Harlequins’ remarkable Investec Champions Cup victory did not cause Brian Moore to revise his opinion about the size of some packs around the world.
The English team defied the odds on Saturday by defeating Bordeaux Begles 42-41 to reach the semi-finals for the first time in the competition’s history.
Moore complained in an article last week. telegraph In this column, after Bordeaux defeated Saracens 45-12, he said that the French force was effectively too strong and that having players like No. 23 prop Ben Tamefuna lying around was not good for the game. Ta.
He suggested introducing restrictions on substitutions, which he believes would force individuals to slim down and reduce the impact of hits.
Moore argues that this will in turn benefit player welfare.
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“A look at South Africa’s recent games shows the scale and power of the ‘bomb squad’ at work,” he wrote last week.
“It is undeniable that it is effective, and is therefore a trend that is likely to develop as parties attempt to imitate and compete with these examples.
“Rugby needs to be clear on this issue. If you want to use any kind of game you want and prefer big clashes between big players, you have the right to take that view. But this policy We must acknowledge the inevitable consequences of accepting .
“From a safety standpoint, for some players, playing the full 80 minutes with two players trained and hardened to only play a portion of each game could not be safer. Never.
“Also, having players who maximize their size and power knowing they only have to play a limited role in the game is less safe in terms of repeated concussive impacts.
“By having players play a full game, teams can also give players a full week off if they play in alternate games, rather than playing limited minutes each game.
“Speaking of long-term effects, what do parents think when they see this rush for size? I can tell you from first-hand experience that these kinds of imbalances exist at every level and that I think some parents are discouraging their children from even trying rugby.”
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Moore had doubts about Quins’ ability to beat Bordeaux given the size difference, but the Premiership outfit confounded the doubters.
They played with typical enthusiasm, a key element of the London match, but the visiting team also competed well up front, dominating the French in both scrums and driving mauls.
Young prop Finn Baxter excelled at set pieces and regularly brought Tameifuna back, but his team won one try from a maul and a second try was canceled out for a knock-on over the line.
Moore said the result and display “made a mockery” of his pre-match predictions, but insisted it did not prove his far-reaching points were wrong.
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“Harlequins’ thrilling 42-41 victory over France’s Bordeaux Begles on Saturday made a mockery of the serious doubts I expressed about their championship chances in last week’s column,” he wrote. Ta.
“Quins have produced so many surprising and improbable rugby victories over the past few seasons that I, and just about everyone else, would probably caution you against any predictions about the west London side with the following words: You should have learned by now ‘But we’re talking’ about Harlequins.
“Some might say this Quins win proves that my point last week about the increasing concentration of power and turnover in modern rugby was also wrong.
“I accept that we shouldn’t have limited the teams that could counter these issues to Leinster, Ireland and the All Blacks, but I maintain the general point.
“Don’t get me wrong, Quins needed to match the huge power of Bordeaux to make victory possible. They needed to match the physical performance of players like Finn Baxter and his fellow forwards Thanks to you, we achieved that.”
Quins went into the game without key duo Joe Marler and Danny Care, but Baxter and reserve scrum-half Will Porter shone in their absence, leading to praise from the former England hooker.
“Kudos must also go to Quins’ other substitute, scrum-half Will Porter, whose absence was a deciding factor in Danny Care’s absence,” Moore added.
“Not only was his service to Marcus Smith fast and reliable, but he also showed a caring tendency to gather his own chip kicks and score the second of two tries.”
read more: Harlequins player ratings: Danny Care and Joe Marler are fine
