Just a bit different, isn't it.

No . Both were contact with the head.

You're right, it wasn't his shoulder - that makes the tackle even worse. He should get banned and rightly so.

Luaki was getting ready for collision, front foot forward, lean forward, ie downwards then brace, thus taking force on your front foot with your whole body weight behind.

You dont stand up straight knowing that with straight legs and back you will get put on your backside, you brace, he was leaning into hit nicklas, he was getting his body perfectly positioned as coached from the age of 8 upwards.

No excuses for westerman and will rightly cop a 2.

I think it's clear that he knows we're on the bare bones with injuries as he's one of them, and shouldn't have played. Must have put his hand up to try and help the team, but unfortunately it looked like the wrong decision last night.

for a big man Luaki certainly cannot take a hit to the head like some of the other players do



missed timed/careless by Westerman nothing malicious

one with an arm on a player in the process of bending down, one a swing with a fist, from the side and straight into the face.

I just hope it hasn`t affected Hame`s looks.

Are we banning tackling with the arms now too then? We may as well give up.

Westerman looked to have all the potential in the world when he first came onto the scene at Cas but has gone backwards ever since.

The bans will get longer, hopefully players will change their approach before someone gets seriously injured.

Hits to the head happen in a contact sport. People get kicked in the head in football, should they ban kicking?

Complete over reaction. Yes, punish the ones that DO hit the head, but FFS don't ban them.

Its a contact sport and people will inevitably get hurt. I personally like to see players use the shoulder, though obviously not to the head. The problem arises when a player bends low or a small player like burrow comes at you. It was a bit like Moa's where the french player came in low and got sparked out.

The shoulder charge is a big risk play, if you get it wrong you can seriously hurt someone and you deserve a ban.

In football a player can get penalised for putting his head in a dangerous position, it's a different sport.

He made [idirect[/i contact to the head. Nobody is on about banning anything. If you're going to tackle like that, don't make contact with the head, pretty simple really.

So how does not making contact with the shoulder make it worse? If EVERY tackle which hits the head results in a ban then fine, but does anyone see that happening?

Shoulder charges aren't illegal.

If the boot was on the other foot and Lauaki had made that tackle on Westerman, our fans would have gone mental.

Disappointed all the replays where in slow motion, would have liked to have seen it again at full speed.
Westy did lift his arm slightly which was silly on his part but I'm not a fan of banning players for making contact with the head if it isn't deliberate.
If someone try's to knock a players head off with a straight or swinging arm then they deserve to be punished.
However our sport is played at a fast pace & like it or not players tackle with shoulders & every now & then accidents will happen.
If there is no intent to harm I dont think the player should be banned.
On another note I think Westy's defence in the last couple of rounds has been very poor. Dobbo picked him out twice in the derby & last night I thought he was to blame for the first two tries. Although I do know he's injured

I think to play this sport when you arnt 100% is madness, its hard and brutal, yet some of these boys pull on that shirt and put thier bodies on the line for us, the fans. Then we moan and groan when they play sh88e, if we knew half of what went on we probably wouldn't be as quick to judge.

TBH after watching over and over it is not his shoulder or elbow that makes contact with Luaukis head but the area of his bicep/tricep. Also his head jolts forward due to Nicklas tackling and stopping him in his tracks. He will problem get a match ban & I think that would be harsh.

Don't think it warrants a ban but he'll probably get one. lauaki makes contact with his bicep which is nowhere near as bad as the shoulder or the forearm

Just out of curiosity, those saying Westerman should get a ban or castigating him for the tackle, are these the same people who thought Ogre was a hero for throwing a ridiculous haymaker last week? Or Radford for getting sent off throwing punches at Bailey? Just asking like.

Another correct answer.

You'll have to explain how hitting him with his arm is worse than the shoulder.

Nobody complained about the hit he put on Mossop 5 minutes later, which was completely the same, except Mossop wasn't ducking to get his forearms in to Nicklas' head.
Are we seriously going to hang him out to dry because Lauaki ducked at the last minute?

Not sure it needs explaining really, it's quite self-explanatory.

I do think your judgement is being clouded by the fact it's Westerman too. I doubt you'd be defending anybody else as much.