Ranger slapped with suspension
12 Mar 2012
Blues winger Rene Ranger has been banned for two weeks for a dangerous tackle on Bulls No 11 Bjorn Basson.
The Sanzar judicial officer Mike Heron has accepted a guilty plea from Ranger for contravening Law 10.4 (e) dangerous tackling. Ranger was cited after he made late and dangerous contact with Basson in the 79th minute of the match between the Bulls and Blues last Saturday.
After reviewing footage of the incident, Heron decided that a two-week ban would be sufficient.
‘[The footage] shows Rene Ranger diving towards the other player, who was also diving to score the try, and ultimately hitting the player with his shoulder on the back of the player. At that point, the tackle did not involve his arms and was late. A careful review of at least one angle shows that Ranger initially was attempting to use his arms and appeared to launch towards the other player while that other player was in the air.
‘In my view, Ranger was initially attempting to tackle the Bulls No 11 but had to pull out as the Bulls player was too close to the ground. The result was that Ranger’s arms were not used in the tackle. In my view the tackle was reckless, and late (but this was a dynamic and very fast moving situation).
‘I accept Ranger’s account that he was attempting a legitimate tackle and had no intention of injuring the Bulls player. The referee and assistant referee’s report reflect a similar impression as the citing commissioner, although concentrate on the lack of attempt to use the arms and the use of the shoulder.
‘I note that the player was issued a yellow card and a white card was also issued. I have an informal medical report to the effect that the Bulls player has injured ligaments in his left shoulder and has bruised ribs on the left side (I am unable to determine whether these resulted from the tackle although that is a fair inference).
‘In all the circumstances, I find that the tackle was lower end in terms of the entry point for Law 10.4(e). That gives an entry point of two weeks. The player has one previous disciplinary matter of a similar nature. By coincidence it occurred at the same ground against the same team in 2009. He received a one week sanction. He does not, therefore, have the benefit of a completely clean record.
‘The effect on the Bulls player and the need for general deterrence provide some aggravation, albeit modest in the circumstances. The player was contrite and sensibly accepted that the tackle was dangerous. He and the coach put forward an explanation, which was supported by the footage,’ concluded Heron.
151 Comments
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11 Mar 2012, 08:43 am
Dragons!!
11 Mar 2012, 08:43 am
I did not follow the match thread, but my understanding of the laws here means Walsh made a terrible mistake.
There should have been a penalty on the halfway for the Bulls following this try.
11 Mar 2012, 08:44 am
If Morne had his kicking boots on this game would’ve been a comfortable Bulls victory….getting the bonus point right at the death may yet prove to be telling later on….what is of great concern is how the kiwi teams are winning away from home…
11 Mar 2012, 08:46 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-2: You’re right, it would’ve made for another interesting couple of minutes if the Bulls could hold on through the phases….
11 Mar 2012, 09:28 am
Next time the oke musnt use a bottle, use something better.
11 Mar 2012, 09:31 am
Bulls fans showing off their “ifs”, should’ve and would haves! Bulls lost and morne had his chances….you can’t have it back if you miss. It seems the bulls fans think they ate entitled to another go.
11 Mar 2012, 09:31 am
But gee ranger can foot it!
11 Mar 2012, 09:32 am
I think the bulls should be docked points for unruly behaviour!
11 Mar 2012, 09:46 am
What disappointed me was the fact that Potgieter and C J Stander – two of my favourite up and comers – actually lost some ground in this encounter with only Spies (definitely not one of my favourite players) coming out of the match with anything to show for a change. I can’t think of any other player who came out with any merit.
Whether Ranger deserved the Red Card I don’t know. To my mind he was was trying to make a deliberate tackle on Basson to push him out/dislodge the ball and couldn’t get his hands under Bjorn because he was so low. What is a rugby player supposed to do in that position? Give him a curtsy and wave him through?
11 Mar 2012, 09:49 am
@wallabie.(wallabie.)-8: No, we were trying to do the world a favour.
11 Mar 2012, 09:56 am
@BlueBlood(BlueBlood)-10: idiot.
11 Mar 2012, 10:02 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-11: Just getting ourselves ready for Brycie, IF he ever comes to S.A. again.
11 Mar 2012, 10:06 am
@BlueBlood(BlueBlood)-12:
Brycie has done his work,
banked his reward,
and will never bother setting foot in Moftus ever again. (why would anyone for that matter).
Happy in the knowledge that he played his part, in bringing Bill home.
11 Mar 2012, 10:07 am
You live and learn.
It seems I am wrong and old Walsh actually got it right.
Asked a ref about the incident and it cleared it up.
Ranger was penalised for an offence ‘while the try was being scored’ (he was cited for a dangerous tackle) not for foul play FOLLOWING a try being scored which would have resulted in a penalty on the halfway.
If anything, Walsh could only have awarded a penalty try which would have given Morne an easier conversion but they would still have lost.
Sorry Steve, my mistake – beers on me!
