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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Gerard Meagher

Ollie Lawrence should be applauded for streetwise play – rugby must ditch holier-than-thou image

Ollie Lawrence clashes heads with Alex Mitchell of Northampton before provoking the ire of Saints supporters during his side’s 35-34 defeat.
Ollie Lawrence clashes heads with Alex Mitchell of Northampton before provoking the ire of Saints supporters during his side’s 35-34 defeat. Photograph: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK/Shutterstock

A round of applause for Ollie Lawrence. Not for his apology after Bath’s last-gasp defeat by Northampton, which was entirely unnecessary, but for having the wherewithal to put his side into a winning position by demonstrating a streetwise streak all too seldom shown in elite rugby union.

To recap, Lawrence was pilloried by Northampton supporters for going down in instalments after a fairly innocuous clash of heads with Alex Mitchell in the last few minutes of Saints’ thrilling 35-34 win over Bath on Sunday. He took himself down to his knees, clutched his face and in doing so, made sure that the match was stopped, the incident reviewed.

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