It’s been well-said that rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen. This latest montage will have you questioning if that is still the case. The level of one-upmanship on display will either leave you nodding your head in admiration or shaking your head in disgust that such moments could ever happen.
One of the more famous moments in the annals of rugby skullduggery is the infamous “Hand of Back”. Drawing its name from the Maradona “Hand of God” incident, Leinster’s Neil Back slapped the ball from the hands of Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer as the latter was feeding a scrum at a crucial point of the match.
That incident, though blatantly obvious, slipped right past the ref and into history.
Other moments range from the more comical in nature, such as Jamie Cudmore trying to eavesdrop on a French team huddle, to the more bizarre, cush as Italy’s “ruck gate”.
Obviously, it helps to know the lawbook inside and out, as a healthy knowledge of the laws can catch the opposition napping. Careers have been made while toeing the line and living on the edge.
Some players are blatantly obvious and go down in infamy. Others make subtlety an artform, leaving the debate raging: “Is it really cheating if you don’t get caught?”
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