In a thrilling Premiership match on Friday night, Ellis Genge of Bristol Bears narrowly avoided a red card for a dangerous tackle against Sale Sharks at Ashton Gate. The Sharks secured their place in the Premiership playoffs with a convincing 36-20 victory over the Bears.
The game started with Sale taking an 11-point lead, thanks to three penalties from George Ford and a try from Ben Curry. However, Bristol fought back with a try from Siva Naulago to narrow the gap. Sale extended their lead with tries from Jean-Luc du Preez and Gus Warr, putting them in a commanding position.
Despite a late try from Gabriel Ibitoye for Bristol in the final 10 minutes, Sale held on for the win, cementing their second-place position in the table and pulling seven points clear of Leicester.
Genge’s tackle was a contentious moment in the match, with many fans and pundits debating whether it deserved a red card. The incident will likely be reviewed by the disciplinary panel, and Genge may face further scrutiny for his actions.
With the Premiership playoffs looming, teams are jostling for positions in the table, and the intensity of the competition is reaching its peak. As the season progresses, fans can expect more thrilling clashes and nail-biting moments on the road to the Premiership title.Regenerate response
One fan wrote: “How did Ellis Genge not receive a Red Card there is mind-boggling ? That’s a Red Card all day long. Genge shoulder hits Curry’s head. Bristol down to 14 men for 10 mins.”
A second commented: “Look, I love Ellis Genge. But I don’t know what more he had to do in that tackle for it to be red.”
“Ellis Genge has got away with one there,” said a third.
“Horror draw” – England get pool of death in revised World Cup draw
The recently released World Rugby Rankings highlight the absurdity of the Pool Draw for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2023, which was determined three years in advance and appears to be heavily skewed.
In response to criticism, World Rugby has announced that future pool draws for the Rugby World Cup will be conducted closer to the start of the tournament, as the current practice of relying on team rankings at the time of the draw is deemed unfair.
According to a report by the Mirror, World Rugby will make changes to the pool draw process for the 2027 edition.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Australia