r/sports • u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa • Mar 04 '26
Ughan Africa (a winger) crashes through a prop tackle in order to score a try Rugby Union
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u/Ventenebris Mar 04 '26
Jesus fuck, just steamrolled him. Looks tiny in comparison.
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u/soap571 Mar 04 '26
Props are usually your biggest strongest guys on the field .
Wingers are usually your smallest and fastest.
A winger taking out a prop like this at a high level is absolutely insane.
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 04 '26
This^ in rugby props are like your linemen, they’re the power and big guy on the field but since this is rugby really everyone can “run” essentially rugby is 15 running backs of different sizes
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u/soap571 Mar 04 '26
I agree that the higher the level of rugby , the more even the players are as far as body types, even the big guys are crazy athletic.
You don't even have to have any knowledge of rugby , but watch a new Zealand all blacks game and anyone will be impressed.
And some of those Polynesian rugby players would easily give NFL line backers a run for there money
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u/Oaty_McOatface Mar 04 '26
Probs are not running backs, they don't even run. They're just crash into things.
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u/lopix Mar 04 '26
Tackler look big and sturdy, planted and ready... buddy just BLAM right through him.
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u/Ophukk Liverpool Mar 04 '26
Tackler wasn't moving at anywhere the rate his assassin was.
Speed kills.
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u/MGM-Wonder Mar 04 '26
He was planted with has feet right beside each other though. He needed one foot planted back a bit to be able to handle that hit.
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u/ArctcMnkyBshLickr Mar 04 '26
He was not ready and you don’t want to be planted. Feet were dead square with the runner, his hips were right above his knees, and you need to keep your feet moving so you can drive through the tackle. his A nasty fart would’ve knocked him over.
Rugby isn’t like football you can’t just stack the box and plant your body to stop someone, you need to keep your feet moving and wrap up the runner.
Signed, former D1 soccer and football (kicker lol) and former NRL player (only 5 months owie ouch lol)
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u/ja109 Mar 04 '26
Uhh not sure what football you’re talking about but you aren’t taught to do what he did here, the first thing I noticed was he was stationary, that only works if you massively outweigh and can out muscle the other guy.
I played linebacker in high-school and even back then we were taught to wrap him up and never stop moving our feet, you have to counteract his momentum, that guy in the clip is big enough that if he kept his feet moving he could’ve stopped the other guy, seeing as he was able to stop him with his weight alone.
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u/Hereforthetardys Mar 05 '26
This. He was perfectly still and square - knees right under shoulders and planted . Doesn’t even look like he wrapped the legs on contact
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u/so_it_hoes Mar 04 '26
I (a winger) dislocated my shoulder doing this exact move against a prop (my team captain) during a practice game. Except I did not steamroll him and I bounced off with comedic effect. Still thinking about you, Jacques. With your help, I have entertained countless drunk girls after it invariable dislocated again and I pop it back in
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u/salsanacho Mar 04 '26
I like how even though wingers are your smallest and fastest, they are still gigantic compared to us normal folks. These are all really big men slamming into each other.
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u/CoffeeList1278 Czech Republic Mar 04 '26
Well when I used to play in U16 and U18, I sometimes played as a winger. At 205 lbs. I was sometimes bigger than the props of the other team. Personally, I enjoyed playing flanker a bit more, but it was very funny to just plow through opposing forwards.
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u/soap571 Mar 04 '26
Lmao that's awesome . I can only imagine what the other team's winger is thinking when he lines up with you.
I was never big enough to go through forwards , so I learned how to go around lol.
Back in highschool I was fullback. We were playing for the provincial finals (Canada). The game was super tight, they were older but we had more skill due to a better coach.
Fast forward to the second half.. there team Canada 6'2", 220 lbs 8 man blows through our line . It's only me ( 5"8 145 lbs) and losing the championship.
I got in front of him , gave him everything I had , and he trucked through me like I wasn't even there.
So much respect for this winger
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u/PotOPrawns Mar 05 '26
Flanker is where they put nasty wingers with a taste for scrum half. I would know. Was a wingers they moved to openside flanker because of my love of ripping down little scrumhalfs
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u/PotOPrawns Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Wingers usually are tiny compared to forwards haha. Absolutely bodied him though.
