'That's how players clean out in every ruck' - Fans left confused by two controversial yellow cards in final Tri Nations match

Fans have continued to question what players are supposed to do on the rugby field when they're shown cards for split-second errors that go against the laws of the game.

Specifically, fans have been left confused after the final Tri Nations match of the year between the Wallabies and Pumas, as two players were shown yellow cards for similar incidents at the breakdown.

Marcos Kremer, who finishes the Tri Nations with the most tackles of any Argentinian player (69 tackles) with a 91% completion rate, was the first to be shown a card 16-minutes into the match.

The Pumas enforcer was sent from the field for a high tackle when he was attempting to cleanout Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor at the breakdown. While there was potential for a red card, the initial contact from the cleanout was on O’Connor’s shoulder.

This led Fox Sports Australia commentator, Phil Kearns, to say that “I’d give it a penalty at worst.”

But 12-minutes later, and after Kremer had returned to the field, it was the Wallabies who went down a player with captain Michael Hooper shown a yellow for a similar incident.

Commentator Rod Kafer questioned the incident as the TMO was reviewing it, saying that “there’s not much else you can do when cleaning out a player who has got his hands on the ball. Contact with the head like that happens every second cleanout.”

After Angus Gardner had sent the Wallabies captain to the sin bin, Kearns added that “it’s just rubbish, both of those yellow cards are ridiculous.”

Breakdown needs to be looked at massively... Ruining the game! Yellow card for Hooper #AUSvARG

— Christopher Logan (@CLCourtney82) December 5, 2020

Fans being unhappy with yellow card decisions has also sparked up overnight in the North Hemisphere, after Scotland centre Duncan Taylor was shown a card for a deliberate knock-on.

Just like the Hooper and Kremer incidents, fans questioned the merit of the card as against what a player can do to avoid that situation.

That was never a yellow card on Duncan Taylor , he's come in with his arms stretched to tackle the player and he's threw it at his arm what's he supposed to do ? Well played Scotland we can still win this , same again.

— RepublicOfAlba (@LFCIndy1) December 5, 2020

The Wallabies poor discipline continued later in the match, when replacement second-rower Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was red-carded for a high tackle.

Even with 14-men on the field, the Wallabies fell just short of stealing the win, with Reece Hodge missing a 45-metre penalty attempt in the rain.