Watch This Rugby Player Attempt A Tackle And Instead Get Trucked Mercilessly

Football is basically back, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only game where large men hit other large men unreasonably hard. Rugby union is possibly the biggest sport in New Zealand, and, in their top league, Waikato prop (vaguely analogous to an offensive lineman) Loni Uhila did a very mean thing to Bay of Plenty outside back (vaguely analogous to a defensive back) Craig Clare.

Clare’s neck gets a little too low when he prepares to tackle Uhila, so when the lumbering beast of a man plows through him, his body isn’t in proper position to absorb the blow, and he is knocked out cold, with his arms remaining upsettingly stiff. That’s the sort of reaction that will kill the smile right off your face. Just be okay and let us enjoy the sweet violence! Clare was evaluated for a concussion and did not return to the game.

What’s amazing is that plays like this are far less commonplace in rugby than in American football. The lack of helmets actually makes players more conscious of head placement in tackles, and the non-stop nature of the game means players sell out to spear players head-first less frequently, because they have to get up and keep playing. That doesn’t mean the sport can’t produce awesome highlights, however.

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