ENGLAND’S MIKE BROWN has taken to Twitter to speak about Michael Hooper’s one week suspension for an illegal shoulder charge.
The Australian flanker will miss the Pool A decider against Wales on Saturday after being found guilty of dangerous play, for a high shoulder charge on Brown towards the end of the first-half on Saturday night.
Hooper escaped with just a penalty at the time, but the hit sparked a furious reaction from the English fullback.
And Brown has been tweeting about the incident today, explaining why the incident angered him so much.
Brown had initially been responding to a tweet of him holding Hooper to the ground, which has since been deleted.
The full-back was knocked unconscious in England’s Six Nations meeting with Italy in February, and despite returning for the end of the tournament, spent several months out of the game with recurring headaches.
Given his previous concussion, Brown said he was particularly angered by what he believed was a deliberate hit.
But the full-back says that while he was angered by the challenge at the time, he did not seek to get Hooper cited or suspended, instead blaming referee Romain Poite and his touchjudges for not referring the incident to the TMO.
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The hit from Hooper has not brought on any of the full-back’s previous concussion symptoms, and he will start from the bench in England’s final game of the tournament against Uruguay on Saturday.
Still a Pr1ck.
Shame he didn’t knock some grammar into him…
Imagine if that blatant shoulder charge had been by a player with a rep for violence – say, Bakkies Botha – on a player that was universally popular – say, Leigh Halfpenny – and right in front of a ref that was actually competent – say, Nigel Owens?
I reckon old Bakkies would have been given a lot more than a one week ban: he got two weeks for a perfectly legal clear out on Adam Jones in 2009!
Hooper is a very lucky boy
Didn’t he hit Nic Sanchez back in July and get away with no ban as well?
Leigh Halfpenny is universally popular? But, he’s a taffy! :-)
Delighted for Brown – very dislikeable player
Actually Brian,
I vaguely recall Bakkies shoulder charging into a ruck and getting away with it (in a Champions cup match last season……. )
Brian that’s right because it shows it was more likely intentional. Hooper has no such history!
Brown is dead right. officials let em down.
He’s a good player that no.7, I don’t watch much Rugby, but his work rate was unbelievable.
I wouldn’t blame him Been agrieved!
Unfortunately it’s happening an awful lot at rucks these days. It is going unpunished and will eventually result in someone being seriously hurt. Too many players now are clearing rucks with their shoulders and it is blatant too. Has to be stopped.
It was a disgraceful tackle a straight red
But elsewhere on the comments section on the 42 you ll see some arguments why POM’s yellow was harsh. Despite what you make of brown or hooper, there is no place for this in the game. People watching at home new to the game or interested in getting their children involved in the game will be turned off by incidents like this or POM on Sunday. Hooper should have spent 10 mins in the bin for this.
England still would have lost though, they’re brutal.
POM yellow was the right decision but this was much worse than that in fairness.
Maybe- I see it in the same light but it’s quite subjective. At the time we were only 7 points up, and knew the ball was going to be kicked back to us in a solid attacking position. POM running in from the side leading with his shoulder, it felt like it was in slow motion and I was screaming no! Any player worth his or her salt brings an aggression but controlled aggression coupled with concentration. I’d say Schmit will have a quiet word with POM dying the week: don’t ever do that again.
Bad tackle but so what. Brown sour grapes. Like an englishman never got away lightly with anything similar. Moan moan moan.
It’s more about Hooper doing it in full view and expecting to get away with it is the true offense.
Mike Hunt