ONE WEEK ON but one section of the media is not willing to drop the Paul O’Connell/Dave Kearney head kick drop just yet.
The Sunday Independent has published three stories, today, that deal with the incident, which occurred in the Munster v Leinster Pro12 match on 13 April, in detail.
In the closing stages of the match, O’Connell shinned Kearney flush in the head as he lay prone on the Thomond Park pitch. Referee Nigel Owens took no action at the time and O’Connell rejoined his teammates as the winger was carted off the pitch.
On Monday, the match’s citing commissioner, Eddie Walsh, deemed that the Munster man had no case to answer, prompting criticism from Leinster coach Joe Schmidt and captain Leo Cullen.
Writing in his weekly column, former Leinster and Ireland lock compared the kick to a similar incident that befell South African player Riaan Loots in 2006. The outhalf was kicked in the head as he lay prostrate following a head high tackle. He was rushed to hospital but never regained conciousness. Francis writes:
There is no question that Kearney could have been killed from the blunt-force trauma he received. I use the analogy between the two cases not for the purposes of melodrama but to illustrate the point that you can die on the rugby field from a kick to the head.”
Francis adds that ‘it is a given that there was no malicious intent in O’Connell’s action’ but criticises the forward for not expressing concern for Kearney, a player he has trained with in Ireland camp in the past. He believes a public act of contrition would reassure ‘every kid, red or blue, who witnessed what happened’.
In Jim Glennon’s column, the former Ireland international stated that the lack of a citing sets a worrying precedent.
Columnist Eamonn Sweeney expressed several, personal reasons why he was happy O’Connell escaped citing and suspension but added that he ‘may have been fortunate in maiming one of Leinster’s lesser-known players’. He added:
Would the public and media reaction be quite as muted had it been Brian O’Driscoll or Sean O’Brien being carried off the pitch? One suspects not.
What do you think?
Hate to say it but I see a very strong anti Munster bias in the press lately. I don’t seem to recall a similar reaction to Heaslip kneeing McCaw in the head intentionally, and I didn’t see “McCaw could have died” in any article. The Indo also seemed to forget about the time when Johnny Sexton kicked Mafi in the face twice a few seasons ago. And he for the record Dave Kearney got a blow to the head from Paul O’Connells shin not his foot. It was NOT intentional. And as for the incident Franno is referring to, the player who kicked the Rian Loots in the head was later charged with murder as it was intentionally done. Frano needs to cop himself on.
It’s only an anti Munster bias because it was a Munster player who did the kicking :L
Both Heaslip & Sexton were cited and suspended
I know they were but did Frano keep banging on about them? No he didnt. the important thing is that DK is okay so people need to move on. Frano reminds me of Reverand Chalmers wife in Simpsons his dramatic writing
Sextons kick in the face was intentional – big difference!
@Aoifs the point is that the media and everyone else can move on when these issues are dealt with appropriately. Like it or not this decision was a joke and that’s why there’s so much coverage of it. If POC got cited and a 2 week ban based on no prior history and no clear intention to hurt the player this incident would never get mentioned again.
‘SHOCK HORROR!!! Neil Francis and the Dublin Media have a problem with a Munster Player’ Leave it go Neil, everyone else has.
This is not a Munster vs Leinster thing, its not about Paul O’Connell or david kearney. it’s about player safety, it’s about setting a precedent and about the inadequacies of the citing system!
Your dead right. It’s the process that everyone should be talking about. Flawed system.
This munster v leinster thing is getting a bit ridiculous .10 years ago none of ye could name half a dozen players from your own provinces.now ye are diehard rugby fans spitting abuse at each other on these pages .
The point is that this is an article about an article that was written a full week after the incident by a sensationalist journalist, who happens to be a former Leinster player. I’m not saying that it was right that paul wasn’t cited, I’m saying that Neil Francis is using the situation to create desperately needed hype around his sub standard journalism.
I started reading this in the indo and almost got sick. Gutter journalism if I ever saw it. Yes Paulie was clumsy, yes he should have been cited and given a week or two off but he hasn’t been cited. The media needs to move on.
On a side note I hope Dave Kearney’s making a full recovery
The public and media have not been muted: as this post says, there are 3 articles in the Sunday Independent about the issue. The issue should be with the citing commissioner, not Paul O’Connell. Neil Francis just loves whipping up negativity towards Munster
This is the great Neil Francis who NEVER in his rugby career played in Thomond Park . His reply to my tweet was “didn’t want to its a kip”. My thoughts – he was afraid!!!!
Who gives a f~©k about Neil Francis opinion sh!te pundit even worse rugby player!
O’Connell will go down as one of the greatest Irish players ever, Francis will be quickly forgotten
If shoe was on other foot a Leinster player injuring a Munster player and wasn’t cited would there still be the same uproar in the press? I very much doubt it. This matter ended rightly or wrongly with the citing commissioner nearly a week ago. Slow news week or biased bitter media? MOVE ON!
Paul should have been cited and maybe suspended but isn’t Francis the Stephen jones of irish journalism . Both guys love to be talked about and in most cases will drama up their articles for a reaction.
Neil francis is a plank who was a useless forward and even worse pundit. Best ignore his anti munster shite, cos he wants people to react
The reason this hasn’t gone away is because of the ridiculousness of the situation! Should have been cited at the very least and a non IRFU person would have never let it slide! Take off the red tinted glasses!
Yawn
Get the Fu@k over it for Christ sake.
Francis still has nightmares about Copsey, he still suffers from that beauty. He could not even retaliate due to the fact he spent the rest of the match in hiding, He has no right what so ever to write if you want to call it that about rugby.
I remember Neil Francis as a Blackrock, Leinster and Ireland player. Blessed with skills that he rarely brought to the games that mattered.
From his time writing for the Tribune, he painted a picture of himself as a tough, uncompromising competitor not adverse to indulging in acts of thuggery.
The reality is, he wasted the talents he had been given, was callow in his confrontations and was more braggart than bravado.
His journalism is at a much lower level.
Jesus Christ will ye just get over it. Winge winge winge.
Mountain out of mole hill might have injured Francis. Little brain or maybe knocked a bit of sense into him
For Christ Sake will ye just get the Fu@k over it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2sWSVRrmo
Jesus Christ will ye just get the Fu@k over it. Winge winge winge.
Its done its dealt with rightly or wrongly its over. It really bugs the shit out of me the ex Irish sports people now column writers trying to make a name for themselves having a go at people they either know or played with. Richie Saddler is prime example a low level footballer who now reckons he is the chap. Very annoying indeed.
More rubbish from another clueless journo. I have two words for you Francis and one is off – can you guess the other? I will give you a clue because it looks like you might need it….it begins with F!!!