Yesterday's win over England had the nation in joyous mood, talking points mainly centered on the outstanding performances of several players. The Cole-Healy collision also took up plenty of debate however. Healy played on after his knock with Dan Cole, video below, not something a player of lesser stature may have been able to do. The collision has created plenty of debate, should Cole have seen a card for leading with his arm, and then head? Or is the blame at Healy's feet for not going low? Should the choke tackle be outlawed?
We look at the arguments;
Cole intentionally leads with the head/arm
Looking at the video above, it is hard to say anything other than that Cole lead with his arm, then head. Had Healy not swatted Cole's arm downwards it would have made contact with his face, that in itself would likely have been enough to see the Leicester prop leave the field.
The collision itself is not dissimilar to Basteraud and Sexton's coming together two weeks prior, video below. The Irishman never raised his arm however and incident occurred in a much shorter timeframe. Cole is also clearly looking at Healy and should have been well aware of what the collision could have entailed for his opponent.
Plenty online agree Cole was at fault;
Surely to God Dan Cole will be cited for his obviously intentional headbutt on Cian Healy yesterday? #Irelandrugby #wtf
— Chris O (@Pippirrip89) March 2, 2015
I hope Dan Cole enjoys a good few weeks watching rugby from the sidelines. — Niamh Haughey (@NHaughey) March 1, 2015
@ProperChurch You got the Leicester Kiss from Cole. Not just a momentum collision or bad positioning. There was an extra deliberate movement
— Rob Kenyon (@Biginabox) March 2, 2015
@bbcrugby Dan Cole yellow card for headbutt on Cian Healy before the last England penalty. Surely? Since when was the 'head-off' legal?
— Little Richardjohn (@Lil_Richardjohn) March 1, 2015
Cian Healy's attempt at a choke tackle was to blame/It's just part of the game
In a week in which there has been a lot of debate on the 'choke tackle', we see here how it can go wrong. Instead of going low on Cole, which is the traditional way of tackling, Healy attempts a choke tackle; to keep Cole stood upright while tackling him. He would have also wrapped up the ball, preventing Cole from releasing it. By doing this England would have had to take the ball into a maul, giving Ireland a good chance of winning a scrum should the English not be able to take the ball out of the maul. The choke tackle inevitably carries more risks, including the dangers of knocks and also a lesser chance of stopping your opponent. Many would argue that Healy's knock was thus his own fault for attempting a choke tackle as opposed to a traditional one.
A lot of talk about citing Dan Cole. What a loud of nonsense, I'm sure @ProperChurch will confirm it's just part of the sport! #rugby
— Four Balls (@FourBallsBlog) March 2, 2015
@markyptweets @ProperChurch it wasn't foul play. Get over it, i'm sure there is worse foul play that goes on in rugby than that. — Ryan Ollerton (@Ryan_Ollerton) March 1, 2015
Both arguments have their merits and should Cole have been cited there could have been few complaints. The choke tackle is clearly an area which needs clearing up from the sports' lawmakers.
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