Lee Byrnes catching style

Hello all;

This has probably been done to death but on the weekend i saw Lee Byrne again jumping to catch the ball with an outstretched leg showing his studs to the oncoming defender.
It is a very big concern for me this as i feel that he will either cause someone else or himself a serious injury with this style. I know that others do it but not to the degree of Byrne. I seriously hope that someone has a word with him soon about this.

Isn't the answer pretty simple? Stay away from the player in the air!

Anyway, i believe he's been doing it more often since he got upended in the 09 six nations against Scotland.

Nothing wrong with it gowales, Seriously? To me he is a danger to himself and any player coming in to tackle him. Sure jump with your knee (leg bent) to help secure the ball but Byrnes outstretched 'straight' leg showing his studs is dangerous in my books.

Byrne's technique means he has collisions with people he would not otherwise have. Collisions that are more dangerous for both him and the opponent (as seen in 09 he mashes the face of the opponent and gets upended almost automatically).

He is not just jumping up, but also forward quite a long way and looks as if he is seeking to intimidate opponents, who if they want to challenge for the ball cannot as they will get kicked so to stay legal have to stay a long long way from him.


However as the officials deem it legal - he can continue doing it.

LondonTiger wrote:Byrne's technique means he has collisions with people he would not otherwise have. Collisions that are more dangerous for both him and the opponent (as seen in 09 he mashes the face of the opponent and gets upended almost automatically).

He is not just jumping up, but also forward quite a long way and looks as if he is seeking to intimidate opponents, who if they want to challenge for the ball cannot as they will get kicked so to stay legal have to stay a long long way from him.


However as the officials deem it legal - he can continue doing it.

+1

Personally, I'd like to see leading with the studs in that situation banned, regardless of who is doing it

Arrmitage is worse at doing it IMO - and I think it needs to be looked at

LT, absolutely spot on. I am not having a go at Byrne as i think that he is a great player i just really hate the leading with studs. As i said, there are several that do it but not to the same degree as him.

TJ wrote:Arrmitage is worse at doing it IMO - and I think it needs to be looked at

Byrne plays in more high profile matches so is more obvious. If Armitage does it as well then it is equally legal - but wrong.


funny thing is the law was changed to protect the jumper in the lineout. Before that point you rarely saw people jump for the ball - after the law change everyone was doing it because it gives you a huge advantage. coaches and players are alwayd very good at taking law changes and twisting them to their advantage.

I am with AsBo, i dont care who is doing it, it should be banned.

I have this fear that a player will get a nasty boot to the face or that a collision will upend Byrne badly making him land on his kneck and do serious damage.

eirebilly wrote:I am with AsBo, i dont care who is doing it, it should be banned.

I have this fear that a player will get a nasty boot to the face or that a collision will upend Byrne badly making him land on his kneck and do serious damage.

Like Hugo Southwell in the 6N 2011?

Hugo is not my favourite player but he isn't a dirty player. He was chasing his own kick eyes on the ball and took a face full of Lee Byrnes studs

Not as if he was trying to tackle Byrne, he just didn't see him and took a sore one as a result.

Dangerous and it should be cited.

Thats the kind of incident that this catching style invites Radge and i am against it. I did remember an incident of a Scottish player getting one in the face (i think that LT said it the match thread) but i could not remember who it was. Southwell got a yellow card as well for his trouble did he not?

eirebilly wrote:Thats the kind of incident that this catching style invites Radge and i am against it. I did remember an incident of a Scottish player getting one in the face (i think that LT said it the match thread) but i could not remember who it was. Southwell got a yellow card as well for his trouble did he not?

I think that might have been Geoff Cross against Lee Byrne in 2009, and again same thing, not looking to tackle the player eyes on the ball and he took a knee to the face rather than studs.

He suffered the indignity of being carded whilst unconcious and being stretchered off.

Oh ok, fair enough but i was certain that a player got a boot full of studs to the face at some stage?

eirebilly wrote:Oh ok, fair enough but i was certain that a player got a boot full of studs to the face at some stage?

