Handing off to a players face

You could easily catch the eye (area) of someone doing that

Spoiler:

In 2010 a chap was banned for 78 weeks for blinding an opponent with an accidental finger to the eye during a handoff ( deemed to be reckless)

Its seems to only go punished when someone is actually injured though. Otherwise the authorities turn a blind eye to what is a reckless action and a citebale offence.


Hardly in the same bracket as Attoub and Dupuy of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z1gR7Rvx9ik

But I want to see more of this

I always thought it was legal. I can`t ever remember seeing it being punished. Once when I was playing it happened to one of our team mates (it was rough enough as well) and our captain said it to the ref and he said it was allowed.

My understanding was it has to be a fend though, i.e. your arm has to be straight without a pushing motion.

Would be interested to see the exact rule if anyone had a hold of it.

I always thought it was illegal as well and you're meant to have a straight arm. never see it punished these days though

Maybe the modern player should wear goggles!

It isn't just the hand to the face that is dangerous though, you sometimes find a player "hands off" a defender with an elbow to the throaght as well.

The IRB should stipulate that any hand off must be below the neck, similar to a tackle.

biltongbek wrote:It isn't just the hand to the face that is dangerous though, you sometimes find a player "hands off" a defender with an elbow to the throaght as well.

The IRB should stipulate that any hand off must be below the neck, similar to a tackle.

I see where you are coming from, but if a tackler has lowered their shoulders to make a tackle, the attacking player should be able to fend them off by pushing the top/back of their head. Front on, head up tackles I agree with you that the attacking player shouldn't be putting their hands into peoples faces. It would be a very tricky thing to write up a rule on

Bandwagon, yes I agree there are extenuating circumstances, much like the high tackle or the tackle where a player like shane Williams used to jump in the air whilst catching a pass.

But it is quite clear when a player deliberately takes the tackler on with an elbow.

In SA a few years ago we had a player who had the habit of lifting his knee into the face of tacklers to deliberately injure them, he got severely banned for that.

biltongbek wrote:The IRB should stipulate that any hand off must be below the neck, similar to a tackle.

Wow...never knew that. If a player attempts to tackle low but mistimes it slightly, I’ve found (and also seen it happen at all levels) that when they lead head in, you can get around them by fending down and using the tacklers momentum to push them down and get around the tackle....will still do it too until I am pinged. I’ve never seen a head injury because of this nor have I seen a head injury from a fend to the face.

If someone gets fingers in their eyes from a fend, then it isn’t a fend it is either a face grab or a poke. You use the palm of the hand to fend, not the fingers.

Well mintie truth be told when you look at the perfect timed fend off, the best place to fend a player would be either the chest or on the inside shoulder to the tackler.

That way he bounces of before he can get his arms around and get a grip to hold on.

The truth is when you fend off in the face you aren't upsetting the timing and distance of the tackler, he may get a hand in the face but will still be able to complete his tackle.

biltongbek wrote:Well mintie truth be told when you look at the perfect timed fend off, the best place to fend a player would be either the chest or on the inside shoulder to the tackler.

That way he bounces of before he can get his arms around and get a grip to hold on.

Absolutely....I think Cory Jane is the best in the world at this atm

chewed_mintie wrote:

biltongbek wrote:Well mintie truth be told when you look at the perfect timed fend off, the best place to fend a player would be either the chest or on the inside shoulder to the tackler.

That way he bounces of before he can get his arms around and get a grip to hold on.

Absolutely....I think Cory Jane is the best in the world at this atm

Yes, Jane or Rene Ranger are the best at this.

Ioane doesn't need to hand anyone off. He just runs straight through.

George Carlin wrote:

chewed_mintie wrote:

biltongbek wrote:Well mintie truth be told when you look at the perfect timed fend off, the best place to fend a player would be either the chest or on the inside shoulder to the tackler.

That way he bounces of before he can get his arms around and get a grip to hold on.

Absolutely....I think Cory Jane is the best in the world at this atm

Yes, Jane or Rene Ranger are the best at this.

Ioane doesn't need to hand anyone off. He just runs straight through.

Except Jerome Kaino!

There was also the occasion Rougerie sued Phil Greening for £30,000 for accidentally catching him in the throat during a hand off.

Yea i thought that was a bit precious of Rougerie.

chewed_mintie wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

chewed_mintie wrote:

biltongbek wrote:Well mintie truth be told when you look at the perfect timed fend off, the best place to fend a player would be either the chest or on the inside shoulder to the tackler.

That way he bounces of before he can get his arms around and get a grip to hold on.

Absolutely....I think Cory Jane is the best in the world at this atm

Yes, Jane or Rene Ranger are the best at this.

Ioane doesn't need to hand anyone off. He just runs straight through.

Except Jerome Kaino!

Nobody puts Kaino in a corner.

It can be dangerous I was in A&e in Bridgend hospital and I saw an old school friend who plays on the wing for Bridgend Athletic and he looked like a vampire, I asked what happened and he said someone handed him off in the face, but basically hit him with an open hand punch. He lost his 2 front upper teeth.

Not a very nice thing to happen.

Look at this effort from Fruean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1gR7Rvx9ik

And Weepu had Xmas turkey weight on as well.

Yeah I saw that, it was brilliant.