Least competent thing on a rugby pitch

[Mr Mwenda]

A post in the quins thread gave me inspiration. What was the most inept thing you've seen on the pitch (from a player?)

For me one alwayd springs to mind.

A scrum, 5 from our try line, our 9 tries to pass to the 10 and drops it. Their 9 scores. Our 9 then aims a kick at his opposite number on the ground and misses, falling over as the brawl erupts. I think he gave up rugby after that.

[padprop]

The French in the world cup semis springs to mind. Deciding to scrum without a number 8 five metres out on both ends of pitch, losing the ball twice, causing them to lose the game.

[16th man]

As I said in the quins thread, that "set play" vs 12 men is going to take some serious beating.

Bergamasco at scrum half maybe? though it's harsh to blame him too much for trying to do what his coach thought was coach thought was sensible.

[Danno]

That sliced kick from a full back that went straight behind him leading to a belly try?

[Mellsblue]

Rob Webber’s corset.

[Digby]

[Puja]

That has to be a big contender, if only for the brain process that went, "Let's not bother with catching; let's volley it."

Puja

[Adam_P]

Henry Taylor on Friday night for Saints - took a quick tap penalty, and then immediately kicked to touch. On the full for good measure. Even if it was a good kick, what the hell is the thinking behind tapping it then kicking it rather than giving it to your 10 to find touch and actually retain possession at the line out. I've seen Hougaard do exactly the same before too. Damn 9s.

[Mikey Brown]

That sliced kick from a full back that went straight behind him leading to a belly try?

Ashton for a JJ try last season?

[Puja]

That sliced kick from a full back that went straight behind him leading to a belly try?

Ashton for a JJ try last season?

In fairness to Ashton, he was put under pressure by Tuisova (I think?) deciding to take a bananas quick lineout, hurling it way over his head, and leaving him scrambling to pick up and clear before he got eaten by half the Bath pack. Terrible kick and comedy moment, but I feel Ashton gets a bit too much of the blame for it.

Henry Taylor on Friday night for Saints - took a quick tap penalty, and then immediately kicked to touch. On the full for good measure. Even if it was a good kick, what the hell is the thinking behind tapping it then kicking it rather than giving it to your 10 to find touch and actually retain possession at the line out. I've seen Hougaard do exactly the same before too. Damn 9s.

I've seen De Klerk do it as well. It's a train of thought that goes, "Hey, there's space, tap and goooooohh noooo the space has been filled by horrible forwards, ahhh, what to dooo - chip and chase!!!" and then the delicate little chip to grass gets superpowered by the panic-adrenaline and instead gets launched into the stands.

Puja

[Puja]

I do enjoy this one:



Puja

[Scrumhead]

I remember playing hooker on a particularly wet and windy day. Not one throw from me or the opposition hooker found their man, barring those that were very clearly not straight (and penalised).

I was literally throwing at a 30+ degree angle into the wind to try to get a straight-ish throw.

Kicks and any passes over about 2m went everywhere as well so the game descended in to 10-man rugby for both teams. Terrible game but quite fun in a weird way.

[Digby]

I do enjoy this one:



Puja

Worse than Leguizaman's effort for Irish, though for comedy value Will Carling being held up over the line is my favourite failed grounding

[FKAS]

Scrumhead I played with a hooker who used to claim it was blowing a hurricane every game even on a perfect spring day...

Some of my favourites.

[Digby]

Not many shouts for the scrum yet, whether Jonny May showing how not to support the prop in his pod, or England in the 2019 RWC final.

[Puja]

Scrumhead I played with a hooker who used to claim it was blowing a hurricane every game even on a perfect spring day...

Some of my favourites.

I'd entirely forgotten that Varndell try existed! Thanks for that. Probably more what you'd expect from his rep than a try-saving tackle!

A few ones that people have referenced:





Puja

[Digby]

Who was the Blue Bulls 10 or 15 who when putting in a clearing kick simply hammered the ball into the arse of his own team-mate who'd crouched down not to get in the way of the kick?

[Digby]

Puja,

Feel free to add clips from the 2019 final. You know you want to search them out and watch to see if they look likely contenders

[Which Tyler]

Was it Arwe Thomas who was so busy gloating in a try that he ran it over the deadball line? Or am I mis-remembering?

[Puja]

Puja,

Feel free to add clips from the 2019 final. You know you want to search them out and watch to see if they look likely contenders

The one of Ben Youngs passing the ball into touch would be a contender. Or Billy deciding not to drive from an 8 pick in his own 22 and instead pass to the floor between Ford and Farrell.

I actually braved watching the extended highlights of the final for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Still hurts, but I stand by my opinion on the day that we were screwed in the scrums by Garces almost as much as by Mtawarira. South Africa were definitely on top in the scrum, but as soon as the ref had got that into his head, South Africa were able to do absolutely anything and get the penalty. I spotted about 6 that were South Africa driving up or boring in and it felt like Garces' arm was on a spring, poised to give the inevitable penalty.

Puja

[Puja]

I knew there was one I was forgetting. I think that's probably the worst one on here as it was utterly, utterly avoidable, and cost them the game and their chance of a quarter final.

Mind, Tom Homer trying to ground one handed and losing the ball against Bristol a few weeks later probably pushes it quite close, simply from sheer inability to learn.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

I knew there was one I was forgetting. I think that's probably the worst one on here as it was utterly, utterly avoidable, and cost them the game and their chance of a quarter final.

Mind, Tom Homer trying to ground one handed and losing the ball against Bristol a few weeks later probably pushes it quite close, simply from sheer inability to learn.

Puja

To be honest, rather than just laughing - things like Freddie's inability to fall over, Vesty's premature celebration, Poitrenaud's leave, or whoever was at FB for the Varndell try above - the critical error isn't so much with the player, as with the team-mates not warning them that there's man on. All 4 were unsighted to the threat.
It's still horribly embarrassing for them, and they'll always be dragged up on threads like this, or "What happened next?" quizzes - but it's not so much their own incompetence as the incompetent communication

[Puja]

I knew there was one I was forgetting. I think that's probably the worst one on here as it was utterly, utterly avoidable, and cost them the game and their chance of a quarter final.

Mind, Tom Homer trying to ground one handed and losing the ball against Bristol a few weeks later probably pushes it quite close, simply from sheer inability to learn.

Puja

To be honest, rather than just laughing - things like Freddie's inability to fall over, Vesty's premature celebration, Poitrenaud's leave, or whoever was at FB for the Varndell try above - the critical error isn't so much with the player, as with the team-mates not warning them that there's man on. All 4 were unsighted to the threat.
It's still horribly embarrassing for them, and they'll always be dragged up on threads like this, or "What happened next?" quizzes - but it's not so much their own incompetence as the incompetent communication

Disagree on Burns - my children were taught from age 3 at RugbyTots to hold the ball in two hands. Call and response - "How many hands do we hold the ball with?" "Two!" "And why's that?" "So we don't drop it!" "And...?" "So the opposition can't take it off us!"

All of the others, I'd agree they're a victim of not realising someone was there. Burns was a victim of being a wanker unnecessarily holding the ball in one hand to look cool.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Not looked back at it but I can imagine with Burns's level of showboating he might well have lost it even with the ball in two hands.

[paddy no 11]

Surely i'm not the only one who's played with a hooker who's dived over the 5m line off a lineout maul and started celebrating thinking he's crossed the tryline!