The first red card of the Super Rugby season sparks heated online debate

The Highlanders sealed a memorable comeback win against the Chiefs in the opening game of the 2019 Super Rugby season today.

The game had a lot of action, but the main talking point after the game has been Sio Tomkinson’s red card with 15 minutes remaining, something in which the fans are divided on.

On one hand, a lot of fans are saying that it should have been a red, given the fact that there were no arms and it was to Brodie Retallick’s head. The fans are saying that ones similar to this have been punished in the past, and in modern laws that is a fair call.

However, these issues are never black and white and there is always a lot of contention. A huge number of fans are saying that Retallick ducked into the tackle and caught Tomkinson out.

Some fans are claiming that it was only a yellow card, and some are even claiming that Retallick should have been punished for a head charge. This just goes to show how one incident can have such alarmingly different opinions in rugby.

These fans believe that it was a harsh call:

Some fans have tried to be a bit more diplomatic about the matter, saying that it is a red to the letter of the law, but is a tough one to officiate. Meanwhile, some fans have also highlighted the inconsistencies in refereeing currently, as there are certainly players that have got away with similar or worse offences.