Ex-Ireland forward slams 20-minute red card and warns of ‘slippery slope’ after refereeing call ‘helped’ France win the Six Nations
France hooker Peato Mauvaka after being sin-binned against Scotland and former Ireland forward Bernard Jackman.
Former Ireland forward Bernard Jackman has warned the game’s lawmakers after he felt the Peato Mauvaka incident showed that the 20-minute red card has not worked.
The France hooker was seen connecting with the head of defenceless Scotland scrum-half Ben White during their clash in Paris last weekend.
Mauvaka was duly sin-binned and the matter reviewed by the foul play review officer, who determined his fate.
Surprisingly, it remained at a yellow card with the official stating that it was a low degree of danger.
Not in a tackle situation
Many felt that it warranted a straight red given that it was not a tackle situation, but the referee’s ability to go to the bunker absolved him of the ultimate decision-making responsibility and the French star escaped any further punishment.
Following the match, Mauvaka was cited and, after a disciplinary panel reviewed the incident, it was determined that it had met the red card threshold and the Toulouse front-rower was subsequently banned for three matches.
It came of little consolation to France’s opponents Scotland or indeed England, who would have won the Six Nations title had Gregor Townsend’s men defeated what should have been a 14-man Les Bleus outfit.
Jackman therefore reckons that the idea of a 20-minute red card, which was trialled in the Six Nations for the first time, has caused issues.
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‘Hasn’t worked’
“One change that hasn’t worked is the 20-minute red card. If we want to make the game safer, then dangerous acts of foul play need to be punished with a straight red and the team has to face the jeopardy that comes with it,” he wrote in his Irish Independent column.
“The French hooker Peato Mauvaka was cited and hit with a three-match ban for his lunging headbutt on the Scottish scrumhalf Ben White.
“I saw no mitigation. It was after the whistle and the French player was out of control. The fact that the official’s decision was just a 10-minute yellow helped France to win the game.
“While they are worthy champions, acts like this need to be punished in the moment. We are heading down a slippery slope if we put entertainment ahead of safety.”
