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Red card not enough to halt Brumbies momentum in Perth

By AAP
Pete Samu. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Brumbies fullback Tom Banks was handed a controversial red card and sent off to hospital with a suspected fractured cheekbone in his team’s thrilling 39-38 win over the Western Force in Perth.

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The Force were trailing 20-3 in Friday night’s Super Rugby Pacific match when Banks was sent off in the 29th minute for what had appeared an accidental head clash with Toni Pulu.

Pulu had just gathered the bouncing ball five metres out from the try line when Banks put his arms up to attempt a tackle.

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The Force flyer slightly changed his running line in the split second before the clash of heads.

Pulu fumbled the ball as he attempted to touch it down for a try but on review, the referee decided Banks had committed a red card offence with the head clash.

 

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The Force were awarded a penalty try and then ran in another three tries to one during the 20 minutes the Brumbies were down to 14 men.

But Andy Muirhead’s hat-trick ensured the Brumbies snatched back the lead, with the visitors holding their nerve at the death to extend their perfect start to the season to 6-0.

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The Force had a late chance to steal the points, but they lost the ball from a line-out.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar didn’t think it should have been a red card to Banks.

“It’s a high-speed, high-collision game,” McKellar told Stan Sports. “Banksy is coming across at full speed, TP changes direction and there’s a head clash.

“If Tom Banks has a nasty bone in his body or goes out there to deliberately hurt someone, then I don’t know the bloke.

“I thought the decision was wrong and as a game, we have to look at those sort of things.”

The Force were made to pay dearly for a host of costly errors early in the match.

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Brumbies winger Muirhead’s turn of speed set up a try to Lonergan after just 83 seconds.

Muirhead scored himself in the ninth minute following a fumbled kick-off reception from Force forward Brynard Stander and 12 phases of pressure.

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It was 20-3 after 17 minutes when Brumbies centre Len Ikitau set off under his own posts, shook off two tacklers during his 50-metre sprint, before offloading to Banks, who sprinted the remaining 50 metres to touch down.

Banks’ controversial red card in the 29th minute dramatically changed the momentum.

Although Muirhead was able to score his second try in the 34th minute – following another dropped kick-off reception from the Force – the home side ran in 28 points themselves.

Jake Strachan’s try was particularly impressive, with the Force fullback smothering Lonergan before collecting the ball and shaking off a tackler in his stumbling run to the line.

The Force’s lead was short-lived after Muirhead scored his third, but a second try to Force flyer Manasa Mataele in the 61st minute – when he picked off a pass and ran 70 metres to the line – ensured for a thrilling finish.

– Justin Chadwick

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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