Former Munster centre Barry Murphy has said that referee George Clancy should have sent off Fergus McFadden for his headbutt on Ulster number eight Sean Reidy on Saturday.
McFadden launched a headbutt at Reidy during Ulster’s 14-13 win with Clancy checking multiple angles on replay before determining that the Leinster winger made contact in an aggressive manner but maintaining that only a penalty was warranted.
Murphy and former Ireland winger Andrew Trimble disagreed with the decision on the latest episode of Baz and Andrew’s House of Rugby and added that his former Ireland teammate should have been dismissed for his indiscretion.
"The referee and the touch judge completely bottled it. Because that was, it was a headbutt."#HouseofRugbyIRL
w/ @GuinnessIreland pic.twitter.com/5zXrMA5zj7— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 29, 2019
ANDREW: And, game-wise, I thought the shining light was Marcus Rea. He came off the bench maybe after 10 minutes when Sean Reidy went off with a head injury… Which maybe, you know, could be… Was it a chest injury, and hence not the red-card (for Fergus McFadden)?
BARRY: That was like watching an AIL match on television. Do you know when the AIL gets shown on TV once a year. The referee and the touch judge completely bottled it. Because that was, it was a headbutt. It was like… because McFadden had the head-band on, it was like he was transported back in time to, like, those State of Origin games, in rugby league, in Australia. Where they just beat the shit out of each other.
ANDREW: Where headbutts are to be encouraged.
BARRY: Yeah.
ANDREW: What do you mean you haven’t headbutted? Go on, get stuck in, would ya!
BARRY: Yeah.
