WATCH: Dirty cheap shot sparks an all-in scuffle in New Zealand
A cheap shot from Manawatu Turbos lock Josh Taula sparked an all-in scuffle during the opening round of the National Provincial Championship (NPC).
Taula was sent off for his charge on Wellington full-back Ruben Love in the latter stages of Manawatu’s 22-6 defeat.
Cheap shot on Ruben Love
Manawatu were trailing 16-6 in the 72nd minute when Taula had a rush of blood, leading to the incident.
The Turbos had an advantage inside Wellington’s 22 before Love easily mopped up a kick-through.
Referee Nick Hogan blew his whistle to come back for the Manawatu penalty, but a good few seconds later, Taula hammered his shoulder to the head of Love after the Wellington full-back had kicked the ball downfield.
Tempers immediately flared with Wellington captain and Hurricanes forward Du’Plessis Kirifi charged at Tuala with his teammates following.
Kirifi struck the Manawatu forward with an open hand as Hogan struggled to separate the two sides on more than one occasion.
The referee was left with no choice but to duly issue the red card, stating that it was “a late shoulder charge to the head with a high degree of danger”.
A red card earning cheap shot from Manawatu vs Wellington
byu/HayMrDj inrugbyunion
Wellington off to a winning start
Wellington’s Aidan Morgan added two further penalties in the final 10 minutes of the match to seal the 22-6 victory.
Although the red card was a blight on the performance, it was a largely improved effort from Manawatu, who lost all of their matches last season.
In fact, Manawatu actually led after the opening 40 minutes of the encounter thanks to two penalties from Brett Cameron in reply to Morgan’s first penalty to lead 6-3 at the break.
Morgan converted Peter Umaga-Jensen’s try in the 68th minute and added four penalties to seal the victory.
Wellington face Otago in round two of the championship, while Manawatu play host to Taranaki.
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