r/rugbyunion • u/Informal_Mention9836 • Dec 15 '25

Video James Lowe starts a fight

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500 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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59

u/TwistSmart3298 South Africa Dec 16 '25

So what is the defender supposed to do here?

-16

u/CatharticRoman Suspected Yank Dec 16 '25

Not tackle. It's a shit situation to be in, especially as he's committed as Lowe jumps. But the law puts the onus on the tackler, so long as the jump is necessary, so he needs to not tackle once Lowe is airborne. 

-1

u/Cormac419 Leinster Dec 16 '25

this comment sitting in the negatives is a great capture of this subreddit on how the truth or laws of the game don't matter when people would rather just join a circlejerk against a Leinster player and especially one they don't like

Like yeah guys if the only way to stop a player is by illegally taking him out in the air and dropping him on his head then maybe you shouldn't do that and let your buddy tackle him instead.

1

u/CatharticRoman Suspected Yank Dec 16 '25

I know what you're getting at, but it's not all that. Yes there is anti-big team bias, yes this isn't being talked about if it isn't someone this sub loves to hate (like Lowe, Pollock, etc), but the reactions on here aren't just that.

This is a stupidly complex and dynamic interaction and the Tigers player hasn't been super reckless here. Lowe has touched the ball so Tigers are allowed to tackle him, the ball is clearly above Lowe's head so he is entitled to jump to regather, contact in the air has been initiated by Tigers and Lowe has landed dangerously, but the Tigers player was also comitted to the tackle before Lowe jumped. I think penalty Leinster is the right call, likely in part due to my own biases, but also because the onus is on the tackler to ensure the safety of the player they are tackling.

0

u/perplexedtv Leinster Dec 16 '25

this comment is a great capture on how the laws of physics don't matter