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Match Report: Reds win spoiled by cards
By Online Editors
The Reds beat the Sunwolves 48-27 in Brisbane on Friday, a game marred by questionable calls and controversial refereeing incidents.
It was the ongoing inconsistencies that really spoilt this encounter.
New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe, who has been responsible for some of the most shocking match official mistakes this season, added another chapter to his growing resume of howlers.
First he issued a red card to Sunwolves loose forward Edward Quirk for a ‘closed fist to the head’ – which was no more than a rubbing motion.
Then he decided that Reds loose forward Caleb Timu’s driving shoulder to the head of a prone player on the ground was just a yellow card.
That and other questionable calls took all the gloss of what was otherwise an entertaining fixture.
Reds coach Brad Thorn slammed the red card shown to Ed Quirk in his side’s big win over the Sunwolves, labelling the alleged “closed fist” action as nothing more than a love tap.
Former All Blacks forward Thorn vehemently disagreed with the referee’s decision.
“For me, for a red card, it has to be something really big,” Thorn said.
“[Red cards] are for horrendous spear tackles, someone kicking someone on the ground, eye gouging horrendously or something – not love taps.”
The contest was essentially over from the time of Quirk’s dismissal with the Reds leading the Sunwolves 22-13 before powerhouse tighthead prop Taniela Tupou stretched out to score moments before half-time.
@rugby365
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Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players I'd never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. I'm picking we'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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