Fans see red after Samoa escape sending-offs within hours of World Rugby refereeing statement
World Rugby were praised on Tuesday for releasing a statement saying the standard of refereeing so far this World Cup has not been at the standard expected.
Certain instances over the first four days of the tournament have led to widespread censure of the officiating and perhaps required World Rugby to take action.
However, mere hours after the statement, referee Romain Poite caused more controversy by awarding Samoa two yellow cards for two tackles against Russia that have been unanimously deemed red cards by pundits and fans.
Outside centre Rey Lee-Lo was on the verge of being awarded a red card in the first half by Poite for a tackle to the head of Russia’s full-back Vasily Artemyev. However, the television match official downgraded it to a yellow card because the offence was mitigated by the full-back dipping into the tackle.
Only a matter of minutes later, hooker Motu Matu’u saw a yellow card as well for a hit at the ruck which was worse than Lee-Lo’s. Once again, the player that was hit was deemed to have dipped, although that is much more controversial as the player had already dipped as Matu’u was running to hit him.
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The game seemed to become farcical at this point, and fans on Twitter were outraged that there was not at least one red card from those two challenges. Although Poite was set to award a red card for the first tackle, the excuse that the players may have been dipping does not seem to be acceptable for many fans.
This would have always been controversial given how bad the tackles were, but the timing is almost risible, as this was the first game after World Rugby’s statement and it will only draw more attention to the officials. This is what has been said:
I've been so impressed with @russiarugby in this #RWC. No doubt Samoa should have had at least 1 red card in this match (2 IMO), which may have changed the outcome. @Scotlandteam players should take to the pitch against Samoa wearing NFL helmets! #RUSvSAM
— Fraser Sinclair (@FraserSinky) September 24, 2019
Two red card tackles by Samoa overlooked by the referee- bad for the game which is lop sided against the tier 2 teams anyway. Decided to turn over and watch something else.
— steve Jones (@skjones505) September 24, 2019
How on earth have Samoa still got 15 players on the pitch , are referees scared of being the first to red card a player at the World Cup? #RUSvSAM #itvrugby
— Blake (@blake_lyons93) September 24, 2019
How have Samoa managed to get away without a red card BOTH TIMES?! The first I can almost understand, but this time the player was bent over the whole time! Where's the mitigation?! #RWC19
— Felicity Baldwin (@Clumsyflic) September 24, 2019
@rugbyworldcup – Where did u find these #referees!?!?! #Samoa dangerous hightackle on #Russian player RED CARD applies!!!!!!!. #Referees are a joke! All of them. No #consistency. #Rules only applies to some players and some teams.
— ?Deon M van Heerden? (@DMvHeerden) September 24, 2019
Does someone have to die before Samoa gets a red card? #rwc2019 #RUSvSAM
— ?? Fraoch is skiving (@Calluna_Vulga) September 24, 2019
Is it just me or do the French refs have a different rule book?? Please explain how the second Samoa yellow wasn’t red ?? #rugbyworldcup2019
— Rob Bessinger (@rob_bessinger) September 24, 2019
Samoa should have had at least two red cards, Russia got beaten by the officials today. Becoming a constant theme of this world cup
— Banjo Thomas (@BenjiTsher) September 24, 2019
Samoa ran out winners 34-9 in the end, despite Russia leading 6-5 at half-time, but it could have been a completely different story had they been down to 13 men during the second half, particularly with Lee-Lo scoring a try.
The officiating has been one of the key topics of the RWC so far and this game will only add fuel to the fire.
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Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments