Unseen O'Driscoll footage to debut at referees seminar

Brian O'Driscoll

Video footage not yet seen in Britain of the controversial spear tackle that ended Brian O'Driscoll's Lions tour is to feature prominently at an International Rugby Board (IRB) referees convention on foul play and safety next month.

The footage will be used despite the IRB declining to investigate the matter at the time, The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.

O'Driscoll was ruled out of the series with a dislocated shoulder suffered after a tackle early in the first test on June 28 involving All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu.

The amateur footage of the incident was taken by an Irish Lions fan close to the action at Jade Stadium in Christchurch.

The Lions eventually lost the series 3-0.

The footage has already been viewed by a congress of surgeons and sports doctors in Ireland and an IRB spokesman confirmed yesterday that it will be used to illustrate the presentation at the annual referees congress in Middlesex from November 2-3.

Paddy O'Brien, the former top international referee from New Zealand, will chair the meeting, which will include all the world's leading test referees.

The major topic under discussion will be the total unacceptability of spear tackles, whether on players in possession or, as was the case with O'Driscoll, on individuals who are simply bound on to a ruck or maul and some distance from the ball.

Those present at the Lensbury Club will also view footage of another controversial spear tackle, by the Lions centre Gordon d'Arcy on centre Rua Tipoki in the match against New Zealand Maori in Hamilton. The Ireland centre later apologised.

Illegal challenges at the so-called 'clear-out' situation are also to be closely scrutinised by the referees with a view to outlawing them in the forthcoming November internationals.

Australia's coach, Eddie Jones, was understood to be flying in from France, where the Wallabies will be preparing for their test against France, to present a paper on the subject.

"I think we all need to move on," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said in Auckland yesterday as the All Blacks gathered ahead of their four-Test tour of Britain and Ireland.

"There was no intention of hurting anybody. It was just one of those things that happen in rugby. Tana is a role model in New Zealand, he is a very special guy. I would be very disappointed if it was still hanging on."

However, with O'Driscoll going public today in a newspaper serialisation of his version of the tour and the incident, Henry's wish is unlikely to be granted.

O'Driscoll has insisted his shoulder was dislocated in a deliberate spear tackle and he roundly criticises Umaga and Mealamu and expresses disappointment at Henry's attitude in the book, a contemporaneous diary of his 2004-05 season.

- NZPA