‘Why was it not a red card?’ – Nigel Owens weighs in on controversial Sam Prendergast incident after ‘green jersey’ bias claims
Sam Prendergast incident which saw him yellow carded for Ireland and former Test referee Nigel Owens.
Former Rugby World Cup final referee Nigel Owens has explained why Sam Prendergast avoided a red card in Ireland’s clash with Fiji last weekend.
The fly-half’s shoulder connected with the head of visiting flanker Kitione Salawa, resulting in a sin-binning and the incident being automatically sent for a TMO bunker review.
Despite there being no attempt to wrap, Prendergast escaped a red card to the surprise of many, including Ireland’s opponents.
Fijian anger
Flying Fijians head coach Mick Byrne suggested that the hosts were the beneficiaries of tier one favouritism as he quipped in his post-match conference: “I think he was wearing a green jersey so it stayed yellow.”
However, in World Rugby’s Whistle Watch segment, Owens revealed the reason for the decision.
The former Test referee firstly went through the process, stating: “Do we have direct contact with the head? Yes, we certainly do, so we have foul play. What we also have here as well is an illegal action and this is what has caused a lot of debate between whether it should be a red or should be a yellow.
“Because the actions are always illegal, as he goes in with his shoulder tucked in and there’s no legal attempt to wrap, mitigation does not play a part.
“Does this reach the yellow card threshold? Yes, it certainly does and it goes to the bunker, but the big question is, why was it not a red card?”
Owens then explained that, despite the lack of “mitigation”, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a player will be sent off, and that it is down to the interpretation of the officials.
The degree of danger
“Can you have a yellow card even though it’s foul play and there’s no mitigation because the action is always illegal? Well, the answer is, yes you can,” he said.
“It all comes down on the day if the officials feel – or you at home watching feel – that the actual contact was a high degree of danger.
“If it’s a high degree of danger, there is no debate whatsoever it would be a red card but, because the officials felt that even though it was always illegal and there is contact with the head, they didn’t feel it was a high degree of danger. Therefore, that’s how it remained as a yellow.”
Owens did not state whether he felt the officials were right or wrong in keeping it at a yellow card, but that they were not incorrect in coming to the decision they did.
“It all comes down to, do you think that the high degree of danger was enough to warrant a 20-minute red card? Well, a lot of you think it is and you are not wrong, although others of you think it is a low degree of danger and therefore, like the officials on the day, it remains a yellow card,” he added.
READ MORE: Andy Farrell fires back at Fiji boss after claims ‘green jersey’ saved Ireland prodigy from red card