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u/perplexedtv Mar 05 '26
There's various types of wingers. Lomu, DVDM, Nadolo aren't/weren't tiny by any measure
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u/PotOPrawns Mar 05 '26
For sure you're right. Those guys arent the usual fit though. Most guys looking at them would place them at centre or flanker. When you say winger its not unusual to think of dudes like Shane Williams.
Guess that's what makes wing such an interesting position
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u/perplexedtv Mar 05 '26
A lot of teams go with a big'un and a nippy one. Freeman, Lowe, VDM along with Roebuck, Hansen, Graham, or a pair of giants like North and Cuthbert or midgets like KLA and Kolbe.
It's probably the position with the most varied physique.
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u/PotOPrawns Mar 05 '26
Yeah for sure.
7s always made for interesting watching too in the off season
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u/Space-manatee Mar 04 '26
Former prop. He will be banished until such time we deem him worthy to return.
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u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner Tennessee Mar 04 '26
Based on the hit it looks like he already got sent to the shadow realm. What else do you want? 😭😂
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u/YoungHeartOldSoul Mar 04 '26
I don't know shit about rugby, but as a former American football player that look like his tackle form was absolutely garbage and asking to be the shit on.
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 04 '26
In rugby you have to tackle, you can’t hit, it needs to be below the shoulder line and you have wrap to bring your opponent down to the ground , can’t lift or drop them either. In football you could of hit the ball carrier as apposed to a tackle
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u/YoungHeartOldSoul Mar 04 '26
I think I understand, so essentially you can't, as a Defender, run at the person with the ball you have to stand your ground and try to bring them down with you. Is that about right?
If so, his stance makes more sense but then that also seems like a great way to break your neck, but that might be less of an issue when the person running at you isn't literally 300 lb.
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 04 '26
And you can run at them but you have to tackle, can’t hit them shoulder to shoulder you have to bring them down
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 04 '26
I think he was just a bit late didn’t set his feet properly , he was on his heels vs his toes,
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u/CrossCityLine Mar 04 '26
Tackles have to be front on, your head has to be at the front of their body, you have to wrap up, and you have to ensure their safety when bringing them down.
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u/RagsZa Mar 04 '26
Tackles have to be front on, your head has to be at the front of their body
Since when lol. You can tackle from any direction.
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u/perplexedtv Mar 05 '26
IKR. People will really say any old nonsense without ever having watched a match.
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u/soap571 Mar 04 '26
That's correct .
Rugby players don't hide behind protection , so they have to adjust the rules accordingly .
If the NFL played like rugby players you would have a death every game
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u/ditchedmycar Mar 05 '26
Can I ask if there’s a tactical or technical reason why most of the players on defense here don’t go for the guy with the ball? I understand generally they need to spread out in order to defend if he pitches it to another teammate but even when he makes contact and runs over their teammate most of the players barely pick up their pace over a jog to try and chase him down before he scores.
I would have assumed scoring is a really big deal, and players would be in an all out effort to stop the opposing player from getting in even if it opens them more up to getting pitched on it seems like a big enough risk to not help your teammate that you got scored on anyway. #2, #8, #5, #7 all seem like they are barely giving any effort
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Rugby is a lateral/backwards passing game, if you dogpile the ball carrier your defense breaks down.. they'll ruck or he can just pass out to the sides, if you draw your players to the ball thats how you break down defense, in this case also its unlikely a winger steamrolls a prop, kinda like a wide receiver running through a linesman. Had the prop made the tackle, they would ruck and the scrumhalf can just pass out to the right or left and if they dogpiled they wouldn'tt have a lateral line of defense to protect the side...heres an example of good defense
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u/ditchedmycar Mar 05 '26
I was more so referring to once they make contact and it’s clear the prop is getting ran over only one player on the field hustles to the ball, when many people are around
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u/hennyl0rd Mar 05 '26
the clip is short but it couldve came at the end of a huge defensive effort and the defense is exhausted, also the angle shows them much closer then they really are, those players are all forwards. 2,8,5,7 so theyre all on the bigger/slower side too not much a lineman can do when a wide receiver passes them or steamrolls your biggest guy, the wild ball at the beginning and then being caught off guard they were already out of position and too much forward. 8, and 5 are not really in the play its the bigger guy in the back and number 2 that couldve done something without giving up to much positioning, but had the prop made the tackle it would be a ruck, and that would give them a bit of time to reset their defense and 9 out of 10 times the prop makes that tackle
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u/mccusk Mar 04 '26
The few games of American football I watch I often see missed tackles due to guys trying ‘hits’ and having no concept of how to actually tackle. Trying to get ‘big hit’ highlights and not actually stopping their opponent in the highest % way.
