England back-rower Ben Earl has come under fire after he was spotted celebrating a wayward Ireland line out like he just scored a last minute try in the World Cup final.
The incident has gone viral online with a number of the fans calling out the Saracens flanker for his 'embarrassing' behaviour.
One fan wrote: "Well worth celebrating. It was England's finest moment of the game."
A second commented: "I didn’t get that excited when my wife said yes to my proposal."
Another said: "There was a time refs would penalise this sort of stuff for unsportsmanlike conduct"
"When you have so little to celebrate, you have to make the most of life’s little pleasures," added a fourth.
A fifth tweeted: "Massive fan of Earl, but this is just embarrassing and also shows how limited the players expectations are that a not straight lineout is celebrated like that,"
WOODWARD SLAMS ENGLAND BEHAVIOUR
Sir Clive Woodward, the coach who led a Rugby World Cup-winning team, has criticized England for their continuous celebrations whenever they are awarded a penalty.
"When England win a penalty or a turnover, their players all come together and celebrate as if they have just won the World Cup,” he wrote.
“We saw countless examples of these penalty celebrations in the win over Wales on Saturday.
“Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Ben Earl were at the fore for most of them.
“When England’s players all gather together to celebrate winning a penalty, they are actually hindering themselves. This is the main reason why I hate it so much.”
He continued: “What England’s players should be doing when winning a penalty is instantly assessing the options available. Is a quick tap and go on? Can we kick to a winger in space?” he wrote.
“Is an instant kick to touch possible with the opposition’s back three out of position?
“There are so many immediate attacking opportunities and none of these options are available to England because everyone is gathered around the ball celebrating like it’s a birthday party! Not only does this stop the game dead, it doesn’t help the spectacle.
“It also looks particularly childish. Once England are done celebrating, all they can do is kick to touch, go for goal, or opt for a scrum. Playing quickly is off the menu.”
"To overturn the red card completely is just so wrong."
RUGBY QUIZ:
Five most hated rugby players, named and ranked:
We have curated a compilation of individuals who, through their actions on and off the field, have acquired a regrettable reputation within the game. Their notoriety extends beyond specific fan bases or clubs; it encompasses the entire rugby community.
#5. Dan Biggar (Wales)
Amusingly, Biggar epitomizes the kind of player who manages to invoke strong dislike until he becomes a part of your own team.
Over the course of his career, this fly-half has exhibited a growing penchant for passionately berating referees.
This behavior has reached such heights that Glove39, a renowned online personality and unwavering fan of Scotland, cleverly crafted a video titled 'birdman.'
In this video, Glove39 humorously mimicked Biggar's habitual arm-raising expression of frustration directed at officials.
#4. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
The expert in unsportsmanlike behavior. Sexton is skilled in exaggerating contact or distracting officials, knowing precisely when to employ his repertoire of underhanded tactics.
His most recent example of on-field nouse came against Wales just last weekend. The yellow card handed to Liam Williams in the 65th minute for a high hit on Sexton took a while to come as it was reviewed from multiple angles by the officials.
Wales fans piled in on Sexton after the Williams sin-binning, with one writing: 'Sexton play acted a head injury. Blatant cheating.'
Another Wales fan vented: 'That Liam Williams yellow card shows why rugby will be dead in a few years – nothing wrong with Liams body shape and Sexton play acting sums up how rugby has drastically changed for the worse. It’s a mockery to the real injuries.'
Another commented on Sexton being seen winking after the card, and said that his behaviour would "destroy the spectacle that is International rugby"
#3. Nic White (Australia)
White has become arguably the most unpopular player in world rugby over the past 12 months..
Last year, White fell about like a lion had attempted to rip off his face after Faf de Klerk accidentally made contact with it while attempting to dislodge the ball out of his hands as he attempted a pass.
After consulting with the television match official, referee Paul Williams adjudicated that this warranted a yellow card for de Klerk.
This decision sent the world of rugby into meltdown, with criticism coming from all quarters aimed at White for bringing the game into disrepute.
#2. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
The world Cup-winning lock is undoubtedly world-class, but he is also one of the dirtiest players in the sport. If your team has played against him, you will not be a fan. A proper sh**house, but huge biceps.
#1. Owen Farrell (England)
Could it be anybody else? Farrell fits the label “our guy” better than most, meaning you love to hate him unless he’s in your squad.
Then you’d go to the end’s of the earth to defend him. The England captain, also known as 'Shoulder boy' for his high tackling, does himself no favours with his poor tackling technique.
And that came to a head yesterday when he was sent off for a high tackle against Wales.
Farrell could potentially miss the start of the World Cup as a result of his dismissal for a high tackle on Taine Basham in the 19-17 win at Twickenham.
England's first World Cup match is against Argentina on 9 September.
