Pathetic excuse............

All Black coach Steve Hansen suggested controversial midfielder Ma'a Nonu had an 'injured' shoulder, which caused him to execute an illegal tackle.

Nonu came under fire from the Wallabies for a shoulder charge that levelled prop James Slipper during the first half of the All Blacks' 27-16 Rugby Championship win in Wellington at the weekend.

While Nonu escape sanction, the Wallabies were not happy with the conduct of a player with a history of dangerous tackles.

This year alone Nonu was banned and carded twice for dangerous tackles - his Super Rugby season coming to an abrupt end in July after he was slapped with a three-week ban after being red-carded for a spear tackle executed on Crusaders rival Tom Marshall and earlier in the season he received a yellow card for his shoulder charge on Blues scrumhalf Piri Weepu.

However, his brutal attacks on opponents are not limited to this season.

Previously - while playing for the Hurricanes - he was banned for an equally disgusting and dangerous shoulder charge on All Black teammate Jimmy Cowan, then playing for the Highlanders, while a couple of years ago he was also banned for a dangerous tackle on Highlanders front row forward Clint Newland.

Despite his extensive history and propensity to acts of violence on the field, the All Black coach saw fit to defend Nonu.

Neither referee Jaco Peyper or his assistants took any action at the time and for the citing commissioner to act he would have had to adjudge Nonu's tackle a sending off offence.

"At the time he [Nonu] had a bit of a stinger [on his other shoulder] and I think he just turned his back on him," Hansen told a media scrum.

"We're not playing tiddlywinks. It's a man's game and I think sometimes we get a wee bit carried away.

"I think it was worthy of looking at. The rules say you have to tackle with your arms, but I don't think it was a red card offence. Therefore he didn't get cited and I agree with that."

However, Australian coach Ewen McKenzie made his feelings clear when asked after the Test what he made of the tackle in the 22nd minute.

"Well, I've seen it. I know what the law is so I'll leave it to someone else to work it out," he said.

"Those things just go on and I just sit there and sometimes [I'm] bemused at how those things happen and nothing ever happens."

McKenzie said he'd "move on", but clearly felt the citing commissioner should have a closer look.

"Someone will either do something about it or not, or it'll be acceptable, or it won't."

 ceradyne, I suggest you go to theroar.com and read Scott Allen's objective take on the game! Come on Mike, did Nonu stiff elbow Slipper's head while he was on the ground?

Both of you should be more worried about Argentinian arm biters and eye gougers! 

Since both of you make the wobblies out to be Saints, let's see how your team does against them in 2 weeks!

As for Ewen, he does give that impression of self entitlement doesn't he?

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, then try and baffle them with bullshit, hey?

Yep, dirty and mean,all whitewashed because he's a Kiwi......so now they're not only dirty, they're dirty cheats to boot......makes me wonder how that excuse would have washed with the Kiwis if one of ours had shoulder hit one of theirs?

 Nonu has been a fine player but always had a penchant for dirty play

Lets see what the sentence is. In the end a large part of the problem lies with officals and the system. 

Love hansen saying we are not playing tiddlewinks - its mans game - until the boots on the other foot.

Hi there Hakwa no defending the indefensible. Otherwise how are you doing. Worried about the Boks coming to nz soon? 

 Fark me Bok fans are becoming all as weak minded and one eyed as bean brain are we ? Now I've seen it all saffas moaning about supposed dirty play from someone else ,oh and check out the wallies doing exactly the same thing same game .I reckon you lot shoud read up on the "99' call just to give yourselves some perspective.

the greyling incident to me was just a epic disgrace......but low and behold as you said mike old meyer seemed very happy to pick him again afterwords.

 When Butch James was first on the scene, remember the uproar in NewZealand about his no arms tackles.

Butch had a stinger on his brain

i dont know about that so called stinger and hansens excuse does seem pretty weak, but nonu should have at least been cited.

im not surprised to zero comments or codemnation on james slippers shoulder tackle on woodcock though (32:07 in the game), but then again All Black woodcock was the victim which is ok as oppose to nonu who is the All Black offender.

also think its pretty stupid to try to compare nonus shoulder tackle with greylings forearm, shoulder tackles whle illegal are a far cry from a running forearm from a 100kg plus prop to a player sitting down.
the shoulder tackle while illegal, is far lower grade offence to what greylings was.

and while on the greyling matter, im pretty sure he hasnt played for the Boks ever since dunedin???

its standard run of the mill stuff to hear the bleatings about one shoulder tackle from nonu and not a shoulder tackle from slipper, especially after another fine performance from the All Blacks.

To our SA friends Greylings forearm is screened everyday on TV here in NZ and 5X on Saturday on The Crowd Goes Wild omnibus so forgive us if we don't keep bringing that up.

But not defending Nonu 's tackle with no arms thats for sure. He can be a liability at times perhaps and  thats why no SuperXV team has signed him yet for next year. Maybe he could add some starch to Brother Bweenos Stormers given how much he loves Samoans.

I love Denny's comment too - never has anything to say about rugby for some reason but loves to put put the boot in to the Kiwis at every opportunity.

Funny az considering his avatar celebrates Zinedine Zidanes infamous headbutt....

I thought he is a Kiwi and not a Samoan 

samoan as in heritage, LMAO, :oP

haha I know was trying to troll him a bit

 a Class coach is someone who does not give excuses or blames the other Team or the ref for their ongoing poor performances - a certain new Wallabies coach comes to mind! Interesting times indeed - the aftermath of Wallabies vs Boks Test - just imagine if the Boks win - can't wait!

By the way, Mike, you are nitpicking! Strange how you are still silent on the Pumas arm biters and eye gougers instead of Slipper deliberately running into Nonu's huge arms (bigger than Eben's - I tell you that Puma player would have certainly lost his teeth had he bit into Nonu's steel arms)! I now call for the ref to red card slipper!

I can see where you are coming from and I have no issues with that when we are looking back in hindsight!

However during the Test Match, in real time, there is a very fine line between "intent to injure" or "instinct" - did Nonu intend to hurt or injure Slipper? The answer to that is no! Was it an instinctive reaction? I and Hansen believe so (Hansen after talking to Nonu).

Case in point - Greyling - Did he intend to injure McCaw? The answer is yes! 

Case closed!

Hey Hakwa ! on the money there Bro. Why should Hansen go public about censuring his players ? Every man and his dog has bullshit theories about the ABs anyway so why feed them ? If fatty-mack had publicly censured his own boy for the same thing in the same test there might be a case .

As for Hore ,not a fan of his or his behaviour but once again the ABS cop all sorts of rubbish so why give arseholes ammo for their brain dead theories ? Has Hore repeated that rubbish ? Maybe he was chastised in private by his coach ? What Meyer did was laudable but thats his way of doing things and what Greyling [ just a little fish] did was deliberate and disgraceful  he had to take time to "think" it out before executing his filthy act .

I dont give a shit what you think of MaCcaw  or how he does his job ,it does not justify the legion of arse-holes who have made their slimy king-hitting style attacks on him .

Hakwa bro you spear any  blue/brown groper ?[ is it the brown one thats male ?,I know if the male dies a female will change sex  so beeeny wouldnt like 'em !}

 hahahahaha no! Got tired of eating fish (tried all manner of cooking styles) so told my cousins I just wanted to eat lobsters LOL!

Beeno is ok Wardad! His attacks are actually backhand compliments! I believe he is a closet ABs fan!