The Wallabies have won a 24:22 win over the All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium.
But while the epic comeback after losing 43-5 in last week’s Test, in which the Bledisloe Cup was decided for an 18th year, a controversial first half provided the crucial points of the game.
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In the 22nd minute, the All Blacks’ Ofa Tu’ungafasi became the fifth All Blacks player to show a red card in a call shared by the rugby community.
Social media was quick to respond to the 22nd minute incident where Tom Wright of the Wallabies kicked inside the 22 and began bypassing All Blacks players.
That was until he got to Tu’ungafasi, who flattened the winger in a seemingly powerful shot.
But on repetition, it became clear that his shoulder tightened Wright’s jaw.
Channel 10 was about whether it would be a yellow or a penalty, but referee Nic Berry saw it a lot blacker and whiter.
“OK, based on these factors, direct chin contact, there are no mitigating factors, so it will be a red card against the black three. Everyone agrees? “he said to the TMO before showing Tu’ungafasi the red card.
The decision was in line with the World Cup in Japan, but has been controversial since the event.
Tu’ungafasi joins Cyril Brownlee in 1925, Colin Meads in 1967, Sonny Bill Williams in 2017 and Scott Barrett in 2019 as the only All Blacks on the red card.
Social media exploded with comments and many believed it was a tough call but the right one by the rules.
The former wallaby became media personality Peter FitzSimons tweeted: “Very hard red card for All Black Prop, yes? No bad intentions on his part? “
Incredibly, the All Blacks were next to score a penalty goal and hit the 8-All.
But it soon turned into a red-card duel when Wallabies debutant Lachlan Swinton received his marching orders for a very similar incident in the 34th minute.
Swinton hit Sam Whitelock with a big hit that flattened the great New Zealander, but it was quickly checked.
Swinton was also the fifth wallaby to receive a red card. He joined David Codey in 1987, Drew Mitchell in 2010, Tevita Kuridrani in 2013 and Sekope Kepu in 2017.
Wallabies legend Matthew Burke said he believed both were worthy of the red card.
“It’s absolutely red. I thought it might have been a yellow because Wright drowned the attenuating circumstances and then there is another one at the back end, it’s a heavy shot and just a miss and they talked about it beforehand about controlling that aggression and we also said it there at the beginning, ”he said on Channel 10.
At Fox Sports, wallaby greats Justin Harrison and Phil Kearns targeted the decisions at halftime.
“We’re talking about the scope of the rule changes that safety is the intent, but these two players who received direct shots in the chin were not directed to go to the HIA for assessment. So let’s talk about mitigating factors,” said Harrison.
“We know that players don’t go out with the intention of stealing people’s heads. You go through with the intent of hitting people as hard as you can. When you are moving as fast as you can and have 125kg committed to a goal, it is very difficult to change that decision making framework.
Kearns added, “There has to be a better way. For me, yellow card, report it and then go to justice. Ruin the game, ruin the spectacle. “
Australia only had 13 men left when Marika Koroibete received a yellow card after the half-time siren because he had all hands on the ball after a warning from the referee.
The All Blacks also fell to 13 men in the second half when Scott Barrett saw a yellow card after reaching out to knock the ball out of Nic White’s hands.
After the game, Harrison said, “You can’t get away with a bad game because of clumsiness.”
Kearns also reiterated his comments from the first half, admitting the red cards were correct under the applicable rules.
“But in my opinion it takes a long time to get the red cards,” he said. “Perhaps a better option is to create the yellow card first, report it, and then go through the judicial process later so you can maintain the integrity of the game. I think there is little doubt about either. “
The great wallaby player Tim Horan also advocated a red card where a player was sent off but could be replaced after 10 minutes.
Nine Test veteran Greg Martin added that while passive fans might be part of the rules, they would scratch their heads on some calls.
“That’s a joke,” he said. “When we’re here in Australia and we’re competing in the rugby league, and we are, but when we can be decided by someone in an office in Dublin that it’s a red card, that’s nonsense we don’t win this fight. “
All of the Blacks trainers, Ian Foster, didn’t want to be drawn into a discussion on the subject.
It is what it is right now, ”he said. “I don’t think now is a good time to discuss the correctness of the decisions. We were probably more dissatisfied with some of the TMO decisions last week than we were this week. Both teams were dealt the same cards, dare I say it. “
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