Aye that was Southwell, as I said not my favourite player but you wouldn't wish that on anyone. It looked like a real sore one.

To be honest I always think that it is the right way to jump to catch the ball. If you have a boot or knee out people are far less likely to try and smash you in the air as they will be on the receiving end of it themselves. I think of it a bit along the lines of a forward holding out their hand in front of them when running with the ball, it is a warning that a hand off will come if you try to tackle them, and with the boot/knee out when jumping it is a warning that if you try to cheat you will be hurt too.


[EDIT] To be fair i guess it depends on the situation and where you are when jumping. In the middle of a heap of players then I would agree boots in front is a no go. But recieving a long kick that you are the only one who has a chance of catching yes, and anyone else in the area is most likley going to be a threat to your safety.

I have no problem with jumping with a bent leg bringing the knee up to help secure the ball in the air. I have a major problem with an outstretched leg showing studs when catching the ball. Two very different things in my book.

One is a secure way to catch, the other is inviting serious injuries for both players if either of their timing is slightly out.

If everyone just fielded like Rob Kearney and Beale the world would be a better place. Interesting to see how RK deals with Byrne in the Semis. My guess is he will go through Byrnes leg. Though because Kearney never takes his eye off the ball Byrnes methods could prove dangerous.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:To be honest I always think that it is the right way to jump to catch the ball. If you have a boot or knee out people are far less likely to try and smash you in the air as they will be on the receiving end of it themselves. I think of it a bit along the lines of a forward holding out their hand in front of them when running with the ball, it is a warning that a hand off will come if you try to tackle them, and with the boot/knee out when jumping it is a warning that if you try to cheat you will be hurt too.


[EDIT] To be fair i guess it depends on the situation and where you are when jumping. In the middle of a heap of players then I would agree boots in front is a no go. But recieving a long kick that you are the only one who has a chance of catching yes, and anyone else in the area is most likley going to be a threat to your safety.

You need to be able to compete in the air. By showing your studs you are preventing competition. One day he will be taken out and he probably deserves it if you ask me.

I'm not a big fan of it, if the knees there then fine, studs is a bit much.

To be fair to him though, it was only after being taken out in the air regularly he started doing it, i remember 1 game for the ospreys he had a nasty looking fall, its very easy to judge through the looking glass....

I am just for player safety, the way he jumps is not safe for him or any challenging player and i do fear that someone will get seriously hurt one day as a result of this.

I understand what you're saying billy, and I do agree, Im not a fan of it.

But he hasnt always jumped like this, he used to just raise his knee. It was only after a few nasty collisions when he was taken out in the air he started doing it, and even then he still kept getting taken out in the air....

....sorry, but to use those examples AGAINST lee byrne are ridiculous, both scottish players took him out in the air? studs or not they would have done so, get off that horse, its not even that high.

Maybe he thinks hes justified to do it if hes getting taken out in the air less?

Just another perspective.

All fullbacks get taken out in the air (i hate it) comfort but not all have resorted to straightening their leg and showing studs. By doing this he is effectively inviting a dangerous situation where a player running to compete for the ball, with his eye on the ball, will run directly into his studs and cause injury. On the same side, such an impact could possibly spin Byrne in the air and cause a rather awkward fall.

To me is something that seriously has to be looked at before rather than later.

Comfort - you pretty much summed up what I was trying to say, it is more of a way of protecting himself, than an attempt to get a cheapshot in on someone else.

The Scottish player got a mouth full of studs. We will never know if he would have taken him out if Byrne's leg wasn't extended. He may have just caught him and brought him down.

Byrnes technique is about as safe as extending your studs to someones face to stop them tackling you when running with the ball. Bad sportsmanship really.

I am not saying that he does this as to get a cheap shot in, far from it. He is not that type of player. I am more concerned for his and others well being on the field.

leinsterbaby wrote:The Scottish player got a mouth full of studs. We will never know if he would have taken him out if Byrne's leg wasn't extended. He may have just caught him and brought him down.

