Changing room chat: Rugby marred by hair-pulling

Published on Tuesday 18 August 2009 22:34

RUGBY League likes to market itself as a hard, no-nonsense type of game, the antithesis to the play-acting and histrionics of football. However, that image took a knock yesterday when Bradford Bulls winger Semi Tadulala has been fined £400 for pulling the hair of an opponent.

In scenes more fitting of a particularly heated netball encounter, the Fiji international was punished for tugging the ponytail of Huddersfield prop Eorl Crabtree – the nephew of late wrestler Shirley, who was known as Big Daddy – during the Bulls' 28-18 Super League win at the Galpharm Stadium on Sunday. Tadulala was found guilty of behaving in a manner contrary to the true spirit of the game but he avoided a suspension.

Of course, football is not averse to a bit of hair-pulling from time to time. Brazil legend Ronaldo was given a one-match ban in May for pulling an opponent's hair while playing for Corinthians.

During the 2006 World Cup, the ref missed England striker Peter Crouch grabbing hold of Trinidad & Tobago's former Dundee defender Brent Sancho's dreadlocks before climbing to score a header.

Daly returns to Oz in a flash

JOHN Daly is set to return to the Australian Open a year after being fined for smashing a fan's camera into a tree during the tournament.

The two-time major winner will play at the tournament at Sydney's New South Wales Golf Club from 3-6 December

Daly said: "I am particularly excited about playing the course at La Perouse for the first time."

Daly received a suspended fine from the PGA of Australia last year after taking a spectator's camera and throwing it at a tree at Royal Sydney's ninth hole.

Vlasic unearths unwelcome hit

THE only hiccup in Blanka Vlasic's title defence in the women's high jump at the world championships came in an early morning mishap at her hotel yesterday.

The Croatian, 25, hit her head and opened a cut that required six stitches.

Vlasic , who was world champion two years ago, laughed off the incident, saying: "accidents happen."

Despite missing warm-ups, she showed no ill effects in qualifying and cleared all four of her jumps on her first attempt to advance to tomorrow's final.