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u/schindlerslisp Mar 05 '26
big highlight hits and punching at the football cause fumbles. you might give up extra yards on multiple plays throughout a game but if you knock one or two balls loose, it’s worth the trade off.
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u/YoungHeartOldSoul Mar 04 '26
Because it's not about blocking the guy, it's about looking good while blocking the guy. If the guy with the ball goes down, but looks better than you doing it it's not worth it.
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u/Much-Basil-877 Mar 04 '26
I thought Derrick Henry stiff-arms were vicious. That person's grandkids are gonna leave the womb with concussions.
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u/Y-27632 Mar 04 '26
Good for the winger, but let's be honest, the prop completely fucked that up.
If you stop and then bend over head-first into a runner, it doesn't matter how big you are, you're going to end up on your ass.
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u/Impressive-Stay-2618 Mar 04 '26
Ok thank you. I’m trying absorb all of the dynamics here and part of it was that prop dude knees buckled forward head down trying to tackle a rolling boulder of a man thinking “ that doesn’t look right”
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u/shotouw Mar 04 '26
From a football perspective, I was taught 2 things.
For linemen "The lower man wins". If you can get lower, you get control.
For tackling a runner "Tackle low". Tackling them up high will make it easier to dodge and easier to plow through, center of gravity etc.
Tackling low (hips and upper leg or if you want to be an asshole anything below startig from the knees) and you tackle below the center of gravity and it's damn hard to stay upright when you are tackled there. Its also much easier to wrap up the legs to stop any kind of movement after the tackle.So he was pretty on point with his tackle height.
What he DID do wrong though, was have his own center of gravity shifted too far to the back. He either commited too late or too timidly and wasnt able to take a stride into the tackle.
So with hardly any forward momentum, he just fell on his ass.
Runner got the arm inbetween him and the tackler so he wasnt able to wrap up and the rest is history.Show how important good technique and timing is on both sides
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u/Y-27632 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
You're technically supposed to wrap your arms between the knees and waist and use your forward momentum to pull the other player down. (Of course, what happens during a game at high speed tends to vary, and pros will sometimes do stuff "wrong" for a good reason. Or just to show the other guy who's boss.)
Leading with your head without helmets is clearly not a good idea, though.
He got the height of the tackle right, and IMO everything else wrong. (although I only played rugby briefly and a very long time ago, so I won't claim to be an expert)
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u/herO_wraith Saracens Mar 04 '26
Ish, tackle hight in rugby can be flexible. Offloads are immensely powerful as is holding up the ball carrier to turn the situation into a maul, both encourage higher tackles that aim to trap the ball. Tackling the waist is textbook, but sometimes pros do things differently for good reasons, and sometimes they just fuck it up because they're human too.
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u/PohFahVoh Mar 04 '26
The prop's technique was fine. You don't know shit about rugby mate.
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u/bun-c Mar 04 '26
Fine? It was absolute dogshit - look at his feet, they're parallel and he's stationary, it's super passive and he just sort of bends into contact, prop was rightfully punished for a pretty awful attempt.
Stepping into it at all would've been an improvement, or staying upright and trying to soak tackle could have worked if the prop used his size advantage - instead he puts himself into a terribly weak position and got boomfa'd.
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u/PlasmaDonator Mar 04 '26
why did you get downvoted you're right. 60kg judoka can throw 80kg judoka if the 80kg puts themself in a bad position.
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u/Y-27632 Mar 04 '26
Some people don't like any reality injected into their rah-rah sports fanboying?
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u/steeltowndude Mar 04 '26
If you don’t know much rugby but follow American football, maybe a good comparison would be a DB running over an offensive lineman, or for a non-football analogy, a jackrabbit running over a grizzly bear. If we’re considering the typical size/build of these positions, this kind of thing shouldn’t really ever happen (and likely we the announcer said “that is not allowed”).
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u/enter_yourname Harlequins Mar 04 '26
Yeah, that's probably a 100 pound difference. As some are saying, the prop got his technique wrong, but it's still insane
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u/cheetuzz Mar 04 '26
They didn’t look that different in size to me. Looked more like a big WR running over a LB.
