SHAUN EDWARDS ANGERED a lot of Irish rugby fans yesterday when he said that the choke tackle should be banned because it encourages high tackles and is a ‘blight on the game’.
Edwards also asked whether the practice of multiple defenders attempting to hold up the ball carrier adds anything to the game and former Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan responded to the comments on Off The Ball last night.
It’s safe to say O’Sullivan didn’t get Edwards’ point.
“I think it’s illogical what he’s saying,” O’Sullivan said.
“He is taking two issues and mixing them together. Choke tackling has nothing to do with concussions. Choke tackling is not high tackling, it is about targeting the ball. Throwing in the concussion issue is a red herring.”
The Biarritz boss also thinks that even if the authorities wished to make the choke tackle illegal, it would prove a difficult area of the game to legislate.
“How do you actually outlaw the choke tackle in the game?,” O’Sullivan asked.
“So if I choke tackle somebody, nobody can assist? It just defies logic.”
Trevor Hogan was also on the show and thought that Edwards was probably using the issue of concussion as a smokescreen for his own agenda.
“For him to pick on another style of tackling because he doesn’t like it and Wales don’t use it is a little bit childish,” Hogan said.
Does Edwards have a point or is O’Sullivan right about the omission of logic?
I think what Eddie is trying to say Shaun, is to depart and fornicate yourself. Couldn’t have put it better myself Eddie
Always liked eddie.i think kidney won the six nations with the team he built
Maybe but he lost the squad
Can’t figure out how to defend against this defence so has a strop. So rugby league like of Edwards.
Edwards is obviously worried about playing Ireland in a couple of wks so he’s trying to put negative attention on the way Ireland defend. He did the exact same thing about England before England bet them
hadn’t thought of that. brilliant observation
It’s all the Welsh coaches are good for nowadays. Shooting their mouths off. They can’t coach for f**k even with decent players around them.
Last person to be injured in making a choke tackle… Jamie Heaslip but for very different reasons. Edwards and Gatland have always something to moan about , the Aussies wanted to ban drop goals after losing in 2003 …. It’s called being a sore loser.
Stupid comment alright by Edwards. I can’t remember anybody getting injured during a choke tackle in any game I have watched, its not dangerous in my view anyway and I can’t see how they would want or try to ban this from the game.
Glasgow centre Mark Bennett was rendered unconscious this season against Ulster by a choke tackle. Ulster second row O’Connor was cited and got a 3 week ban.
He was obviously choking and not tackling so. If you attack the ball and the supporting player is holding the body there shouldn’t be a problem. Ireland use this again and again, as have other countries and clubs, you rarely hear of it going wrong or causing damage to another player. I mean look at Jean de Villiers, could have ended his career cos of a freak event at the breakdown. Do we ban rucks?
Wouldn’t the chop tackle constantly used by Wales and Lydiate in particular be a far more dangerous tackle what with the extreme pressure it puts on opponents knees and lower legs ??
That photo of eddie he looks like Danny Kaye