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.<\/b><\/p>\n
The incident in question occurred in the 13th minute of the match after a knock-on by the Lions spoiled an attacking opportunity.<\/p>\n
Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong was the one who dropped it, and he quickly reagathered the ball with his back towards the Wallabies<\/a>\u2018 defence.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> who took exception to the Wallabies powerhouse\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n Will Skelton\u2019s actions slammed<\/p>\n Once the two sets of players finally broke apart, referee Andrea Piardi opted not to penalise Skelton<\/a> for his actions but did give him a warning and let him off because the tackle \u2018was a little bit late\u2019.<\/p>\n 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 \u2018Run It Straight\u2019 events.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, 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,\u201d Doyle<\/a> wrote in his Irish Times column<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game can do without this sort of stuff and 10 minutes in the bin might have given Skelton pause for thought.<\/p>\n \u201cSome rugby fans might have heard recently about Run It Straight (Runit). It\u2019s 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 \u2013 in fact Runit should be banned.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cUnsurprisingly, a player is often knocked senseless, and one young man has died. If both are still standing after a series of charges, then \u2018victory belongs to the one who dominates the collisions\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is sickening \u2013 insanity gone berserk. With what we know about brain injury, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy it\u2019s staggering that anybody plays it. But, as we know, money talks, with $200,000 for a recent championship winner.\u201d<\/p>\n The former referee believes that similar language was used ahead of the second Test match which resulted in Skelton\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \u201cLeading up to this second Test, both camps spoke of the massive importance of winning the collision battles, which, ultimately, would win the war. It\u2019s the same language as Runit, with the crucial difference that rugby requires a proper tackle \u2013 not that it always gets it,\u201d Doyle continued.<\/p>\n \u201cApart 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\u2019s not too hard to guess where Runit might have come up with their idea.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u2018sport\u2019 has gone viral online for massive collisions where two players run at one another, from a distance, to\u00a0either make a tackle or score a try.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n