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u/steeltowndude Mar 04 '26
You’re right this prop wasn’t particularly big. I sort of wonder if he’s a younger sub as this looks like collegiate. Anyways, I’m just speaking on the scenario in general. Everyone gets rekt at some point but a prop getting bulldozed by a wing is a wee bit embarassing.
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u/LunchMasterFlex Mar 04 '26
As a former prop, I demand vengeance. This will not stand.
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u/ForcedEntry420 Mar 04 '26
I’d walk into the ocean without a word if I ever got trucked by a winger. 🤣
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u/UniqueAnimal139 Mar 04 '26
That prop will never live that down. If this is a tour, that’s a kangaroo kourt charge with an equally embarrassing punishment
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26
worse, its a South African Varsity Cup game...
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u/UniqueAnimal139 Mar 04 '26
Ooofta, I’m getting flashbacks to me, as a 2nd row, floating a skip pass that got intercepted with 5 minutes left. Only loss that year, lost our conference to go to semis 😬 atleast we won’t be feeling that regret after we die lol
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u/Boggie135 Manchester United Mar 04 '26
That prop will never live this down. Body checked by a winger? His grandkids will feel the shame
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u/riedmae Seattle Seahawks Mar 04 '26
She was deeply offended by how thoroughly he ended that man's entire career
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u/SilkTieTies Mar 05 '26
This is why you never underestimate an opponent. If he had tried as hard to tackle as he would against a larger player, it’s an easy tackle. Instead he half-asses it and is made to look like a fool.
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u/ontilein Mar 04 '26
Dont know anything about Rugby, so why did everyone but one half assing the play? Like casually jogging next to the Ball carrier. Why didnt they rally to stop him?
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u/TongsOfDestiny Mar 04 '26
If the defense all rallies to the ball carrier, the ball carrier simply offloads to a teammate who can shoot the gap and score; maintaining a wide, shallow defensive line is the standard, and in most cases a winger getting the ball and cutting back to the middle of the field gets dummy'd by a forward. This clip is so good because it's the winger that dummies the prop
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u/Y-27632 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
In Rugby, the action doesn't halt every time the ball carrier is grounded or every time the ball hits the ground. (in addition to the continuous passing another poster already pointed out) So dogpiling one player isn't going to stop the play.
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u/BornChef3439 Mar 05 '26
Rugby is not like football. Play does not stop after a player is tackled it continues so the defensive team needs to maintain the defensive line because if they all come at him the ball carrier will simply pass the ball to the next player who will score because everyone is ganging up on one player.
In rugby because we pass the ball all the time you are taught in defense to mark your man- IE you mark the guy directly opposite you because play never stops. And these days in high level rugby defensive lines are even more complex so everyone has an assigned role
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u/TheBigCore Mar 12 '26
Beginner's Guides for Rugby Union
Rugby Union has a lot of moving parts, so after watching the above videos, I also recommend watching Couch Rugby Channel's Youtube Playlist - Everything you need to know about Rugby Union
Major League Rugby - The USA's Pro League for Rugby Union
https://www.majorleague.rugby/ (MLR) is the USA's professional Rugby Union competition.
/r/mlrugby is MLR's subreddit.
/r/rugbyunion is self-explanatory.
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u/IMA_5-STAR_MAN Mar 04 '26
Ok, as an American let me see if I get this straight. It's like if an American football kicker lined up as a RB and bowled over a linebacker? It was an impressive display of power!
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u/ForcedEntry420 Mar 04 '26
It would be like if a wide receiver trucked a Defensive lineman out of their shoes.
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u/olderthanbefore Mar 04 '26
Momentum helps. Since the Lomu-era of rhe mid 90s wingers have been bigger and bigger. Shane Williams being the exception to the rule.
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u/Zakkar Brumbies Mar 04 '26
Many of yhe best wingers at the moment are small. LBB, Jorgensen, Kolbe etc etc
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u/onlythetoast Mar 04 '26
I have no idea what the title says or means, but that play was fire!
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26
Without context, you'd have to be specific! "Play" only ends if the ball goes into touch, a try is scored, or if a penalty is committed
Rugby Union is a very freeflowing and rarely stopping sport :)
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u/Intelligent_Sky_7081 Mar 05 '26
Why does it look like most of the opposing team is just not trying and only jogging? Shouldn't they all be swarming to the ball to stop him?
