WATCH: Emmanuel Tshituka suspended after Schalk Burger argued that it was ‘never a red card’

Jared Wright
Schalk Burger argued that Lions flanker Emmanuel Tshituka should not have been red-carded for his raised forearm against Racing 92 in the Challenge Cup.

The Lions will be without star flanker Emmanuel Tshituka for their Challenge Cup quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.

Tshituka has been suspended for three weeks following his sending-off against Racing 92 in the round-of-16.

The incident

The Lions emerged 51-28 victors over the Top 14 club at Ellis Park on Saturday despite Tshituka’s red card in the 18th minute.

From a kick off, Tshituka received an offload from a teammate just outside his 22 and stormed into Racing‘s half of the pitch.

Full-back Louis Dupichot attempted to tackle the rampaging back-rower, who fended him off using his forearm.

Dupichot came off second best in the collision, and referee Karl Dickson issued the red card after consulting the TMO.

An EPCR statement said that an independent Disciplinary Committee upheld the red card decision, finding that Tshituka had been guilty of a reckless act of foul play.

The committee determined that it was a mid-range offence, and six weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.

Due to Tshituka’s clear disciplinary record and his timely apology to Dupichot, the committee reduced the sanction by three weeks before imposing a three-week suspension.

He will be free to play from Monday, April 24, unless he applies for and successfully completes a World Rugby Coaching Intervention, in which case he will be available seven days earlier.

‘It was never a red card’ – Schalk Burger

Former Springbok loose forward Schalk Burger reacted to the sending-off on Saturday in his role as a Supersport presenter.

Burger likened the incident to Freddie Steward’s red card during the Six Nations and said Dupichot’s technique played a significant role in the collision.

“I just feel we need to be so careful with rugby, where we are going,” Burger said.

“We had the Freddie Steward incident, also with an elbow to the head, but sort of clumsy and messy, a player protecting himself from another one.

“This is a player carrying the ball against someone [Dupichot] who has quite poor technique.

“You are going to bump him off. The fact that the player then gets knocked out, that’s rugby. We play a contact sport; we have to be so careful.

“For me, it was never a red card,” Burger concluded.

Despite the red card, the Lions cruised to victory over the Top 14 side, with Marius Louw scoring two of his side’s seven tries.

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Challenge Cup Emmanuel Tshituka Schalk Burger

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