with one player less for so long being 50 minutes is almost impossible.
What I find strange is the England senior side and now their junior side struggle with discipline issues and you wonder if it is the system or mentality of the players thinking they are above the law. There is definitely something fundamentally wrong internally within the coaching set ups with arrogance coming to mind which must be coming from somewhere.
The tenderizing effect through the number of hits takes its toll and is something we are raised on in junior rugby locally. Staying within the laws knocking the stuffing out of your opponents is going to take it's toll on any team not used to this and England found out. The England bench was emptied by the start of the second half so much so injured players had to stay on and the end was already in sight. It is tough when you are being beaten up physically due to your opponents being tougher and stronger.
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