{"id":292332,"date":"2023-09-13T00:34:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T00:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=292332"},"modified":"2023-09-13T00:34:43","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T00:34:43","slug":"world-rugby-show-a-shocking-lack-of-consistency-in-jesse-kriel-debacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/world-rugby-show-a-shocking-lack-of-consistency-in-jesse-kriel-debacle\/","title":{"rendered":"World Rugby show a shocking lack of consistency in Jesse Kriel debacle"},"content":{"rendered":"
On the day that Tom Curry of England was banned for two matches for his head-to-head contact with Argentina\u2019s Juan Cruz Mallia, no action was taken against Jesse Kriel of South Africa for a challenge that was just as dangerous on Scotland\u2019s Jack Dempsey.<\/p>\n
So tell me, where is the consistency here?<\/p>\n
I asked for guidance from senior figures in World Rugby yesterday and they insisted there was insufficient evidence to cite the Springboks centre.<\/p>\n
They even suggested to me that it was dangerous to make judgments on a tackle from one camera angle.<\/p>\n
How many do they need? If it looks high and dangerous from one angle \u2014 which it did \u2014 is that not enough? Where exactly is the justification for taking no action?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom Curry was banned for two matches for his head-to-head contact with Juan Cruz Mallia<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After review, the England star was dismissed and has since been handed a two-match ban<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
No action was taken against Jesse Kriel for a challenge that was just as dangerous<\/p>\n
They insist the citing officer would have looked at all the angles in real time and slow motion and determined there was no clear and obvious foul play, meaning no head contact could be determined.<\/p>\n
In my opinion and, according to the likes of Mail Sport columnist Ryan Wilson and Sir Ian McGeechan, Kriel\u2019s head-high tackle on Dempsey was 100-per- cent a red card and exactly the type of reckless, upright collision that is supposed to be outlawed and removed from the game.<\/p>\n
However, with the 36-hour citing window slamming shut at breakfast time yesterday, that is officially the end of the matter.<\/p>\n
It was shocking that the TMO Ben Whitehouse and the other three officials \u2014 referee Angus Gardner and his two assistants on the field of play \u2014 didn\u2019t think the incident merited any further action.<\/p>\n
That it happened only 57 seconds into the match, when the officials should have been at their sharpest, added insult to injury.<\/p>\n
Dempsey mentioned to the ref at the time he had been hit in the face, while his skipper Jamie Ritchie\u2019s request that the incident be looked at by the official fell on deaf ears. It\u2019s a travesty of justice. Kriel\u2019s tackle was just as bad as Curry\u2019s the evening before in Marseille.<\/p>\n
For those watching at home, the Kriel-Dempsey incident wasn\u2019t shown live by ITV at the time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Kriel-Dempsey incident wasn\u2019t shown live by ITV at the time<\/p>\n
It seems they take the television pictures from the \u2018world feed\u2019 broadcaster and have no control of the live coverage or what incidents are replayed.<\/p>\n
Back in London, their team saw the incident immediately and showed the footage at half-time.<\/p>\n
Pundits John Barclay and McGeechan both said it was a definite red card. Without the TV replays, the incident may have been forgotten.<\/p>\n
Not that it matters now it appears to have been swept under the carpet.<\/p>\n
What sticks in the craw in the Scottish camp is the inconsistency over the way the Curry and the Kriel incidents were handled. I have spoken to a few of the Scotland players privately and they can\u2019t believe the incident was missed.<\/p>\n
Prop Jamie Bhatti went public on it right after the match and claimed he had never seen a more blatant red card.<\/p>\n
He was sitting on the touchline among the Scotland replacements and had a clear view of what happened.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus stuck his oar in, insisting there was no case to answer for Kriel.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what you might expect to hear from a coach defending his player, but the court of public opinion has ruled that the centre was lucky to escape without a citing.<\/p>\n
Who knows how the match would have ended if he\u2019d been sent packing?<\/p>\n