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'That was pretty disrespectful' - Wasps hooker's unconventional try celebration raises hackles online

Tom Cruse fetches the balls (Getty)

Wasps hooker Tom Cruse took try celebrations to a whole different place against the Dragons today in the Heineken Champions Cup, raising eyebrows by raising his leg.

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Cruse scored a fine try in the 19th minute off a well-worked Wasps play. So happy was Cruse with his try, that while on all fours, he crawled to the corner flag and simulated urinating, cocking his leg as if he was a dog. It was pretty ruff stuff.

BT Rugby’s Twitter account was lost for words: “What was that celebration, Tom Cruse? The Wasps hooker with a brilliant finish, then… Eh… Marks his territory near the corner flag”

Not everyone was howling though, the celebration giving plenty on social media paws for thought, while others were left barking mad.

“That was pretty disrespectful as a celebration, nothing good about it and he should be sanctioned by his club (and European Rugby if it is possible). Think we need rugby to be better than that,” wrote one Tweeter.

“Please, no football-esque, naff try celebrations. Painful” wrote another.

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There were plenty in that vein. “Wasps hooker try celebration pretending to be a dog and pissing on the floor!? Wtf?”

Like it or loathe it, he deserves marks for originality. He also stopped short of actually urinating on the pitch, which does have a precedent in professional rugby. The late, great Jerry Collins was filmed urinating just prior to kick-off back in an All Blacks match against Australia in Jade Stadium in Christchurch in 2006.

Then All Blacks co-coach Steve Hansen defended the player: “If you’re a male and you’re about to play a Test match and you’re seconds away from kick-off and you get the urge to want to go to the toilet what do you do?”

“Do you rush off and let the game start with 14 men? Or do you try to be as discreet as you can be and hope that cameramen use common sense and don’t go showing it to everyone on the screen?”

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TI 4 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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