11 Mar 2012, 10:08 am
@grunk(grunk)-9:
Spies was good last night – or rather, better than before. Also disappointed in Stander – really rate that lad.
11 Mar 2012, 10:23 am
I also felt he went for the tackle….big whoooha over nothing……execution maybe a bit bad at end.
I also felt that had Morne kicked more over the blues would score more tries…..just my feeling….they did just enough to secure the win…..
Same as if the try in WC 2007 was given to England we would just score more!
11 Mar 2012, 10:37 am
Well does anyone remember Rene Ranger shoulder charging Derick Kuun in the jaw in the previous Bulls vs Blues at Loftus? Ranger came off scott free.
Now I really love it when players try to hurt eachother
, but little cheapshots I dont respect,
I love it when a player can destroy another within the law, like Bakkies’ clearout on Adam Jones in the BIL series, or his clearout on Ben Kay in the 2007 RWC final, or when Stegmann crocodile rolled Bismarck’s head into the ground in the first week.
But this kind of play just doesn’t sit well.
11 Mar 2012, 10:39 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-17:
oh yeah Ranger gave Derick Kuun a mild concussion too.
11 Mar 2012, 10:41 am
@grunk(grunk)-9:
Ranger dove through the air tucking his elbow in and landing with the full force directed through his shoulder… that’s not a tackle. The JO agrees.
11 Mar 2012, 11:01 am
How do you tackle a player who is practically crawling toward the try line?
that how low was Basson,
11 Mar 2012, 11:01 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-19:
Ranger will be dealt with – but I must say I am quite disappointed by the silence in mainstream media and the Bulls PR department on the bottle throwing idiot at the end of the game.
It is disgusting.
Only rugby356 is running anything on this – I had to read about it from a NZ site.
At least Pierre Spies tweeted an apology to Mealamu – and good on the man for doing so, but this apology and condemnation should rather come from the Bulls union as well as all our journalists who reaches a far wider audience.
11 Mar 2012, 11:06 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-21:
Yes, I agree, perhaps they will still do it, preferrably within 24 hours. Perhaps they don’t won’t to draw any more attention to it. If they did issue a formal apology it would make many more headlines.
Anyways, Im not really impressed with remarks such as Garth’s above here, but ok.
11 Mar 2012, 11:07 am
won’t is want
as they are wont to do
11 Mar 2012, 11:12 am
Much ado about nuttin.
11 Mar 2012, 11:16 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-22:
As I say that – a media release from the Bulls pops into my email inbox!
My apologies to the union, I just got so used to them being a lot quicker than this!
11 Mar 2012, 11:17 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-22:
Garth?
11 Mar 2012, 11:19 am
@Hondo(Hondo)-20:
Agree.
The other point to consider is that Ranger “hit” Basson while he was in the act of scoring his try, not AFTER he scored the try.
11 Mar 2012, 11:24 am
@nama1(nama1)-27:
So it’s ok to shouldercharge a guy as long as he is low to the ground, or iin the act of scoring a try?
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-25:
Hehe, ja sien haastige hondjie.
11 Mar 2012, 11:26 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-26:
..on the asscomb thread.
11 Mar 2012, 11:29 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-29:
Oh ok.
11 Mar 2012, 11:30 am
Keven taught Chilliboy a lesson! Chilli you are 5 years behind my boytjie! Bissie all the way @ Heyneke!!!!!!
11 Mar 2012, 11:50 am
Pissant
Rather bury the issue and deal severely with the perpetrator behind the scenes. A life ban and strict warnings to other fans to eradicate this kind of behavior.
No need to make it a media issue and thereby draw more attention to it. All about managing the brand.
11 Mar 2012, 12:00 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-32:
Disagree, if you want to send a strict warning to spectators this incident should get as much coverage as it can get.
We are not the Aussies, we do not ‘handle matters behind the scenes’ when it comes to incidents like this.
Luckily, the Bulls named and shamed this person by publishing his name too.
A very clear, and very public message (not just in words) from the union will do more for the reputation of the brand than keeping quiet about it.
11 Mar 2012, 12:03 pm
For the record, very impressed with how they did end up handling it – guy was taken to the cops and a charge was laid against him last night.
11 Mar 2012, 12:07 pm
Pissant
The detractors don’t care about the message. They just jump on any opportunity to criticize. And any article on the topic just gives them that opportunity.
11 Mar 2012, 12:10 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-35:
Well it should be criticized. More importantly it should be dealt with not only relevant to the incident, but how it was allowed to happen and what will be done to prevent any similar incident every happening again.
To their credit the Bulls accepted responsibility, aplogised and send a clear message not only how they will go about dealing with security in future, but how offenders will face the full force of the law.
