Round 3 - Saracens (H) - Saturday 02nd October 2021

[Jimmy Skitz]

wow there is a lot of pearl clutching going on, so long as he doesn't get in the face of the opposition he can celebrate how he likes, if he does then punish him, if his antics spark a brawl, punish him.

Guess what Tigers go mad when they win a big scrum penalty too

Do you condone that behaviour, just because it's the side we're supporting?

I condone it because it’s not a problem until they do it to goad the opposition, which they don’t they do it to fire themselves up. It’s fine I barely notice it

[RagingBull]

Well Earl felt the full force of a celebration at the 80 minutes.

[Jimmy Skitz]

What exactly did Earl do wrong? He cheers, fist pumps? Pats his teammates on the back? If that’s going too far I wonder how some of you cope in life in general because really it’s nothing to complain over, if Ellis and co use it as fuel to get payback great. It all adds to the spectacle of the game.

[Robespierre]

Adds? Not for me, but I’m maybe in the minority.

[OakhamTiger32]

What exactly did Earl do wrong? He cheers, fist pumps? Pats his teammates on the back? If that’s going too far I wonder how some of you cope in life in general because really it’s nothing to complain over, if Ellis and co use it as fuel to get payback great. It all adds to the spectacle of the game.

If he did just cheer, fist pump and pat his team mates on the back I don’t think anyone would have mentioned it. Earl screams and yells and definitely is not just doing it to congratulate his team on a jolly fine scrum penalty.. it’s to provoke a reaction from the opposition; gamesmanship.. yes, I’m all for celebrating, cheering.. even the final whistle style celebration displayed by Tigers absolutely has a place in rugby. But if you think all Earl was doing was cheering and patting his team mates on the back then fair enough.. that’s your view but I reckon it’s just bit of Willy waving and a show to get a reaction!

[Old Hob]

I too, count myself as an old lag, having played from the 60s to the 80s when there wasn't any league rugby, only friendlies, when the stakes weren't so high.
However, and I'm sure some will consider my point of view as a bit snobbish, this is rugby in which there have always been values in the way our game is played, and if behaviour on the field like Earl's continues, then it detracts from my enjoyment of a live match.
Are today's men in charge of the future of our game insensitive to the direction in which it's going?

As a fellow old lag, I entirely agree with this. It's about proportion. Earl (and others) react as if they've discovered a free gold mine. How do they go on when something really important happens?

[chris111]

I too, count myself as an old lag, having played from the 60s to the 80s when there wasn't any league rugby, only friendlies, when the stakes weren't so high.
However, and I'm sure some will consider my point of view as a bit snobbish, this is rugby in which there have always been values in the way our game is played, and if behaviour on the field like Earl's continues, then it detracts from my enjoyment of a live match.
Are today's men in charge of the future of our game insensitive to the direction in which it's going?

As a fellow old lag, I entirely agree with this. It's about proportion. Earl (and others) react as if they've discovered a free gold mine. How do they go on when something really important happens?

I think the variety of responses to this this issue bears out the original point I was making - that it would be pretty impossible to police ‘excessive celebration’ out of the game. Every match ends up with a forensic critique of the refereeing performance - just imagine if we got to weigh in over how correctly Ian Tempest et al had decided whether a player had been congratulating his team mates or provoking his opponents!

[Big Dai]

I'll probably get a lecture for this.........but Earl's antics are over the top. They are too extreme to be simply encouraging his team so they must be to antagonise and provoke a reaction from opponents?

In the good old days he would have got one......and that would have been the end of the matter.

How I miss the good old days......far too much analysis and dissection these days.

[northerntiger]

I’m probably in the old lags club too, but the celebrations don’t bother me one bit. There are many many more important issues that detract from the game - scrums, excessive kicking, the ruck, power over skill.

[anz3001]

I’ve never picked up on, nor been bothered by celebrations before, I quite like players showing passion. Earl, however, I did notice was nauseatingly OTT. Deserves a Lavinini high tackle IMO.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

I'll probably get a lecture for this.........but Earl's antics are over the top. They are too extreme to be simply encouraging his team so they must be to antagonise and provoke a reaction from opponents?

