1
Latest act from the 'king of cheap shots' Dane Coles leaves sour taste for Sharks' fans
It took just 15 minutes for All Black hooker Dane Coles to court his first controversy of 2020, flying into Sharks’ reserve Sanele Nohamba while he lay on the ground.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nohamba, rolling out of the tackle but in a rather defenseless on the ground, was met with the full force of a flying Coles looking to make a physical statement. The tackle looked like making contact with the head and neck area, aside from the fact that a player on the ground cannot be tackled. The ref stopped play immediately but the incident sparked pushing and shoving before being referred to the TMO.
Coles avoided receiving a card for the tackle which drew the ire of many Sharks’ fans on social media, who didn’t hold back when venting their displeasure online. He was labelled a ‘disgrace to the game’ and the ‘king of cheap shots’ among other things.
A ref telling Dane Coles to maintain discipline in his team???#HURvSHA
— Dylan Jack (@dylmjack) February 15, 2020
Dane Coles – king of cheap shots. Yellow is the right colour for him. #HURvSHA
— Craig Ray (@craigray11) February 15, 2020
Dane Coles is a great All Black but he's one of the worst when it comes to cheap shots. #HURvSHA
— Gareth Jenkinson (@gazza_jenks) February 15, 2020
@WorldRugby can have another refereeing course where upcoming refs will be forced to sit through a review where Dane Coles diving on a player is unacceptable, yet nothing is done at the moment ????? #SSRugby #HURvSHA
— Travis (@Trav_HK) February 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/maphuti_africa/status/1228590855570718720
As a wallaby supporter, don’t like Dane Coles. Hard to like him on my local team too sometimes… #HURvSHA
— Jimmy Ess (@DiamantinaRiver) February 15, 2020
The match was the first of the season for Coles returning from injury, who scored within minutes of coming on the field as a replacement from a pushover try.
The Hurricanes finished comfortable winners 38-22 handing the Sharks their first loss of the season. Coles will face a nervous wait to see if he is cited for the incident.
ADVERTISEMENT
Former Hurricane Michael Fatialofa makes a massive step:
