Poite was plain wrong, there is no justification
The Rugby Paper|July 11, 2021
Whether Ken Owens takes a nightly double knee to give The Almighty thanks for rather more than just another day is, of course, his business and his alone.
PETER JACKSON
Poite was plain wrong, there is no justification

That said, the last week or so will have given the Wales hooker a jolting reminder why he might wish to offer a prayer for Romain Poite, assuming he hasn’t already been doing so since the Frenchman’s impersonation of the Good Samaritan.

Rarely can one player have a more enduring reason to be truly thankful to a referee for showing compassion at a time of personal crisis.

The narrative has long since been woven into Lions folklore, how at the end of the last series in New Zealand the Sheriff of Carmarthenshire found himself without a legal leg to stand on surrounded by a posse of All Blacks all eager to have him banged to rights.

With the series in the balance, Owens had been caught red-handed playing the ball in an offside position after Liam Williams’ knock-on. An open-and-shut case of a penalty within comfortable striking distance and time rapidly running out.

Poite duly did as the law decreed. Clutching at the only straw he could find, Sam Warburton asked him to give the video another look, a request which in hindsight turned out to be a stroke of captaincy genius.

The referee’s volte-face, as inexplicable now as it was then, saved the series for the Lions. More pointedly, it got their substitute hooker off the hook of history.

The referee’s recent mea culpa brought all that flooding back, ensuring that his clanger could be heard clanking around every canyon in New Zealand. Four years after the event, Poite gave a rough idea of how the mistake had tormented him, confessing that he had ‘destroyed everything’ in the changing room at Eden Park.

Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin July 11, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin July 11, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE RUGBY PAPER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Unbeaten Lymm put the Tykes on a leash
The Rugby Paper

Unbeaten Lymm put the Tykes on a leash

LYMM maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign, taking the major scalp of Leeds Tykes and ending the visitors' unblemished start.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 10, 2024
Dramatic late win boosts leaders
The Rugby Paper

Dramatic late win boosts leaders

A LAST-minute converted try saw Tonbridge Juddians snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Barnes.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 10, 2024
England need to be more consistent
The Rugby Paper

England need to be more consistent

I WAS at last week's game against the All Blacks and as much as I enjoyed my first visit to the stadium since the Six Nations, I couldn't help noticing a different attitude of those in control of the stadium's notification system which puts out messages to the crowd.

time-read
4 dak  |
November 10, 2024
Cuthbert: Wales have to deliver
The Rugby Paper

Cuthbert: Wales have to deliver

ALEX Cuthbert says the pressure on Wales is huge ahead of their opening Autumn Nations Series game against Fiji today.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 10, 2024
Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions
The Rugby Paper

Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions

TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has so far been no exception.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 10, 2024
Goldthorp can challenge Kildunne for No.15 spot
The Rugby Paper

Goldthorp can challenge Kildunne for No.15 spot

LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning head coach Nathan Smith is backing Fran Goldthorp to compete with Ellie Kildunne, right, for England's No.15 jersey.

time-read
1 min  |
November 10, 2024
Four-try David calls the shots for Bears
The Rugby Paper

Four-try David calls the shots for Bears

MILLIE David helped Bristol blow Leicester away after scoring four of their 10 tries at Welford Road.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 10, 2024
Scott-Young keen to follow his father
The Rugby Paper

Scott-Young keen to follow his father

TYPICAL of most Australians, Scott-Young Angus has fairly sunny disposition and the loose forward is confident that Saints can soon start to turn things around on the road.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 10, 2024
When value for money is not part of the deal
The Rugby Paper

When value for money is not part of the deal

ENGLAND'S bench strategy against New Zealand - goodbye \"bomb squad\", hello \"squib squad\"-has been investigated, psychoanalysed, convicted on all charges and mercilessly sentenced by the entire rugby world and its maiden aunt, so there is no earthly point in returning to the scene of the crime.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 10, 2024
'I want to prove my worth to Bath'
The Rugby Paper

'I want to prove my worth to Bath'

OUT-OF-FAVOUR winger RuBath aridh McConnochie is hoping to use the Premiership Cup to lay down a challenge to Johann van Graan and make his selection claims impossible to ignore.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 10, 2024