“He’s landed on his back.”
Cheslin Kolbe got away with one.
Television Match Official Marius Jonker had a shocker, this evening as he ruled that Conor Murray had landed on his back, when all the video replays suggested otherwise.
Murray landed face-first after he was skittled in mid-air by Kolbe. The Springboks winger was chasing a high ball but arrived late and sent Murray hurtling dangerously to the ground.
Referee Ben O’Keeffe immediately blew for dangerous play, but the fact it was judged that Murray did not land on his head or neck saved Kolbe from a red card.
The Toulouse star was sent to the sin-bin, where he joined Duhan van der Merwe. The Lions winger had been yellow-carded, minutes before, after he hacked at the shin of Kolbe.
In reality, van der Merwe was lucky that yellow was not his second after his rough-house tackle left Pieter Steph du Toit with a damaged shoulder.
The first 28 minutes of the first half took 45 minutes to play after multiple stoppages, mini-brawls and hold-ups for reviews and penalties.
LISTEN TO HOUSE OF RUGBY’S LIONS SERIES: EPISODE 8
