TARIQ SIMS has backed his aggressive tackling technique and believes “it is more dangerous if you’re playing scared” during games.
The hard-hitting Australian international’s brutal collision with England captain George Williams during Saturday’s clash between Catalans Dragons and Warrington Wolves went viral on social media for its ferocious impact, but Sims believes he got everything right with his contact.
“I wasn’t worried about the referee’s reaction to my tackling style. If you tiptoe around contact you can find yourself on the wrong side,” he said.
Referee Chris Kendall saw nothing wrong with the tackle and Williams didn’t seem to suffer any injury from the collision in the 21st minute of the 16-10 home win, which saw a red card for Dragons’ hooker Michael McIlorum and yellow for Wolves’ loose-forward Jordan Crowther.
Sims added, “I do toe a very thin line but I think it’s necessary to do that. If you’re playing scared you can not only injure the opposition, but also your team-mates and yourself.
“I know what I’m doing and I know how to handle myself. In saying that, the rules are different now and I have got to adjust my technique.
“There were a couple of calls that could have gone either way tonight but thankfully they came out in my favour and we’ve come out with some highlights.
“You spend all pre-season getting as fit as possible but there’s nothing quite like 13 blokes coming at you. You’re trying to do the same to them.
“It was exciting, the nerves were quite high before the game, but we came through with the win.”
Catalans’ coach Steve McNamara after the match, “That was brutal, but it’s only Round One and there will be a lot more battles ahead.
“There’s going to be some stop-starts early this season, it’s clear because every game is televised now and it’s what we’ve asked for as coaches.
“Now some coaches are complaining that it’s stop-start, well the technology is there to be used at the right time, let’s give everybody an opportunity to get it going and see where we are after a few weeks.”
