Rachelle Levi — proud mum of sisters Teagan and Maddi who were part of Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning women’s rugby 7s side — was “two champagne bottles down” and could not contain her excitement when she was interviewed by Sam Mac on Sunrise on Monday morning.
“Oh my god, I’ve been up all night and I’m the most excited mother in the whole world. I absolutely love my daughters and I love the Aussie girls, they are the best!” she said.
“Woohoo, two champagne bottles down already, yesss!” she excitedly told Mac, who responded: ”At the Olympics it was all about (swimming coach) Dean Boxall, right, as the most passionate supporter, well I see your Dean Boxall and I raise you Rachelle, over here. Are you ok?”
Sam Mac caught up with Rachelle, the proud mum of sisters Teagan and Maddi Levi who were part of the rugby 7s team that took out the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Credit: Sunrise/supplied
Dean Boxall became an instant social media hit for his reaction in the immediate aftermath of Ariarne Titmus’ victory over her American arch rival at the Olympics.
Throwing his head back and rattling the safety barrier in wild scenes he later explained he was paying homage to 1980s and 90s wrestling star The Ultimate Warrior, who he described as “my favourite”.
Nat Barr and David Koch were in stitches over Rachelle’s interview, with co-host Edwina Bartholomew questioning how her daughters might feel about their mother’s outing on national TV.
“Imagine winning a gold medal and waking up the next morning with messages ‘Your mum’s on TV, she’s had two bottles of champagne, she’s a riot!’”
SEE THE HILARIOUS INTERVIEW IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Rachelle Levi admits she was “two champagne bottles down” during the interview. Credit: Sunrise
But it seems her daughters were well aware of what their mother might get up to.
Maddison Levi, who scored 10 tries in five games, including a hat-trick against New Zealand that was sealed by an assist from her sister, guessed her parents would be enjoying the moment.
“Mum had a bottle of champagne ready at 6am in the morning,” the 19-year-old said.
“She was ready to celebrate and I think she’ll be celebrating all day… mum dad, all our friends and family came around to watch so I’m sure she’ll be on it all day.
Rachelle Levi had Sam Mac and the Sunrise hosts in fits of laughter. Credit: Sunrise
“I don’t know if I can say (what they said) on camera; they were definitely happy.
“There were tears of joy. It was a pretty emotionally rollercoaster.
“They’ve been with us through the highs and lows and to have two kids standing on that podium is pretty awesome. They definitely had tears. But lots of swearing, I can confirm.”
The NRL Match Review Committee has come under fire for some glaring inconsistencies regarding foul play in a confounding weekend of rugby league in Round 20.
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for an elbow to the face of Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, while teammate Josh King went unpunished for a potential eye-gouge.
Meanwhile, Titans hooker Aaron Booth escaped sanction for a cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves got away with a fine for a similar action to Asofa-Solomona’s, on Manly rookie Zac Fulton.
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And Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan was neither sin-binned or sent off for a hip drop tackle that saw him referred directly to the Judiciary and has him facing a lengthy ban.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down the five incidents to point out the stunning inconsistency from the MRC.
NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
Asofa-Solomona was placed on report for an elbow/forearm on Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, but was not charged by the match review committee.
The incident in the fourth minute of the Storm’s win over the Warriors saw the Asofa-Solomona come down hard on top of Egan’s jaw with his forearm and elbow.
The Warriors rake had to leave the field and there were fears such an action had the potential to result in a broken jaw.
Andrew Johns smoked at the MRC for failing to take action against Asofa-Solomona for an incident that he believed could have resulted in an on-field send-off.
“It’s laughable,” Johns said.
“I back the players all the time, but for me that’s a four-week suspension.
“Nothing for that, or even fine? That’s close to a send-off. I can’t believe it.”
Ryan Girdler accused the MRC of not taking the rules seriously in a stinging rebuke of the Asofa-Solomona decision.
“It was very avoidable as opposed to running the football rather than when you are the defender,” Girdler said on Triple M.
“We spoke about Dale Finucane and the onus needs to be on the defender and there needs to be a duty of care to the player with the ball, especially now we see so many people in tackles and technique and holding and so forth.
“That needs to be taken seriously by the players.
