Rugby legends Andrew Mehrtens and Tim Horan were left scratching their heads following a controversial yellow card to Fijian Drua prop Jone Koroiduadua.
The Drua endured a brutal welcoming to life as a Super Rugby team, going down 40-10 to the Waratahs at CommBank Stadium.
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For the home side, it was the perfect start to the season after coming into tonight’s season-opener without a win in 2021.
But during the second half, with Fijian Drua trailing 26-3, life was made even more difficult after Koroiduadua was issued a yellow card for lifting David Porecki above the horizontal in what looked to be a bizarre brain fade.
While the tackle was more than worthy of a yellow card, the moment occurred when play was allowed to continue despite Fijian Drua halfback Simione Kuruvoli knocking the ball on in an attempt to take control of a loose ball just metres out from the try-line.
Mehrtens, a former All Black of 70 tests, said the entire situation could’ve been avoided if referee Nic Berry blew the whistle at the time of the knock-on.
“In the context of the action, that’s a fair call,” Mehrtens said in commentary for Stan Sport.
“My sympathy here for Jone Koroiduadua… maybe the communication devices between and his Nic Berry wasn’t working.
“There certainly should’ve been a whistle well before then.”
Former Wallaby Tim Horan also echoed similar thoughts, adding “It should’ve been called up and there wouldn’t have been a yellow card”.
Stan Sport commentator Sean Maloney was left confused.
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“Why was the game even in progress on the back of the knock-on?” Maloney added.
The Waratahs tonight ran in five tries to one.
The bonus-point win snapped a 13-match losing streak stretching some 538 days since they beat the Melbourne Rebels in their final game of the 2020 Super Rugby Australia season.
The Waratahs led 21-3 at halftime
Waratahs captain Jake Gordon was relieved to see a better result to kick-start the season.
“It’s been a long since we put on a performance like that,” Gordon after the match. “We’re really proud.
Gordon said it was rewarding to see his side bounce back from a disappointing 2021.
“We learnt quite a lot [about ourselves in 2021],” he added.
“We also learnt how resilient the group was and how many good blokes we have in our team.
“To go through a year like that and not have guys backstabbing each other, it shows the resilience in the group.”
– with AP
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