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Nick Phipps Takes The Reins As International Rugby's Biggest Villain

Nick Phipps

Wallabies halfback Nick Phipps’ behavior this Rugby Championship season has seen him rise rapidly through the ranks of rugby villainy. Jamie Wall looks at some of his greatest precedents.

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Two blatant acts of bad sportsmanship this year have catapulted the perpetually bronzed Phipps into the number one position on the list of current rugby villains.

Exhibit A: throwing poor Malakai Fekitoa’s boot into the Westpac Stadium cheap seats (as if Fekitoa doesn’t have enough to worry about lately as it is)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vL2vAf4C7U

Exhibit B: dropping a shoulder into an Argentine trainer in the final round match at Twickenham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wet6AwSrMQY

In a game where good sportsmanship is often promoted to almost nauseating levels, becoming international rugby’s biggest villain could be seen a relatively easy achievement. However, Phipps is very much the latest in a list of thugs, cheats and unhinged maniacs who have brought a bit of colour to the often personality-deficient world rugby environment.

These are some of his most villainous precedents:

Johan le Roux
Anyone feel like a snack? The Springbok prop did in a 1994 test against the All Blacks, nibbling on Sean Fitzpatrick’s ear a couple of years before Mike Tyson took ear-biting to a truly global audience. Le Roux received a massive 19-month ban, the longest ever in international rugby, as well as the infamy of the being one of the few men convicted of attempted cannibalism in international sport. It didn’t stop him from releasing a tell-all book entitled Biting Back, which was more or less a 300-page whinge about how crap touring New Zealand was.

Richard Cockerill
The All Blacks haka is a challenge, and generally the done thing for opposition players is to stand there looking staunch until it’s finished. Not so English hooker Cockerill, who decided that swearing profusely at his opposite Norm Hewitt would be a good idea in 1997. The All Blacks won the test comfortably, but Cockerill again raised the ire of NZ fans in another loss the following season by obnoxiously celebrating a try that closed the scoreline between the two sides to a mere 42 points.

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Michael Brial
The Wallaby flanker’s name has become so synonymous with one incident it’s pretty much impossible to find any other information about the rest of his career. His assault on Frank Bunce in the second 1996 Bledisloe Cup test seemed completely unprovoked, although the fact that Bunce cocooned himself immediately does give a clue that he knew what was coming. Brial’s test career ended soon after, so he never had to face a hostile New Zealand crowd, but since then his name has been used for nothing else than to describe spirited, but ultimately futile, flurries of punches.

Sir Colin Meads
Old Pinetree is the most legendary All Black of all time, but he didn’t get his mythical status by being a nice guy all the time. As well as being sent off in a test against Scotland in 1967, he also earned a lifetime of derision from Australian fans for prematurely ending the career of Ken Catchpole. The halfback, often rated the finest to ever pull on the Wallaby jersey, had one leg pinned in a ruck when Meads wrenched the other as hard as he could. This tore Catchpole’s groin muscles irreparably – hence why Meads is held in wildly different regard on either side of the Tasman.

George Gregan
In a nice bit of symmetry, we end on a Wallaby halfback who Phipps could definitely learn a thing or two from when it comes to getting under an opponent’s skin. It only took three words from the eventual 139-test veteran in the 2003 Rugby World Cup to solidify his standing as the owner of (if you’re an All Blacks fan) the most ruthless sledge of all time. With the semifinal all but in the books for the Wallabibes, Gregan was picked up on the ref’s mic reminding the All Blacks that they’d have to wait “four more years” for a World Cup victory. Of course, he was wrong – it turned out to be eight.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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