“But if you want to take it seriously then the match review committee need to take it seriously as well.
“Letting Nelson get off with that sends a sign out there to the players, that sort of behavior is OK and it’s not.”
It begs the question, would the Storm star, who has formed, have been suspended or even sent off had he broken Egan’s jaw?
Any player that now finds himself in a similar tackle will be bringing up this Asofa-Solomona incident as their main defense in the future and a dangerous precedent has now been set.
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Nelson Asofa-Soloma escaped sanction for an elbow on Wayde Egan.Source: Supplied
JOSH KING
Storm lock Josh King escaped sanction for a potential eye-gouge on Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga, despite being placed on report and penalized.
In fairness to King the action may have been accidental, but it came just a week after Bulldogs enforcer Corey Waddell copped a five week suspension for coming into contact with the eyes of Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
In Waddell’s case there was no genuine proof of a gouging action, but he copped a monster ban for coming into contact with the eyes of an opponent.
Gorden Tallis and Greg Alexander believed that King would be in trouble, given the harsh reaction to the Waddell incident, even if it was incidental contact.
“I think it is minimal contact, but you can’t make contact with the eyes,” Tallis said.
“I don’t like it. Don’t go near the eyes.”
“Corey Waddell got five weeks for not even gouging someone,” Alexander added.
“In slow motion it doesn’t look good. His hand went over the top of the face and got somewhere in the eye vicinity so he could be in trouble.
King could have been given the opportunity to protest his innocence at the judiciary and may well have proven it, but the decision not to charge him a week after giving Waddell five weeks on the sidelines smacks of inconsistency.
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King eye gouge raises questions! | 00:41
AARON BOOTH
Titans hooker Aaron Booth went unpunished by the MRC for a potential cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine.
The incident in the 32nd minute of the Titans 36-24 loss to the Raiders saw two Gold Coast players tackling Tapine before Booth came in late down around his legs from behind in a cannonball style tackle.
Tapine took issue with the tackle and the pair got into a scuffle, which resulted in the Raiders star being sent to the sin bin.
On his way to the sin bin Tapine questioned the tackle to the referee but Ben Cummins said the tackle was cleared.
The cannonball tackle is up there with the hip drop as one of the most dangerous tackles on a rugby league field for its ability to cause serious injury.
“Joe Tapine must have felt what he thought was a cannonball as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Matt Russell said.
Aaron Booth tackles Joe Tapine.Source: FOX SPORTS
“You have got to be above the knees. Quads or higher.”
While Booth may have initially hit Tapine on the hamstrings, the speed and force at which he came into the tackle from behind as the third man in, had the potential to cause Tapine a serious injury, which is why he was so angry.
Gorden Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Patrick Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.
“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.
“Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle,” James Graham added.
If the MRC are serious about stamping it out of the game, Booth should have at least been charged and given the opportunity to defend himself at the judiciary.
Failing to charge these incidents gives the players no deterrent to stop employing the cannonball tackle if they think they can get away with it on a technicality.
Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23
PATRICK CARRIGAN
Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan is facing a lengthy suspension for his hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings after being referred directly to the judiciary.
Carrigan deserves to be suspended for the ugly tackle that broke Hastings’ leg and ruled him out for the season.
However, if the incident was deemed serious enough to refer Carrigan straight to the judiciary, why was he not sin-binned or sent off?
Nathan Cleary coped with a five week suspension after being sent off for an ugly lifting tackle on Dylan Brown.
If Carrigan is looking at a similar ban, the Tigers should have got the on-field advantage of having the Broncos reduced to 12 men for 10 minutes at least.
James Hooper believes Carrigan will miss the remainder of the regular season with a five week ban.
Patrick Carrigan’s hip-drop tackle.Source: Supplied
“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” Hooper said.
If Carrigan cops a five game ban, it is confounding how he wasn’t sent off for the tackle or at the very least sin-binned.
On the other hand Gorden Tallis questioned why Carrigan is potentially meeting the same fate as Waddell who is out for five weeks due to an eye-gouge.
“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off,” Tallis said.
It raised the question of Hastings’ injury playing a part in the punishment, which comes back to Asofa-Solomona potentially facing a ban had he broken Egan’s jaw.
