'He can't remember nothing post catching the ball': Moana Pasifika wing Alosio after accidental challenge

Moana Pasifika assistant coach Dale McLeod has shared that winger Tomasi Alosio is okay after a charge down collision went wrong by Blues opposite Caleb Clarke that gave the winger memory loss.

The accidental aerial challenge came after Clarke went to charge down Alosio’s kick, which went horribly wrong leading to the hip area of the Blues wing colliding with Alosio’s head.

“He can remember the call – the move we were running. But as soon as he got the ball then bang, he can’t remember nothing. I just talked to him in the shed then,” McLeod said.

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 7

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 7

“He’s good as gold, he’s had a shower. A bit of a swollen face. He can’t remember nothing post catching the ball and running down the short side.”

On whether the red card was the appropriate decision, McLeod shared a discussion with Alosio in the shed afterward where the Moana Pasifika wing was surprised to hear of Clarke’s on-field punishment, saying ‘it must have been bad’ if a red card was issued.

“There was no malice in it. He [Alosio] said to me, ‘Oh it must have been bad if he got a red card’ and I said, ‘Oh no, the reason he got the red card was because he was negligent about where he jumped’,” McLeod said.

The Moana Pasifika coach explained that his side did not take the incident as malicious, knowing Caleb Clarke’s character is not like that at all. He said they viewed it as an ‘accident’ that happens in a game of rugby and that there was no much that could have been done about it.

“And if you know Caleb, he’s not a malicious person. He wouldn’t go intentionally to try and maim someone. It’s rugby. You get anybody in that situation, they’re jumping up, trying to create and buy themselves some time and they didn’t get it right.

“When you’re in the air, you can’t control much. He’s a powerful athlete that when he launched himself in the air – and he’s a big man – it was an accident. That’s about all
you can put it down to really.”