It’s all kicking off: does winning an on-pitch fight help a team achieve victory? | Sean Ingle

Psychological momentum gained from winning a contest in a collision sport may not actually deliver expected impact

There was a moment during Scotland’s match against South Africa, as tempers frayed and testosterone flowed, that harked back to rugby union’s bygone era. Damian de Allende pinned an elbow to Ben White’s head. Darcy Graham and Cheslin Kolbe grabbed each other’s necks. The big men came steaming in. And while what the Daily Record called a “furious World Cup rammy” soon fizzled out, it reflected a basic tenet of collision sports: win the physical battle, win the match.

Some players, though, believe this goes further still. And that when a fight breaks out on the pitch, winning it can change the momentum of a match. Perhaps even a series. Famously in the second Test of the Lions’ tour in 1989, Rob Jones stood on Nick Farr‑Jones’s foot while the Australian was putting the ball into the scrum, sparking a brawl that the Lions “won”. Having been hammered 30-12 the first Test, they went on to take the second 19-12 and then – a week later – the decider 19-18.

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