Tata Martino reveals Lionel Messi injury decision after US Open Cup loss
Tata Martino explained why Lionel Messi was unable to play against Houston Dynamo.
2023-09-29 05:18
Ben Lam red card: Why was Samoa star sent off against Japan at Rugby World Cup?
Ben Lam became the latest player to see a yellow card upgraded to a red following a review from the TMO bunker during the Japan vs Samoa match at the Rugby World Cup. In the second half of the Pool D contest, Samoan winger Lam’s shoulder connected with the head of Japan back row Lappies Labuschagne while making a tackle, who went off for a HIA. Referee Jaco Peyper initially sent the flyer to the sin-bin but, using the bunker system, that was upgraded to a red card soon after, with the foul play review officer ruling that it was a shoulder direct to head with significant force and not enough mitigation to remain a yellow card. Lam’s dismissal was the seventh red card of the World Cup and is one of a number of disciplinary incidents which have shone a light on the consistency of officiating in this tournament. Arguably the most high-profile moment came on the opening weekend when an England player was shown a red card for the fourth time this year, as Tom Curry was sent off early in his side’s win over Argentina, following a head-on-head collision with Juan Cruz Mallia. However, apparent inconsistency among officials irked many, especially on social media, with other incidents of head contact across the opening weekend not being punished as severely. Later in that same match, Santiago Carreras only received a yellow card despite his leap in attempting to charge down a George Ford kick seeing his hip make contact with the England No 10’s head. During South Africa’s impressive 18-3 win over Scotland, Jesse Kriel’s tackle on Jack Dempsey in which his head clattered into that of his Scottish opponent wasn’t even reviewed by the TMO and wasn’t subsequently cited, while Chile captain Martin Sigren was only sin-binned despite a head-on-head collision while tackling a Japanese attacker. In the second round of action, New Zealand’s Ethan de Groot was sent off for his high hit during the clash with Namibia. But what are the laws around head contact and high tackles that referees are following and how do they decide on the punishment? Here’s everything you need to know: What are World Rugby’s laws on head contact? Head-on-head contact in the tackle comes under Law 9 of the Laws of Rugby Union, which covers foul play. Law 9.11 dictates “Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others, including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler” and Law 9.13 goes on to say “A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.” If a player breaks these laws and the act is deemed to be reckless or dangerous, then the referee is entitled to issue a yellow or red card. World Rugby also clarify the intent of the laws, stating in their guidelines that: “ Player welfare drives World Rugby’s decision making for zero tolerance of foul play, especially where head contact occurs. The focus must be on the actions of those involved, not the injury – the need for an HIA [a Head Injury Assessment] does not necessarily mean that there has been illegal head contact.” What are the punishments for head-on-head contact? Ok, this is where things get technical and debates start to occur. In March 2023, World Rugby issued their latest ‘head contact process law application guidelines’ to guide referees on whether foul play has occurred and how it should be punished. The referee has to go through a four-step process (detailed below) to determine the extent of the foul play and the sanction. The four steps are: Has head contact occurred? Was there any foul play? What was the degree of danger? Is there any mitigation? Step 1 (has head contact occurred?) is relatively straightforward, with head contact including the head and the face as well as the neck and throat area. If any head contact is made at all, we move on to Step 2. Step 2 (was there foul play?) is a touch more complex. The referees are told to consider whether the head contact was either intentional, reckless or avoidable – e.g. the defender is always upright. If it was, the tackler will be penalised and they move on to Step 3. However, if the head contact was deemed not to be foul play, the game continues. Step 3 (what was the degree of danger?) – judged from high to low – determines the initial punishment. A degree of high danger is judged on any of: direct contact rather than indirect, a high-force impact, a lack of control from the tackler, the incident occurring at high speed, the tackler leading with the head/shoulder/elbow/forearm or the tackle being reckless. If the referee judges there to be a high degree of danger, a red card will be shown. Meanwhile, low danger is judged as indirect contact, low force, low speed or no leading head/shoulder/forearm/swinging arm and a yellow card or even just a penalty to the opposition may be awarded. The final step, Step 4 (is there any mitigation?) determines whether the punishment can be reduced by one grade (i.e red card down to yellow card or yellow card down to just a penalty). Mitigation includes a sudden or significant drop in height or change in direction from ball carrier, a late change in dynamics due to another player in the contact area, a clear effort from the tackler to reduce their height or the tackler having no time to adjust. However, mitigation will never apply for intentional or always-illegal acts of foul play. What about the Foul Play Review Officer/Bunker review? Introduced for this World Cup was the Bunker review system. This allows the referee to issue a yellow card to a player, sending them to the sin-bin while play goes on, where a Foul Play Review Official (FPRO) will then take another look at the incident and determine if the yellow card should be upgraded to red, allowing the game to continue rather than a long stoppage to debate this. This is what happened to Curry against Argentina. The referee crosses their arms to indicate a Bunker review will take place. Once a player is in the sin-bin, the FPRO has up to eight minutes to review the decision and decide if it warrants upgrading to a red card. If not, the player will return to the field after their 10 minutes in the sin-bin has elapsed. Read More Steve Borthwick questions World Rugby’s silence on red card inconsistency Ethan De Groot red card: Why was All Blacks star sent off at Rugby World Cup? ‘Ruining this World Cup’: TV presenter slams ‘grotesque’ refereeing as Wales beat Fiji Japan v Samoa LIVE: Rugby World Cup 2023 latest updates Scotland make sweeping changes for must-win Romania clash Australia coach says Wallabies can’t handle pressure as Rugby World Cup exit looms
2023-09-29 04:57
Packers injury news gives Lions free agency its biggest test yet
In a highly anticipated Thursday night football showdown, the Packers are welcoming back their star wide receiver, Christian Watson, a huge test for a Lion added in free agency.