Isn't that still taking hte man in the air. I thought that you were not meant to touch them until their feet were grounded, unless you were competing in the air for the ball.

I agree, and I've said both time, I dont like it either.

LB, its a style he developed after being taken out in the air dangerously fairly regularly for ospreys and wales. Then to say hes wrong to do it and pointing to another 2 examples of when hes been taken out in the air dont really seem to make much sense for me? Surely in lamens terms that would suggest he should protect himself even more?

I dont like it personally, but after watching some of the hits he endured between 08 -10 I cant villify him as its not as if he's the only one who does it either.

But people cannot compete if they are met by a FB, be they english or welsh, who raise their studs like that.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:The Scottish player got a mouth full of studs. We will never know if he would have taken him out if Byrne's leg wasn't extended. He may have just caught him and brought him down.

Isn't that still taking hte man in the air. I thought that you were not meant to touch them until their feet were grounded, unless you were competing in the air for the ball.

My attitude is if they are preventing you from competing in the air by raising your studs then they are fair game.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

eirebilly wrote:I am with AsBo, i dont care who is doing it, it should be banned.

I have this fear that a player will get a nasty boot to the face or that a collision will upend Byrne badly making him land on his kneck and do serious damage.

Like Hugo Southwell in the 6N 2011?

Hugo is not my favourite player but he isn't a dirty player. He was chasing his own kick eyes on the ball and took a face full of Lee Byrnes studs

Not as if he was trying to tackle Byrne, he just didn't see him and took a sore one as a result.

Dangerous and it should be cited.

Well that's just not true is it?

Look at the replay and he runs for the ball, then looks straight at Byrne and takes him out. To say he was looking at the ball all the time and didn't see Byrne is nonsense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykz0FsfPYvU

Even the most one eyed Scotsman, Andy Nicol, says at the end it should have been a yellow card for Southwell.

leinsterbaby wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:The Scottish player got a mouth full of studs. We will never know if he would have taken him out if Byrne's leg wasn't extended. He may have just caught him and brought him down.

Isn't that still taking hte man in the air. I thought that you were not meant to touch them until their feet were grounded, unless you were competing in the air for the ball.

My attitude is if they are preventing you from competing in the air by raising your studs then they are fair game.

LB, then you are no doubt the sort of guy that would catch his studs to the face and then complain about it afterwards.

2 wrongs dont make a right my friend.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:The Scottish player got a mouth full of studs. We will never know if he would have taken him out if Byrne's leg wasn't extended. He may have just caught him and brought him down.

Isn't that still taking the man in the air. I thought that you were not meant to touch them until their feet were grounded, unless you were competing in the air for the ball.

Yes and no. Yes because of the contact but no because the player may be attempting to compete for the ball, has his eyes on the ball and doesnt see his leg.

When Byrne catches the ball, he catchest it nearly 2mtrs in the air and the distance from where he catches the ball and the studs on his shoes is a good 1 and a half meters. For a player wanting to compete for the ball, that leaves them in a dangerous area for both impact and taking Byrne out in the air.

Its something that needs to be looked at and stamped out. Not just Byrne but every player that does this.

Scarlet
The problem with the Southwell incident was that HS was chasing his own kick and watching the ball, was about to jump in an attempt to collect and glanced at where Byrne was, only to see a size 10 very close to his head. He actually tried to avoid the contact, but because of the way Byrne had jumped there wasn't sufficient space.

I'm with the others here who feel that leading with an outstretched leg when jumping for the ball is going too far and should be penalised as dangerous play - I've no issue with fullbacks pulling a knee up to protect themselves, as it also puts you in a better position to take the ball, but using a straight leg to create an 'exclusion zone' around you is too much.

Comfort wrote:I agree, and I've said both time, I dont like it either.

LB, its a style he developed after being taken out in the air dangerously fairly regularly for ospreys and wales. Then to say hes wrong to do it and pointing to another 2 examples of when hes been taken out in the air dont really seem to make much sense for me? Surely in lamens terms that would suggest he should protect himself even more?

