“I’ve seen reds given.”
New Zealand hooker Codie Taylor was shown a yellow card after only 12 minutes of his side’s clash with Ireland.
Taylor was sent to the sin-bin by referee Luke Pearce after his tackle on Johnny Sexton was highlighted by the Television Match Official.
Codie Taylor gets a 10 minutes in the sin bin for this challenge on Johnny Sexton. Was the hooker lucky to escape a red card?
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After watching four replays, English referee Pearce gave his reasoning before showing Taylor that yellow card:
“We’ve seen enough. So, first of all lads, we have foul play – yes. There is contact to the head – yes.
“But I’m not seeing it as a high level of danger. Just a low level of danger. I’m on a yellow card for this.”
Over on RTÉ, former Ireland captain and manager Donal Lenihan noted that Taylor’s shoulder connected with the head of shoulder and ‘I’ve seen reds given for’ those sort of contacts.
Not everyone agreed with the decision, including former Wallabies star Lote Tuqiri:
Ridiculous decision!!! Slowed down to the enth degree that tackle and tried to find everything wrong with it. Codie Taylor yellow card is an embarrassment.. #IREvNZL 🏉
— Lote Tuqiri 🇫🇯🇦🇺 (@LoteTuqiri) November 13, 2021
Ireland scored a try through James Lowe, as Taylor stewed in the sin-bin, but New Zealand tagged back three points through a Beauden Barrett penalty.
Late in the half, replacements All Blacks hooker Dane Coles called Ireland captain Johnny Sexton ‘a mouthy c***’ after another tense exchange.