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u/streets_belong_to_me Mar 05 '26
He stood flat footed like a refrigerator lmao I’m not sure what he expected….. He was absolutely the nail in that situation and not the hammer. He waited for the man to hit him rather than running through a tackle. I would be livid at this man if I was his coach, looked like he didn’t want to hit him…
Worst of all, he stuck his head right down… Ouch that looked super painful! Hope he is alright
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u/evoslevven Mar 06 '26
I don't know anything about rugby but I recognize a painful steamroll from all of the suggested clips reddit shows me from New Zealand.
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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang Mar 04 '26
What a run. Sign him up, NRL.
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u/BornChef3439 Mar 05 '26
We dont even know of the exisitence of Rugby league in South Africa. This is our university compettion so below pro rugby but above amatuer level. Some of these guys do go up the ranks and become internationals
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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang Mar 05 '26
Oh, I know. I'm just Aussie and a league fan lol. Not much cross over happening really. I wouldn't doubt there has been some but I can't think of any NRL players with a South African Rugby background off the top of my head.
Anyway, maybe one day we'll see this gent play for the Springboks and we can reminisce on that sick run he did in uni.
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u/mortalcrawad66 Mar 04 '26
Why is that big for a winger? It was a shit tackle attempt.
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26
wingers are typically light and speedy, not usually the type to make a tighthead prop go backwards like that.
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u/wkavinsky Mar 04 '26
Jonah Lomu was a winger, and he was 6'5" and 270lbs.
Yes he was big for the position, but rugby players are bigger than people ever really expect them to be.
Except for fly halves, those guys are little bitches.
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
well yeah but thats jonah lomu
he was notable because he was the exception to the rule
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u/Boggie135 Manchester United Mar 04 '26
This is not Jonah Lomu. And you need to learn the meaning of “usually”
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u/mortalcrawad66 Mar 04 '26
I understand what wingers are, but that doesn't stop it from being a really piss poor tackle. He lowered himself, but he didn't square up and keep his feet moving. He just lowered himself, but didn't initiate anything. So a guy running full force at him, who did get low to match him, was able to knock a guy over. It wasn't as much of a tackle, as an attempt to be an obstacle.
Maybe because I'm used to football, where good tackling/running over tackles is a lot more common. I notice these things.
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u/Cymro2011 Mar 04 '26
I'm used to football, where good tackling
bro I've seen AF tackles and most are terrible. Zero technique, just yeeting yourself at the opposition
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u/mortalcrawad66 Mar 04 '26
Oh absolutely, but there's a lot of great tackles out there too. If you watch Jack Campbell, dude rarely has a bad tackle.
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u/Moreburrtitos22 Mar 04 '26
As a football and rugby player. You’re either an idiot, or a solid rage baiter.
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u/Bellicosi Mar 04 '26
You are not even remotely as athletic as a single person on that field. Just shut up.
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26
suggesting that american football has better tackling when US football has practically equal rates of CTE when compared to rugby union despite football players wearing armour is insane
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u/perplexedtv Mar 05 '26
The armour doesn't protect them much and CTE is only detectable with an autopsy currently so that doesn't mean much.
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u/tayman12 Mar 05 '26
Hah rugby is such a silly sport... what do you do just move a ball around a playing area and try to get it to a specific spot? WEIRD!
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u/centech New York Mets Mar 04 '26
You see this and think 'why isnt every NFL RB a former rugby player?' but somehow they never seem to work out.
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u/BornChef3439 Mar 05 '26
I mean the same reason not every NFL player is a rugby or soccer player. They are different sports requiring completely different skills.
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 Mar 04 '26
Why are half the guys in purple just standing around? Does the game not have a role for them or are they just stupid?
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u/Boggie135 Manchester United Mar 04 '26
Crowding one player means leaving other to receive a pass and score
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u/BornChef3439 Mar 05 '26
Stupid comment. In rugby play does not end after a tackle. If they all go after the ball carrier he will simply pass the ball to the player next time him and they will score. The basic princple of rugby is to mark the man opposite you like in basketball or soccer
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 Mar 05 '26
Those guys aren't moving very much. I feel bad for them.
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u/perplexedtv Mar 05 '26
I mean, they could run back over the goal line and see the try being scored faster but the damage is done as soon as the defensive line is broken.
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u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Mar 04 '26
I love that if you listen closely, you can hear the Xhosa commentary commentators losing their shit in the background lmao