Clearly the elbow by Vahaamahina was clear cut....probably the single stupidest act by a player thus far in the RWC.
But the Beast was very lucky....the difference between what he did and the incident that landed Warburton the red in 2011 escapes me.
And then there is Moriarty a stiff arm to the chin. I'm sure all the French refs would have given him a straight red.
Red cards and their unpredictable treatment remain the biggest potential swing factor in the semis.
Matsoshima's(spelling) aerial clothes line of Mapimpi was nothing short of WWE standard.
That was a red for me.
If I'm thinking of the correct incident Plum, that was a fair challenge for the ball in the air. The ball was about to land in Matsushima's hands when Mapimpi came flying through in his challenge for it. To give a red for a fair contest in the air would have been pointless. It is impossible for two players going full tilt and 100% focused on the ball to make any judgement about the severity or nature of the potential collision that may occur.
nah I think it definitely warranted a yellow at least... the challenge on the winger/s in the air... most other refs esp v wallabies wouldnt have been able to get their hand off the yellow...
BUT... at least Barnes was consistent... he didnt look for game changing issues or Beast would have got red for sure... that was a red in most games in the last 5yrs for beyond horizontal...
This is the reason I respect Barnes as a ref he doesn't appear to have an agenda and does his best to be consistent.
Dont matter now - all that does is that saffas do job on the average welsh or GF will be a borathon.
“ But the Beast was very lucky....the difference between what he did and the incident that landed Warburton the red in 2011 escapes me. “
Nah Sam’s was worse. He dropped his guy about 30 cm onto his neck. I saw an interview, weeks after the final even, when he was asked about it and he said that, at the time, he was surprised at the red. He said that when he saw the footage, though, he would have red carded himself, had he been the ref.
the challenge on the winger/s in the air
Just watched it again, Mapimpi mistimed his jump, too early. He is past the ball before it arrives. Mats timed his jump perfectly, Mapimpi jumps into his arm as he is waiting to receive the ball. To card that would be silly, but some refs probably would have done yeah.
Will nz cop a red against England. It's long overdue as mooo moo knows.
It's dead easy to manufacture a red. Duck when you are being tackled. Put on a big performance lying on the ground. Then get up after the opponent has left the field of play.
Yes Moz it could decide the RWC.
dont know whether beast actually "thinks" a whole lot...
seems like a nice guy though...
have refs been decided for SFs yet?
Could be very telling