Carrigan’s hip drop injuries Hastings | 01:01
JARED WAEREA-HAGREAVES
The Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine for an early guilty plea after being charged by the match review committee for a similar incident to Asofa-Solomona’s.
The Roosters star was penalized and placed on report for an elbow to the face of Manly rookie Zac Fulton while he was on the ground.
Waerea-Hargreaves’ punishment brings up two questions. Why was he not banned because a small fine is not a deterrent for these actions?
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine.Source: Getty Images
And given Asofa-Solomona’s incident is widely considered to be much worse than the Roosters star’s actions, why wasn’t the Storm forward charged by the MRC?
Referee Grant Atkins labeled Waerea-Hargreaves actions unacceptable.
“Jared can’t do what he did, that is unacceptable, that is why it is against you,” Atkins said.
But how can an unacceptable action on a rugby league field receive only a small $3000 fine.
Coupled with the Asofa-Soloma incident, a small fine for Waerea-Hargreaves and no punishment at all for the Storm forward offers no deterrent whatsoever for players who employ these grubby tactics.
The Bulldogs downed the Knights before the Cowboys shored up their top-two spot with a win over a Dragons side who are rapidly losing touch with the top eight.
Check out all the scores, news and stats below.
Canterbury Bulldogs 24 def Newcastle Knights 10
Coach Adam O’Brien has defended Newcastle’s decision to cut Jacob Kiraz, who played the best game of his young career in Canterbury’s NRL 24-10 win over the Knights on Sunday.
Kiraz joined the Knights on a development contract last year but was stuck behind Starford To’a, Enari Tuala, Hymel Hunt and Dominic Young in the wing stakes.
The Knights let Kiraz go ahead of the 2022 season to leave room for one-time Queensland State of Origin winger Edrick Lee, who had recovered from a long-term foot injury.
Team stats
Kiraz subsequently made the move to the Bulldogs, where he has played 10 games and signed as one of the most promising rookies of the season.
He scored three tries against the Knights in a game-defining performance but O’Brien stood by the club’s decision to part ways with Kiraz, insisting it was the right move at the time.
“He had a really good day. You’re going to have ones who come back and hurt you,” O’Brien said.
“At the time, Edrick (Lee) was coming good with that foot. We’d invested a fair sum in him and he didn’t have a spot in the team.
“Anyone put in that situation back then would probably have wanted to fit Edrick in the team.”
O’Brien admitted Kiraz’s sudden development into a bona fide first-grader had surprised him.
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“If I’m really honest, I didn’t foresee him jumping to the levels he has this quickly. I didn’t spot that,” he said.
“But good luck to Kiraz. There’s no sour grapes on that.”
Kiraz is a favorite of interim coach Mick Potter, who has played the 20-year-old on the wing in each of his nine games in charge since taking over from Trent Barrett mid-season.
Potter was familiar Kiraz before replacing Barrett, having coached against Kiraz in reserve grade.
“When I was with Mounties, when Canterbury played us, I had to ask someone who that player was, because he was so elusive,” Potter said.
“It was good to see him get three tries today.”
Potter said Kiraz was now reaping the rewards for persevering with his NRL dream despite failing to make first grade at North Queensland and Newcastle.
“It’s a fantastic story that he’s going so well,” he said.
AAP
North Queensland Cowboys 34 def St George Illawarra 8
North Queensland have given their hopes of hosting their first home final in six years a massive boost, staying second with a 34-8 win over St George Illawarra.
In a crucial result for each team’s season, the Cowboys barely looked threatened at Kogarah before running away with the match late in the second half.
With five rounds to play, the Dragons’ season looks shot while North Queensland are now all but guaranteed to be finals-bound for the first time since 2017.
But much more beckons than just a return to the playoffs.
A crucial home game in the first week of the finals remains firmly in the Cowboys’ grasp, with the win keeping them two points clear of the chasing Cronulla with a far superior for-and-against.
Team stats
A top-two finish would also guarantee a second home final beyond the opening week, meaning North Queensland can dare to dream of playing all of September in Townsville until the grand finale.
Among the favorites for the wooden spoon at the start of the season, the Cowboys are firming as a genuine title contender.
