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Darcy Swain branded an 'absolute coward' by ex-All Black

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Wallabies forward Darcy Swain has been branded ‘an absolute coward’ by former All Blacks flyhalf Lima Sopoaga after the latest news on the extent of New Zealand centre Quinn Tupaea’s knee injury.

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Swain was banned for the brutal ruck clearance that was adjudged to have deliberately targeted the leg and knee of the centre. It was a shot that saw the All Blacks midfielder crumple in immediate agony before being taken off the pitch.

Swain was shown a yellow card and after officials decided the incident met the red-card threshold.

The lock was suspended for six weeks and will miss Tests against Scotland and France in the Wallabies’ upcoming northern hemisphere tour.

Initial reports were that Tupaea would miss a couple of months but the NZR have now revealed that he will miss at least 9 months after the true extent of the injury became known.

The 23-year-old Waikato Chiefs player will miss the whole of next year’s Super Rugby season and could face a challenging time getting back into All Blacks reckoning in time for 2023’s Rugby World Cup in France.

A statement from the union reads: “Further scans have revealed more extensive damage to the ACL which will require surgery. Quinn will be out of rugby for 9 months, including the 2023 Super Rugby Season.”

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Lima Sopaaga took to Twitter to vent his frustration, both at Swain and at the relatively short amount of time he was banned for. “Swain is an absolute coward for this. Was no need for such a cheap shot. 9 months for 6 weeks seems fair, Joke of a suspension.”

The news will only increase the anger in New Zealand at Swain’s ruck cleanout, which All Blacks fullback Beauden Barrett described as a “free shot” on a defenceless Tupaea.

The same player was suspended for two weeks in July after being shown a red card for headbutting England second-rower Jonny Hill in retaliation for having his hair pulled.

additional reporting AAP

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11 Comments
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Michael Röbbins (academic and writer extraordinair 901 days ago

Oh the indignant ABs who always play the game the right way: except, umm you know, Adam Thompson-stamping against Scotland; Andrew Hore-blindside closeline, knocking out defenseless player against Wales. Certainly doesn’t justify Swain’s stupendous stupidity. And yet, be careful that one doesn’t think their own excrement doesn’t stink.

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MS 41 minutes ago
Why Blair Kinghorn should be nailed on as the Lions starting 15

I can see arguments for both Kinghorn, and Keenan starting for the Lions. But I’m less convinced by some of the claims (clearly partisan) supporters are using to argue the merits of one over the other.


For example, a number of Ireland supporters have suggested Kinghorn is ‘defensively weak’. That’s patently false - or at least on the evidence of this 6N, he’s certainly no weaker there than Keenan is, who is presumably the comparative standard they’re using. Keenan was both shrugged off in contact, and beaten on the edge for pace, a number of times during this competition.


Equally, Scotland supporters arguing Kinghorn is the more capable ‘rugby player’ seem to have overlooked the (frankly sizeable) body of evidence demonstrating that Keenan is an excellent ball in hand distributor and decision maker. So that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny either.


I don’t think there’s all that much to choose between them, and either would be a strong choice. I think it would be really interesting from a pure rugby perspective to see Keenan playing a ‘Scotland-esque’ style of high tempo attacking rugby. Either coming into the line more routinely as first receiver, or being swung as a pendulum and getting the ball on the edge against a stretched defence.


That’s assuming Andy Farrell goes that route, of course. He may well just opt for his Ireland system instead, and populate it with the likes of Henshaw, Ringrose, Lowe and Keenan. I’m sure that would win the series. Quite what effect it might have on a Lions audience who were expecting something other than ‘Ireland on tour, but wearing red’ would remain to be seen.


As for the debate at FB, the only ‘eye test’ difference I feel exists is in the pace of rugby Kinghorn (Toulouse? Scotland?) tends to play. His passing/offload game feels crisper and higher tempo than Keenan’s - and as we saw in Paris, his pace and eye for a gap from deep are superior.


But again, that will only prove a decisive factor if Andy Farrell wants to play that way. If all he wants from his FB is to sit deep, field high balls, and mop up then there’s little between these two equally excellent players.

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