2023-09-29 04:28
US issues stark warning about China's information efforts
The US State Department issued a striking warning in a report on Thursday accusing the Chinese government of expanding efforts to control information, disseminate propaganda and disinformation that promotes "digital authoritarianism" in China and around the world.
2023-09-29 03:45
Girl Scouts not immune to inflation: Cookie prices are going up
Girl Scout cookies are getting more expensive. In some places, at least.
2023-09-29 03:24
NFL eyes Spain, France and Brazil as sites for future international games
By Rory Carroll LOS ANGELES Spain, France, Brazil and even Australia are being looked at as possible future
2023-09-29 03:16
Alan Wake 2 Preview
Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 shakes up what you thought you knew about the series.
2023-09-29 03:15
Julia Fox says she wants to wear outfits that women ‘appreciate’ and men ‘would despise’
Julia Fox has opened up about her sense of style, with the model explaining she likes to wear outfits that spark differing opinions among men and women. Fox, 33, spoke candidly about her appearance during an interview with The New Yorker published on 27 September. She went on to discuss her weight loss, which she previously described as “unintentional”, after she was asked how she felt about the reactions to her “losing the curves that [she] was known for”. In response, she noted that as her body and style have changed, she’s been focused on creating a specific “look” that will be met by men and women differently. “The losing of the weight, the eyebrows, the clothes, all the things I did - I think I was going for grotesque,” she said. “I wanted to look a certain way where the girls would appreciate it and the men would despise it.” The Uncut Gems star went on to reflect on when she first lost weight, which she said occurred at a point where she “was really stressed out”, “wasn’t eating properly,” and after a close friend had passed away. “I would eat maybe one time a day and it would be a sheet cake, and I was on my feet from 7am till whatever, I was just burning everything off and losing weight so rapidly,” she continued. She then recalled some of the criticism she received from men after the weight loss. However, according to Fox, she was not necessarily offended by the remarks. “And men started reacting like: ‘Wait, what happened to her? She used to be so hot.’ And I leaned into it. I was, like, Oh, great, they hate me - and I love it. The more they hated me, the more fun it was to keep doing it,” she added. The model continued to mock men for how they responded to the change in her physical appearance, continuing: “It was amazing to see how they reacted when I just wasn’t giving them their visual stimulus, or whatever. I mean, they lashed out. They, like, took it personally.” She then added that she was “actually gaining weight” now, even though it’s involuntary. Fox clarified that it “just happens” at some points, before explaining: “Anytime I try to go on a diet, or lose weight, or gain weight, I’ve never been able to.” However, when asked if she’s worried that “those men will start it all up over again” if she got her “curves back”, Fox acknowledged that she “would hate” if that happened. “I really, truly hope that doesn’t happen,” she explained. “But, also, I have no self-control. I keep three bottles of whipped cream in the fridge at a time.” Over the years, Fox has continued to make headlines for her outfit choices. Earlier this month, she sparked controversy with her look at New York Fashion Week, which consisted of a chain bra with metal pasties and chain bottoms, which she wore underneath a black trench coat. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight on 7 September, she hit back at some of the criticism, with the actor questioning why people took issue with the outfit in the first place. “I got in trouble for that one,” she said. “There were a lot of haters, being like: ‘This is unacceptable. This is setting such a bad example.’ But, it’s like: ‘Why?’ It’s just my body.’” She also made jokes about why online trolls could be criticising her body. “Is my body, like, ugly? Is my body a crime?” she quipped. “Did my body slap your grandma? The way that they were acting, it was like, what the heck!” Fox proceeded to open up about her own style, explaining why she wears such memorable outfits to high-profile events. “If people could see what I dress like in my day to day, it’s literally like boxers, stained, dirty T-shirts, Adidas slides. It’s not this,” she said. “That’s kind of why when I do get dressed up, I want to go all out because my real life is so unglamorous.” In May 2022, she also went viral when she was seen wearing a black and white bra-and-underwear set at a supermarket. While she didn’t wear a top over the bra, she did have an oversized denim jacket on, and a pair of calf-length denim boots. Amid the confusion over why she wore the outfit, Fox took to Instagram to provide clarification. Sharing a meme of herself on her Story, which read: “When it’s laundry day but you have errands to run,” Fox explained: “I just think that if it’s socially acceptable at the beach it should be the same everywhere lol.” Read More Julia Fox on raising son Valentino, two, to be a ‘protector of women’: ‘I can’t have him becoming an abuser’ Julia Fox says she didn’t write about sex with ex Kanye West in memoir because there ‘wasn’t any’ Julia Fox on raising her son to protect women: ‘I can’t have him becoming an abuser’ Julia Fox reflects on sex with Kanye West: ‘there wasn’t any’ Naomi Campbell and Gigi Hadid lead first Victoria’s Secret runway show in five years
2023-09-29 02:59
Traders wary of volatility as JP Morgan fund's big options trade looms
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK A $16 billion JP Morgan fund, expected to reset its options positions
2023-09-29 02:55
Bridgewater's Ray Dalio warns of impending debt crisis in US - CNBC
Ray Dalio believes the United States is going to have a debt crisis and is closely watching the
2023-09-29 02:51
Power Rankings: The best teams in Europe - Week 2
Man City, Liverpool and Real Madrid feature in 90min's rankings of the top 10 football teams in Europe right now.
2023-09-29 02:46
‘Rizz,’ ‘Girlboss,’ and 23 Other Terms Merriam-Webster Just Added to the Dictionary
Knowing the meaning of ‘rizz’ can help you connect with the Gen Zers in your life.
2023-09-29 02:15