And for all the talk of their electrifying back five and impressive attack, it has been their forwards who have represented the biggest change.
Jeremiah Nanai scored two tries and Griffin Neame also crossed in Sunday’s win, while Jason Taumalolo had an influential second half, tempered only by being put on report for a shoulder charge.
The Cowboys’ first try was also from the work of Coen Hess, who earned a fast play-the-ball before Scott Drinkwater put Kyle Feldt over on the next play.
Moments later it was Nanai who produced the decisive play, bursting through the Dragons’ defense before sending Drinkwater over under the posts.
After the Cowboys led 10-8 at the break, their forwards helped ensure they would spend most of the second half on the Dragons’ line.
Taumalolo twice turned into provider as North Queensland pulled away, once going to the line and putting Neame through the middle of two defenders to score.
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Nanai’s first four-pointer was also off the back of some Taumalolo brilliance, as the Cowboys star burst downfield and the second-rower scored from the next play.
His second came when he ran onto a deft Chad Townsend pass, taking the edge forward’s try tally for the year to 16.
In comparison, the Dragons were limited in their opportunities after not making the most of their chances in the first half.
Jack de Belin scored the Saints’ only try when he toed ahead a Ben Hunt offload that went to ground, but they only completed at 64 per cent after the break.
The result leaves them struggling to hold onto any hope of playing football finals this year, sitting two points out of the top eight with a horror for-and-against.
Rugby league legend Andrew Johns has called for the NRL to eradicate dangerous tackles, such as cannonball and hip drop tackles, after two separate incidents sparked heated debate over the weekend.
Canberra Raiders prop Joe Tapine was sin-binned for an alleged punch during Saturday afternoon’s 36-24 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.
The 28-year-old was seemingly retaliating after a “cannonball” tackle from Titans hooker Aaron Booth, who had come in around the legs.
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“Joe Tapine must have felt like what he thought was a cannonball (tackle) as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Fox League commentator Matt Russell said at the time.
“You’ve got to be above the knees — quads or higher.”
Johns also sympathized with Tapine, pleading for the NRL to stamp out crusher tackles and similar offenses.
“When there’s a two-man tackle and there’s no momentum, we have to eradicate the third person coming in,” he told Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.
“I can’t blame him for reacting like this.
“If there’s two men in the tackle and they can’t get the player down, then one has to change his technique and go down.
“That third man should not be allowed to come in. It’s dangerous.
“They’re worried about the third man destroying their knees and ankles.”
Later on Saturday, Wests Tigers lock Jackson Hastings was left limping from the field after Brisbane Broncos rival Pat Carrigan performed a hip drop tackle at Suncorp Stadium.
Carrigan, who put his body weight on Hastings’ back ankle, was referred directly to the NRL judiciary after the ugly incident, which left him with a broken fibula.
“I thought the tackle was a pretty ordinary tackle,” Tigers interim coach Brett Kimmorley told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“It is something that has crept into the game a little bit and it needs to be looked after, because it’s a horrendous tackle and the outcome can be really bad.”
However, former Broncos captain Gorden Tallis believed the incident was an accident.
“I didn’t think that tackle was as bad as some I have seen this year,” he told Triple M.
“Are they referring it to the judiciary because they don’t know what to do any more? If Patrick Carrigan does that to me and I am out for the year I am going to be disappointed but I think it’s an accident.
“I didn’t think that tackle was as bad as some I have seen this year. Are they referring it to the judiciary because they don’t know what to do any more? If Patrick Carrigan does that to me and I am out for the year I am going to be disappointed but I think it’s an accident.
“I don’t think it is a fashionable hip drops where you jam your hips and I thought watching it he would have been unlucky to get a week or two.”
Speaking after the 32-18 defeat, Carrigan reiterated that he did not intend to harm Hastings.
“I hope he is alright,” he said.
“It wasn’t intentional. I felt like I hit him a bit higher. I don’t know if I winded him, but I heard him wince and then he fell backwards.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to see anyone get injured, so I hope he’s alright. It is what it is.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said: “I don’t know if he snapped his ankle, but it was a heat of the battle thing. Knowing Pat Carrigan and a person of his character, I wouldn’t think it was intentional.”
