Clermont Auvergne narrowly edged out Toulouse 29-25 in the Top 14 at the weekend, but scrumhalf Morgan Parra got a little more than he bargained for when he tried tacking giant Samoan, Joe Tekori.
At a scarcely believable 131kg, the Toulouse second row is one of the heaviest players in the Top 14. So it is hardly a surprise when Parra, attempting to wrestle Tekori to the floor, gets the “don’t argue” treatment.
While it’s a classic example of a scrumhalf wilfully picking on someone bigger than him, it also highlights some poor tackle technique, particularly as Tekori stands at just over 6ft4 (1.98m) tall.
Instead of going for Tekori’s legs, Parra chose to aim for the ball by going high.
Tekori has a strong fend at the best of times, so the Clermont halfback was easy pickings as the powerful Samoan unceremoniously threw Parra to the ground.
Clermont won a penalty from the resulting breakdown and ultimately went on to win the match to consolidate their place at the top of the table. Following this particular moment though, Parra may think twice about his approach when taking on huge locks in future.
credit: Boucherie Ovalie
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