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Opinion: Andrew Hore – clean record. Who cares?

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Opinion: Hore – clean record. Who cares?

3News NZ

All Blacks' Andrew Hore (Photosport)

All Blacks' Andrew Hore (Photosport)

Opinion By Hamish McKay

The more I watch Andrew Hore’s swinging arm on Welsh lock Bradley Davies the more sickening it becomes.

And I’m over all the peripheral stuff that apparently should have an influence on the outcome of his judicial hearing.

The rugby world – including the media - needs to unite on this and make a stand. A stand that this kind of incident is just not acceptable.

Forget what other players have received for other incidents perceived or otherwise to be similar. Most dredged up is  

Wallaby Scott Higginbotham’s cowardly head butt and knee on Richie McCaw. Certainly Higginbotham deserved a longer ban.

But for mine Higginbotham’s over the top niggle pales in comparison to the actions of the seasoned All Black rake.  

Clean record. Who cares? That should be irrelevant. Hore needs to be judged on one thing.

Rua Tipoki once copped 16 weeks for a swinging forearm  - a forearm the recipient saw coming. And he deserved it.

For Hore’s sake the All Black camp will be hoping the Tipoki incident and outcome aren’t tabled at Thursday's hearing in London.

The shame in all this is that the Highlanders are the team who will suffer the most.

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Comments

29/11/2012 8:46:16 a.m.

Contactsport wrote:

Good on you Hore, NZ has many people who can step in. It won't effect the team. So the rest of the world should be put on notice. And this is what should happen if your a dirty obstructing player. Sonny-bill, ma'a nonu, brad thorn, richie mccaw, all these guys should have had a suspension by now. I mean, are we the best or not ? Come on AB's, time to stop looking like nice guys, and be the hard men you are.

28/11/2012 9:17:12 p.m.

Gobsmacked wrote:

I am absolutely gobsmacked that there are people justifying his actions on here. "The Welsh player was running interference". Most players would throw their arms up in appeal to a referee or touch judge, not throw a king hit from behind. Surely nobody could actually be so stupid as to believe that Andrew Hore had a valid reason to do what he did.

28/11/2012 6:26:08 p.m.

Neil Leuthard wrote:

Tony open your eyes and look at the whole thing as well as previous incidents involving McCaw. The welsh lock impeded Hore by changing direction three times and looking back to see how he could break the rules further. What do you expect Andrew to do say "gee mate thats not sporting..." As others state Hore was lucky to get that high due to height difference. Contact was more a deflection and the only damage was from a knee as he fell to the ground while Hore rumbled on. Attacks on McCaw where that and unprovoked. As Tana said its not tiddly winks. This guy has a shocking record (Davies) and as karma what goes around comes around. Comment accurately or get another job.

28/11/2012 9:35:37 a.m.

Samantha wrote:

I so totally agree with u Tony and Dean, Andrew is a great player, this incident was just an unfortunate series of events

28/11/2012 8:15:37 a.m.

Tony wrote:

I dont understand why you guys keep on and on and about Hores mistake. Look, Andrew Hore is a great player thankfully to his contribution to the world cup winning as well as to the NZ Rugby union. Look the guy made a mistake, Im sure he has apologised already, he will also be judged by the right people, and he'll move on from thr. What more do you guys want??? Everyone leave the guy alone and give him a break. Sounds like you guys dont make any mistakes in your lives at all. No ones perfect. Case closed!!!

28/11/2012 5:13:17 a.m.

BAZ wrote:

Very sad that some New Zealanders are trying to justify this behaviour and see it as some kind of victimisation of the All Blacks - presumably the same Kiwis who saw nothing wrong with Mealamu and Umaga's attempted murder of Brian O'Driscoll, or with death threats made to Wayne Barnes.

27/11/2012 11:06:59 p.m.

Dean Williams wrote:

Hore's left knee collecting the back of the Welshman''s head on landing may have done more damage than the high shot (I can't agree with some that it was a punch as his fist was never closed). Still, it was ugly. However, the extreme reaction in the UK has surprised me. Welsh assistant coach Howley said they weren't making a complaint to the police, which suggests they did consider doing so. Yet Hore's victim, Bradley Davies, I think it was last season (it's on YouTube) picked up an Irish player during an international and drove him headfirst into the turf. He was lucky not to break the guy's neck. (Did the Welsh management consider reporting Davies to the police, I wonder?) Davies did it because he didn't like the way the Irishman went into a ruck. In the latest incident, he was on the receiving end because Hore didn't like the way he impeded him. There have been calls made by English writers and fans that NZ should not play Hore again. Yet the English are happy to play serial offender Dylan Hartley (two bans for eye gouging, one for biting among his lengthy list of foul play). Why has this guy not been condemned as severely as Hore? Answer, because he's not an AB. I didn't hear many grumbles in the Brit media after the huge Bok Greyling recently got only two weeks for leaping off his feet to smash Richie McCaw on the jaw with his elbow. Or when McCaw was eyegouged at the WC. No calls for Greyling or the Frenchman to face criminal charges and never be selected by their national teams again. As far as I'm aware this is Hore's first such offence in 10 years of test rugby. Yet Bakkies Botha spent as many years copping ban after ban for outrageously dangerous foul play, yet there was no call in the Brit media to set the police on him or have him banned for life. Sure, the action by Hore was horrible but the two-faced attitude of so many Brits is even more sickening.

27/11/2012 6:37:49 p.m.

Mereana Marsters wrote:

It was an attack no excuses only consequences.

27/11/2012 3:53:49 p.m.

Madashell wrote:

Henson’s failure to outright condemn Hore’s actions in the Welsh test is a failure of leadership and significantly damages the AB ‘brand’ and ‘culture’. His mealy mouthed efforts at deflection leave a very bad taste and run contrary to everything that I have admired about the ABs since becoming a ‘fan’ during and since Sean Fitzpatrick’s captaincy. I have ‘supported’ the AB’s every time they have played since (including the 2011 RWC final) other than against Wales, and I have delighted in the heights that individuals and the team have taken rugby to. My own small protest at this ugly behaviour (Hansen’s more than Hore’s) is to support England this Saturday – something that I’m struggling with and finding very, very hard to do as a Welshman. I recognize that all teams have players that overstep the mark at times, but what is critical is how the team and leadership reacts to it. Rugby commentators and coach’s talk ad nauseum about the importance of ‘culture’. My conclusion from this incident is that the AB culture under Hansen condones physical acts of violence perpetrated on players with their backs turned, and then attempt to abdicate responsibility. In short, a culture of cowardice and avoiding responsibility to the game and the kids watching. IMO Hansen ought to take a dose of ‘man up’ and follow the example set by Sam Warburton when he was red carded after his tackle in the RWC semi final: hands up, fair cop, it was wrong and I am sorry! Warren Gatland has also taken action against Welsh players who have over-stepped the mark in the past (Alan-Wyn Jones after his trip on an England player), so I know this is a Hansen behaviour not a Kiwi thing. As for Hore I hope not to see him in an AB jersey again, he has sullied it! Perhaps the rot started with Tew's decision to allow a sponsor on the front of the famous shirt – the last logo free in world sport! All comes back to leadership – the ‘fish rots from the head down’

27/11/2012 1:03:33 p.m.

Nova wrote:

If it was someone from France or even Australia we wouldn't even be having this conversation, anything to damn a great All Blacks side and to take away the focus from the upcoming game against England. History should show those tactics don't work.