O’Sullivan ‘confused’ at failure to punish Nonu spear tackle

IRELAND coach Eddie O’Sullivan yesterday admitted he has been left confused by the failure to punish All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu for his spear tackle on Gordon D’Arcy.

Nonu was before an International Rugby Board disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night after being cited for the challenge in the second half of New Zealand’s 45-7 triumph at Lansdowne Road last Saturday.

But Judge Wyn Williams concluded the tackle, which saw Nonu lift D’Arcy from the floor and drop him head-first onto the ground, warranted nothing more than the penalty and caution referee Jonathan Kaplan issued at the time. Williams also made the distinction that Nonu had not driven the Ireland centre into the turf.

The IRB recently announced a crackdown on dangerous challenges following a spate of spear tackling with the double effort by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu on British and Irish Lions skipper Brian O’Driscoll the highest profile example.

But O’Sullivan believes the decision not to punish Nonu has left players and coaches puzzled over what constitutes spear tackling and how it should be dealt with.

“Like most people I’m confused. At the moment it seems the penalty for killing the ball at a ruck, which is a yellow card, is harsher than for turning a player upside down and dropping him on his head,” he said.

“There is a discrepancy in terms of the severity of the punishment for two different events, one which is harmless in its own way and another which is quite dangerous.

“If you look at it in that context it’s hard to know what to tell the players. Both myself and Graham Henry said after the match it was not something we want to see but you wonder what players will take out of it now that nothing has happened.

“I’m not being smart but there is confusion between what we were told at the start of the season and what’s transpired. I’d rather not say what the punishment should have been because I don’t want to be judgmental.

“All I can say is that we’re sending out a mixed message. I thought we understood you should not turn someone upside down on the rugby pitch. Now because of the Nonu case I think most people are confused.”

Meanwhile, as the IRFU continues to assess the suitability of the north terrace for future use, speculation is rising that Ireland’s home games in this Six Nations Championship (against Wales, Scotland and Italy) could be held in Croke Park.

O’Sullivan insisted this was for the organisations to sort out, but said: “That decision has to go through the channels, and I don’t want to become involved in that discussion. All I can say is that I would be very happy to see Ireland play in Croke Park.”