Ofa Tuungafasi has been lining up midfield runners all year and hitting them hard and legally. He is superb at bending his knees and launching into ball carriers' chests.
But in Brisbane, when impressive wing Tom Wright charged at him, Tuungafasi was a touch too high. Wright was also dropping after being clipped by Ardie Savea and so with the tackler fractionally too high and the ball carrier fractionally lower than anticipated, the inevitable happened.
Tuungafasi's shoulder crashed into Wright's chin and it was a red card. Were there mitigating circumstances..? Maybe...but referee Nic Berry didn't agree.
2 MO’UNGA’S SHORT KICK OFF
When the Blues travelled to Christchurch, it felt that not only was the Super Rugby Aotearoa title on the line, but that the clock had been wound back to the good old days when the AucklandCanterbury rivalry gripped the nation.
We had the hype of old leading into the game and it didn’t disappoint. An epic encounter played out – and the Blues were in control for the first 55 minutes. When Rieko Ioane barged over to make it 15-9 it felt like an upset was on the cards.
But Braydon Ennor charged the conversion attempt and then Richie Mo’unga sneaked a short kick off along the ground which he regathered and five phases later the Crusaders scored and were back in the lead.
Denne historien er fra Issue 208, December - January 2021-utgaven av NZ Rugby World.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 208, December - January 2021-utgaven av NZ Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020
2020- Most Amazing Rugby Acts
RUGBY ROYALTY
FRANS STEYN’S IMPACT AT LAST YEAR’S WORLD CUP ADDED MORE PRESTIGE TO A DECORATED CAREER THAT ISN’T OVER YET. CRAIG LEWIS FROM SA RUGBY MAGAZINE REPORTS.
WINGING IT FOR LONGER
TYPICALLY POWER WINGS DON'T LAST LONG IN THE ALL BLACKS. BUT CALEB CLARKE AND RIEKO IOANE ARE HOPING TO BUCK THE TREND.
TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
NZ RUGBY WORLD EDITOR GREGOR PAUL HAS A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED THE CAPTAIN'S RUN. IN IT HE EXPLORES WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD THE WORLD'S BEST RUGBY TEAM, HOW THE JOB HAS CHANGED AND HOW THE VARIOUS LEADERS HAVE DEALT WITH PRESSURE, FAILURE AND SUCCESS.
WOW FACTOR
SCOTT ROBERTSON IS UNORTHODOX BUT HE'S ALSO BRILLIANT AND WANTS A JOB WITH THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS.
RUGBY REBORN
COVID BROUGHT ECONOMIC CARNAGE IN 2020 BUT RATHER THAN BEING SEEN AS A WRECKER OF FORTUNES, THE PANDEMIC WAS ACTUALLY A GIANT BLESSING.
BATTLE FOR THE BLEDISLOE
THE UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS OF 2020 SAW THE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR HASTILY REDRAWN AND IN A UNIQUE TWIST FOR THE PROFESSIONAL AGE, THE ALL BLACKS PLAYED FOUR CONSECUTIVE TESTS AGAINST AUSTRALIA.
PACIFIC POWER HOUSE
FIJI HAVE NEVER QUITE BEEN ABLE TO FULFIL THEIR ENORMOUS POTENTIAL. BUT THEY MIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE APPOINTMENT OF VERN COTTER AS HEAD COACH.
THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
ON AND OFF THE FIELD, SPRINGBOKS WING CHESLIN KOLBE CONTINUES TO MAKE AN INSPIRATIONAL IMPACT.
DEFENCE FORCE ONE
THE BLUES WERE A RADICALLY DIFFERENT TEAM IN 2020 AND MUCH OF THAT WAS DUE TO THEIR VASTLY IMPROVED WORK ON DEFENCE.