I dont like it personally, but after watching some of the hits he endured between 08 -10 I cant villify him as its not as if he's the only one who does it either.

He's a fullback. It happens to them all. Should second rows start raising their studs to opposition to prevent them from competing at the line out? Of course not but they get taken out just as much in the air.

Comfort wrote:
2 wrongs dont make a right my friend.

Says the man who claims that Byrne does this now as a resort to being taken out in the air one too many times

dummy_half wrote:Scarlet
The problem with the Southwell incident was that HS was chasing his own kick and watching the ball, was about to jump in an attempt to collect and glanced at where Byrne was, only to see a size 10 very close to his head. He actually tried to avoid the contact, but because of the way Byrne had jumped there wasn't sufficient space.

I'm with the others here who feel that leading with an outstretched leg when jumping for the ball is going too far and should be penalised as dangerous play - I've no issue with fullbacks pulling a knee up to protect themselves, as it also puts you in a better position to take the ball, but using a straight leg to create an 'exclusion zone' around you is too much.

This summarises exactly how I feel about the incident. Nobody chooses to take someone out by biting their studs.

I agree with this article. Tommy Bowe does it a lot also.

LB, dont take it so seriously, there isnt much sense in our game as far as consistency goes as it is, i mean, a red-card for the warburton tip-tackle but not even a yellow for taking someone out whilst mid-air in the lineout? Yet, which is more dangerous?

Etc, etc.

I've said I dont like the way he does it either, but I can understand why he does.

eirebilly wrote:

Comfort wrote:
2 wrongs dont make a right my friend.

Says the man who claims that Byrne does this now as a resort to being taken out in the air one too many times

It's how I was taught to catch the ball if oncoming defenders were coming towards me. Gives you a better chance of securing the ball, if they want to compete it's their own problem.

I love irony comfort

Thomond wrote:It's how I was taught to catch the ball if oncoming defenders were coming towards me. Gives you a better chance of securing the ball, if they want to compete it's their own problem.

Really? I was taught to box myself up and bring my knee up to stop the ball slipping through my arms.

eirebilly wrote:I love irony comfort

i was had i tell you! had!

eirebilly wrote:

Thomond wrote:It's how I was taught to catch the ball if oncoming defenders were coming towards me. Gives you a better chance of securing the ball, if they want to compete it's their own problem.

Really? I was taught to box myself up and bring my knee up to stop the ball slipping through my arms.

He's from Cork they do things differently down there.

Comfort wrote:

eirebilly wrote:I love irony comfort

i was had i tell you! had!

leinsterbaby wrote:

eirebilly wrote:

Thomond wrote:It's how I was taught to catch the ball if oncoming defenders were coming towards me. Gives you a better chance of securing the ball, if they want to compete it's their own problem.

Really? I was taught to box myself up and bring my knee up to stop the ball slipping through my arms.

He's from Limerick they do things differently down there.

I am a Clare man so not that far away


Ok, i didnt learn rugby here i was sent to some school elswhere, Gibbo will tell you as i cant speak its name anymore

Billy, I was told numerous ways to catch it. I never played full back but my dad did. If there are numerous oncoming rushers stick the boot out, If you have time raise the knee like a GAA catch was the main other one. The other thing was to twist your body as you made the catch so if you dropped it, it wouldn't be a knock on.


Also how dare anyone say I'm from Limerick. Ya cheeky basterd. I'm from Cork.

Thomond wrote:Billy, I was told numerous ways to catch it. I never played full back but my dad did. If there are numerous oncoming rushers stick the boot out, If you have time raise the knee like a GAA catch was the main other one. The other thing was to twist your body as you made the catch so if you dropped it, it wouldn't be a knock on.


Also how dare anyone say I'm from Limerick. Ya cheeky basterd. I'm from Cork.

Phew, that explains it all

Who's Lee Byrne?

We're from Cork and we're better than you, we're from Cork and we're better than you...