Ex-referee Owen Doyle believes that Wallabies star Will Skelton should have been carded in the second Test match against the British and Irish Lions.
The incident in question occurred in the 13th minute of the match after a knock-on by the Lions spoiled an attacking opportunity.
Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong was the one who dropped it, and he quickly reagathered the ball with his back towards the Wallabies‘ defence.
It was at this point that Skelton shot out of the line and thundered into the prop forward, which sparked a coming together of the two teams, with touring captain Maro Itoje one of the Lions who took exception to the Wallabies powerhouse’s actions.
Will Skelton’s actions slammed
Once the two sets of players finally broke apart, referee Andrea Piardi opted not to penalise Skelton for his actions but did give him a warning and let him off because the tackle ‘was a little bit late’.
However, the ex-director of referees at the Irish Rugby Football Union, Doyle, believes that the lock deserved a far harsher punishment for his actions, which he likened to the highly controversial ‘Run It Straight’ events.
“Overall, Piardi did well enough, but he was lenient in dealing with a nasty, cynical shoulder-hit into the back of Tadhg Furlong from Will Skelton which ignited a fracas,” Doyle wrote in his Irish Times column.
“The game can do without this sort of stuff and 10 minutes in the bin might have given Skelton pause for thought.
“Some rugby fans might have heard recently about Run It Straight (Runit). It’s a new fad (I would not call it a sport), but the first thing to say is that this newbie has nothing to do with rugby union – in fact Runit should be banned.
“This is what it’s about. Only two players are involved in each contest, on a small pitch about 20 metres by 4. Alternatively, one is the ball carrier, the other the so-called tackler. They then charge at each other, the objective being to hit so hard that one player cannot continue.
“Unsurprisingly, a player is often knocked senseless, and one young man has died. If both are still standing after a series of charges, then ‘victory belongs to the one who dominates the collisions’.”
“It is sickening – insanity gone berserk. With what we know about brain injury, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy it’s staggering that anybody plays it. But, as we know, money talks, with $200,000 for a recent championship winner.”
The former referee believes that similar language was used ahead of the second Test match which resulted in Skelton’s actions.
“Leading up to this second Test, both camps spoke of the massive importance of winning the collision battles, which, ultimately, would win the war. It’s the same language as Runit, with the crucial difference that rugby requires a proper tackle – not that it always gets it,” Doyle continued.
“Apart from that difference, rugby often sees a ball carrier deliberately seeking out a heavy collision. It has inevitably seeped down into the amateur game, including schools. It’s not too hard to guess where Runit might have come up with their idea.”
The ‘sport’ has gone viral online for massive collisions where two players run at one another, from a distance, to either make a tackle or score a try.
In May of this year, a 19-year-old sadly lost his life after competing in the event with Ardie Savea and New Zealand Rugby both urging members of the public not to compete.