Who are the big kickers of the HEC

Was at the Tigers match on Saturday and was impressed by the 54 yard punt by Ian Humphreys straight between the sticks. A great kick indeed. Then I started to remenisce about other huge kicks, like the cross bar strike from Tim Stimpson in the HEC that broke so many Welsh hearts to Francois Steyns monster 60m ballistic missile a few years back.

Read an artical a few years back predicting that the IRB would bring in a rule only allowing goal kicks from inside the defending teams half to try and stop these collosal toe pokes... something I'm glad to say has never happened.

So, who are the big kickers in this years HC and what is their impact on the game.

IHumphs done that a few times. Was the kick that won the game against Biarritz at Ravenhill in march(?) over 50m too?

Ruan Pienaar has some range too so Ulster are blessed on that front.

I was at the game that Steyn kicked a 60m+ kick last year. Absolute monster.

Can’t imagine anyone in the cup has a range like that.

I wouldn’t like to see them stop it though, it’s pretty rare and doesn’t have a negative effect on the game.

Metal Tiger wrote:=Then I started to remenisce about other huge kicks, like the cross bar strike from Tim Stimpson in the HEC that broke so many Irish hearts =

that was against the Scarlets, the two-yard-pinching-before-the-kick-son-of-a-b***h!

Thanks Turkster... I have amended my post accordingly.

Twelvetrees has smashed some over from his own half, not sure if any of this super long range ones were in the HEC. He has a 55 to 60m range but whether it goes over or not is 50/50.

Think Flood got one or two from around the 50m mark against Ulster but the biggest one on the night did belong to Humphries.

Tom Homer regularly hits the target from inside own half.

Sam.

Didn't 36 thump one over against Ospreys last year from own half?

We didn't play the Ospreys last year. On his debut he missed one from half way and then berated himself for the miss in the interview after the game. I think he must have slotted one from a touch nearer though.

Pretty sure he was hitting them from long range last season whilst Flood and Staunton were injured. Flood played in the first two games though as he presided over the demolition of Scarlets at Welford Rd and the narrow win away. I think Billy only played the Perpignan home game after Flood pulled out late and Staunton was only fit enough for the bench, Billy had a bit of a dodgey day with the boot.

Not really HEC related I know... but...

The World Record in a test match still belongs to Paul Thorburn in 1986 for a thumping 70 yarder...

But the longest penalty kick EVER was an English school boy called Ernie Cooper who landed an 81-yard penalty for Bridlington School's first XV in 1944!!

Simply unbelievable! What altitude and ball was he using?

Did he remove his leg and graft on a cannon? 81 yards is massive!

It is great to see long range kicks - especially when it is your own kicker.

However it still feels wrong to me that losing your bind and going down in a scrum can concede 3 points, the same as when a team flop all over the ball meteres from their own line - especially as most refs wait for about the 5th offence before carding.

like ozzy said, Homer has remarkable accuracy from long range, I'd back him to kick anything within 55 meters or so more often than not. Probably the best place-kicker in the AP right now...

Here's Thorburns kick https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=dTtTbcfwCMA

Not even much of a run-up, just thwacks it!

Draigoh

Thanks for posting that one i was trying to think who he was kick against.

I do remember that one very well.

I was very impressed with Matthew Morgans kick at the end of their game against Treviso, it wasnt the longest, it wasnt easy though and the pressure to draw the game level as the flyhalf that just entered the game took a great deal of ice cold composure.