Lee Byrnes catching style

First topic message reminder :

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.

This is how I was taught to catch the high ball. (Not that I can get too far off the ground!) Nothing wrong with it. Nothing to stop the competing player using the same technique if he gets close enough to the high ball.

Yun44 wrote:This is how I was taught to catch the high ball. (Not that I can get too far off the ground!) Nothing wrong with it. Nothing to stop the competing player using the same technique if he gets close enough to the high ball.

Everybody was kung fu fighting, those kicks were fast as lightning

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

I poo poo your comment

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.

A good full back should keep his eye on the ball at all times so shouldn't even be aware of the oncoming defenders until after hes caught the ball.

Who was your auld fella? Roy Keane?...... .....

If only Rodders....

When you're 5 foot 9 and playing full back you're going to notice oncoming rushers! In any match I saw him play, he never lost a ball, and he didn't always use that technique. He must have been doing something right!

right, im outta here before it becomes a 606v2 irish implosion of keith earls related madness.

if you'll excuse me lads, my leg is raised, studs are showing (for my own protection of course) and im out!

He obviously taken a leaf out of Tony O'Reilly's approach to rugby

Comfort wrote:right, im outta here before it becomes a 606v2 irish implosion of keith earls related madness.

if you'll excuse me lads, my leg is raised, studs are showing (for my own protection of course) and im out!

Right, he is not looking, i am going to take comfort out in the air, that will teach him

Reminds me of players who lead with their forearm when being tackled rather then a hand off, another way of injuring the opposition rather then getting it yourself.

I'm sure both could be brought up under dangerous play but until something bad happens neither will.

if Hugo Southwells taught us nothing else its that sometimes, you take a man down with just your head

Thomond wrote:If only Rodders....

When you're 5 foot 9 and playing full back you're going to notice oncoming rushers! In any match I saw him play, he never lost a ball, and he didn't always use that technique. He must have been doing something right!

I'm sure he was quality Thomond. I played FB a few times and always would have tried to catch a Garryowen facing my own goal line. This puts your body between the ball and the defenders and it means if you drop the ball it goes backwards.

Certainly I've never been coached to stick out the studs, which is exceptionally dangerous imo. The knee is fair enough though.

5'9 eh? Thats bigger than me anyways... I used to get high tackled and taken out in the air at the same time !

eirebilly 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 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.

SO lifting your foot in the air is bad, but you advocate stamping out?

Being serious I can see where your coming from, and like I said I guess it all comes down to when and where you are catching etc. Also none of my comments are based around a specific event, just general rememberings of Byrne playing. But I honestly can't see anyway a player can run into his boot (which would have took him out if his foot wasn't there) and claim they were looking at the ball, as if they were looking up at the ball they would have seen an orange bloke in a rugby jersey as well!

And Lee Byrne glows in the dark!

Seriously though, it is and has been a concern of mine for sometime and i dont like to see any player doing it.

By shaving his legs he is also slightly more aerodynamic which adds to the speed of impact and damage his studs can cause. That should also be looked at.

apparently Geoff Cross's last account of the game before he regained conciousness was akin to a UFO sighting.

"A long slick glowing orange limb came towards me and then there was a flash of yellow and i woke up in the changing rooms......"

Rodders

"5'9 eh? Thats bigger than me anyways... I used to get high tackled and taken out in the air at the same time !"

I'm nicking that line - when I played full back I had to jump to take grubber kicks.