In the good old days he would have got one......and that would have been the end of the matter.

How I miss the good old days......far too much analysis and dissection these days.

I can imagine the DORs at Newcastle & Dragons to name 2 players of the past, who might of expressed an "opinion" at some of the current on field antics, players didn't behave like that or some of the snide little bits of cheating that go on now as you got a clout as a result, that was the bit of self policing that worked in rugby.
For me we aren't that far away from players showing an imaginary card to the ref after an incident & general "Wendyball" behaviour to the officials.

[chris111]

I'll probably get a lecture for this.........but Earl's antics are over the top. They are too extreme to be simply encouraging his team so they must be to antagonise and provoke a reaction from opponents?

In the good old days he would have got one......and that would have been the end of the matter.

How I miss the good old days......far too much analysis and dissection these days.

I can imagine the DORs at Newcastle & Dragons to name 2 players of the past, who might of expressed an "opinion" at some of the current on field antics, players didn't behave like that or some of the snide little bits of cheating that go on now as you got a clout as a result, that was the bit of self policing that worked in rugby.
For me we aren't that far away from players showing an imaginary card to the ref after an incident & general "Wendyball" behaviour to the officials.

Come on, please! Is there any wonder why rugby is a minority sport - and destined to become increasingly so - when people are nostalgic for the good old days when punching someone was seen as the way to deal with whose behaviour doesn’t live up to the values of the game? Do you really think that’s a welcoming, inclusive stance that will bring in new generations? Holding up the DoR at Newcastle as a figurehead for the Corinthian spirit won’t convince too many people of the force of your argument, either!

If you really love the game you’d start to accept that the world has moved on. Letting go of the use of the term Wendyball might help as well….it also belongs to a thankfully declining generation who used terms like “the girls in the backs”.

[Jimmy Skitz]

I'll probably get a lecture for this.........but Earl's antics are over the top. They are too extreme to be simply encouraging his team so they must be to antagonise and provoke a reaction from opponents?

In the good old days he would have got one......and that would have been the end of the matter.

How I miss the good old days......far too much analysis and dissection these days.

I can imagine the DORs at Newcastle & Dragons to name 2 players of the past, who might of expressed an "opinion" at some of the current on field antics, players didn't behave like that or some of the snide little bits of cheating that go on now as you got a clout as a result, that was the bit of self policing that worked in rugby.
For me we aren't that far away from players showing an imaginary card to the ref after an incident & general "Wendyball" behaviour to the officials.

Come on, please! Is there any wonder why rugby is a minority sport - and destined to become increasingly so - when people are nostalgic for the good old days when punching someone was seen as the way to deal with whose behaviour doesn’t live up to the values of the game? Do you really think that’s a welcoming, inclusive stance that will bring in new generations? Holding up the DoR at Newcastle as a figurehead for the Corinthian spirit won’t convince too many people of the force of your argument, either!

If you really love the game you’d start to accept that the world has moved on. Letting go of the use of the term Wendyball might help as well….it also belongs to a thankfully declining generation who used terms like “the girls in the backs”.

Well said, Rugby fans ought to be grateful it doesn’t get the scrutiny Football gets in the media, from the way players behave off the field to the focus on fan behaviour, for a start a certain south west based team would need a new nickname

[LE18]

I cant say I saw anything of Earl's behaviour, then again I'm deaf.

[DeadlyDunc]

I’m not an old lag and im a wendyball fan too (making friends already ) but I’d argue Earl is right at the extreme end of the scale on this point.

It annoys me as he seems to go apoplectic every minor “win” but hey ho come 84mins (and end of the season for Bristol last year) he wouldn’t have been.

I guess he’ll argue it’s a way of maintaining energy on a personal and wider team level so each to their own but he is definately out there as one of, if not the worst, for over celebration.