A sickening head clash between two players during a thrilling Super Rugby clash between the Brumbies and the Western Force has sparked feverish debates.
The Brumbies prevailed with a 39-38 win over the Force, but the result wasn’t without controversy after Brumbies fullback Tom Banks was issued a questionable red card for his role in the brutal collision.
Leading 20-3 and in full control midway into the first half, momentum quickly flipped for the Brumbies after they went down a man under the new 20-minute red card law.
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Jake Strachan put a perfectly well-weighted grubber for Toni Pulu, who took possession of the ball before a head clash with Banks just one metre out from the try line defused any opportunity for points.
Referee Angus Gardiner quickly sent the unsuccessful try-scoring moment for a further review with the TMO, before Banks was red-carded, with the Force also awarded a penalty try.
“If we go through the facts, what we’ve got is the ball carrier running at speed,” Gardiner was heard saying to the TMO.
“We’ve got No.15 (Banks) coming across at high speed.
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“He’s got a clear line of sight. He’s never in a position, he’s making an upright tackle and he makes direct head contact with the ball carrier as he’s coming in across. Then that causes the ball carrier to fall, stumbles and lose the ball forward.”
Following the penalty try and Banks’ red card, it took the Force just 10 minutes to make reduce the deficit to three points.
Banks was ruled out for the game, with Brumbies coach Dan McKellar revealing after the match that early signs suggest the fullback might have suffered a facial fracture.
Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui said the decision of a red card was correct under the current rules, but questioned what Banks could’ve done to avoid the head clash.
“Angus Gardner’s been talked out of this,” Turinui said in commentary for Stan Sport.
“He said the right foot goes down and Pulu initiates contact with Banks.
“Now, Banks is always high and doesn’t dip which means he puts himself at the mercy of the referees. The way the laws are at the moment, that’s a red card.
“What I will say is, a future mitigating circumstance could be the fact that Tom Banks as a rugby player has to go high ball-on-ball there because he’s trying to make a ball-on-ball tackle to save a try.
“He can’t, in terms of rugby, he can’t go low because it’s going to be a try.
“Now, safety is paramount, head-on-head direct contact like that – it’s as close to a red card as you can get.”
Fellow former Wallaby Justin Harrison echoed similar comments and spoke on how Banks was only doing what he could to get Pulu out over the sideline.
“Toni Pulu definitely changes angle off his right foot and prepares for that impact with Tom Banks – he tucks his arm under his shoulder,” Harrison said.
“Tom Banks is arriving at pace and to try and to get Pulu off over the sideline, not bootlace and let him reach out and score a try.”
Tim Horan added: “When you’re the last defender as a fullback and the [opposition] player is running down, you’re not expecting him to step inside.
“Your whole focus is there and all of a sudden, you’re put off by the way he steps off his right foot and back in. All of a sudden it surprises you and hits you closer than what you normally expect.
“That’s hard when you’re a player. The referees need to understand how that works in a game. It’s a tough call.”
Meanwhile, it wasn’t the only controversial head clash during Friday’s Super Rugby fixtures.
A controversial yellow card was issued to Levi Aumua during Moana Pasifika’s historic golden point win against the Hurricanes for his involvement in a head collision.
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