11 Mar 2012, 12:12 pm
PA…
Please ask you ref friend to quote actual laws to support his interpretation… that distinguishes between the two…
Nama…
You go on about him being so close to the ground… and indeed he was… so there was absolutely no chance of ranger preventing the try… which adds to the malice of the incident imo…
my issue is that there was a time when you could not dive onto players scoring… it is happening more and more these days… guys going in with knees elbows shoulders… and refs are doing squat to protect the scorer… who is the most vulnerable and defenceless in that moment that any player can be…
it is one of these most cowardly things you can do on a rugby field imo…
it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured this way… and when a player has his ribs, back or neck broken by a coward diving on him while or after scoring a try then you’ll all say they should have done something…
tell someone who gets paralysed it is a big whaahoo about nothing…
refs are told to police scrums etc… but are largely ignoring players taking cheap shots at scorers…
11 Mar 2012, 12:18 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-35:
There will be no stopping them anyway.
Our team itself has the proudest disciplinary standing and being the most tight-knit and well-meaning, humble group of players in the competition.
The Bulls are always willing to roll with the punches and gracious in defeat.
11 Mar 2012, 12:33 pm
Here my post on Friday night after reading about Stegman gonna be absent .. I must be getting a little psychic in my old age.. better I go use this new found psychic ability where it counts and stop wasting it on a useless rugby blog
25.ashampoopaloo:
9 Mar 2012, 23:19 pm Bulls gonna be exposed without Steggies.. this could bode a little bad for Bulletjie blou blou in die bulle kring.. miskien kom n ietsie bietjie dingetjie daar.. oops Oooo gaaaats.!!
11 Mar 2012, 12:38 pm
Heyneke must just can Morne Steyn.. he is hardly the fulcrum of a go ahead setup that Bok rugby should be aiming for.. gotta be Hougaard, Goosen at the pivotal half back role and a dynamic back line develop from there…
Stander played well but he was a lone range soldier at the coal face with Potgieter trying to emulate Schalk Burger, we got enough headless chicken operators we need some down and dirty invisible assassins the likes of Brussow and Stegman, without one of those in the mix and its a cake walk for the opposition.
11 Mar 2012, 12:51 pm
2nd game at Loftus this year and the 2nd time Barend van Graan has had to apologise to the rugby public. 1st it was the near stampede, now it is drunk bottle-throwing louts
11 Mar 2012, 12:51 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-35: This is not an opportunity – this is a situation that demands criticism. Teams and fans identify with each other and the way in which a team responds to this tell us about their culture. A public position here is important.
11 Mar 2012, 12:54 pm
it was one bad game for morne kicking wise, skop.
he will go away and work on this make no mistake.
11 Mar 2012, 12:57 pm
Morne’s kicking is not the be all and end all of SA rugby.. we had Morne and FdP at half back for entire latter part of 2009 Eoyt as well as 2010 and 2011 and where we land up.. stone f’ng last
Its enough of this backward rearguard thinking.. get some proper dynamic half back pairing going forward or else we doomed to another four years of going nowhere slowly..
11 Mar 2012, 12:58 pm
this blog sucks balls… i have better things to do today….
fark you ranger….
11 Mar 2012, 13:02 pm
The idiot has been dealt with and will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.
Let’s hope Rnager gets the treatment too.
Imteresting to see the usual suspects rolling their eyes and wailing like pregnant schoolgirls.
Aluta Continua.
11 Mar 2012, 13:04 pm
@ufo(ufo)-37:
Check it out on RW mate – it is covered there.
11 Mar 2012, 13:05 pm
perhaps you are right skop but meyer is obviously a pragmatic coaching type so doubt whether he will veer so far from scrpit considering where he starts with the boks competition wise and the fact he will have had so little time with them.
now is not the time for bold gaffie type experiments, which is just to be realistic insn’t it. certainly at eoyt we will see some bench roles and small opportunities for elton and goosen… maybe even patrick.
11 Mar 2012, 13:06 pm
Olivier was reduced to zero, only ones with some fire and zest were Kruger, Venter and Stander and Spies on occasion.. Basson also tried hard and scored 2 tries out of little.
Morne showed when the entire weight of the team is placed on his kicking boots he can go to pot just like the best of them.., so far rather have Goosen who at least got some magic in his overall game than a stagnant dead beat M. Steyn who cannot create a blue farthing from anything..
little unknown unheralded and unsuspecting Anscombe outplayed M. Steyn in every single facet on the night.. you’d think Anscombe was the composed long standing international and M. Steyn was the hopeless rookie.. yet it was precisely the other way around..
NZ breeding players like Anscombe, Barrett, Cruden .. and we got Goosen, Jantjies, Van Aswegen, Lambie to compete with.. time to step it up or get left behind.. again.
11 Mar 2012, 13:07 pm
Ha,righteous Saffies up in arms over a slightly botched Ranger tackle.
This coming from the acknowledged, worlds dirtiest rugby playing nation,
Too many incidents to recall, but any game involving Bakkies Botha for a start,biting of ears and other appendages over the years ,not to mention psycho Saffie supporters running on to rugby grounds ,aka Durban in 2002,as well as the sore loser bottle boy from yesterday(that would never happen in World Champ land by the way)
Get of your high Zebras Saffies
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