'Always illegal': Nigel Owens breaks down Springboks' red cards
WATCH: Legendary Test referee Nigel Owens has offered detailed insight into the red-card controversies that have overshadowed South Africa’s otherwise flawless Nations Series tour.
Over the past two weeks, Springboks locks Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert were both shown permanent red cards for dangerous tackles in matches against France and Italy. De Jager received his marching orders for a high hit on Thomas Ramos, while Mostert was dismissed for a tackle on Paolo Garbisi.
De Jager has since been handed a four-week suspension, and his appeal was dismissed, but an independent disciplinary panel overturned Mostert’s red card.
Speaking on World Rugby’s Whistle Watch, Owens said the decision on De Jager was justified given the nature of the tackle.
“If something is sent to the bunker, the match official in the bunker cannot give a permanent red – he can only come back with a 20-minute red card,” he explained on Whistle Watch.
“In this instance here, if we listen to the assistant referees, they remind the referee, ‘hang on now, this is always illegal’, and that is the key thing, because the actions of the tackler are always illegal.”
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Owens added that factors such as Ramos’ height change or other contact scenarios do not apply when the tackler’s actions are “always illegal.”
“If you look at him, his arm is dropped down to the side, there’s no way he’s ever going to make a wrap in that tackle, so he’s always illegal.
“If the actions are always illegal, then mitigation is irrelevant. No matter what Ramos’ height was – another tackler contributing to it, Ramos falling at a considerable height – that becomes irrelevant if your actions are always illegal.
“When I was watching it, I thought this is a permanent red because mitigation would play no part.”
Owens agreed that Mostert’s technique was also technically illegal, but he felt the incident did not warrant an immediate permanent red card.
“I felt this should have gone to a 20-minute red-card review rather than a straight red, and this is the reason why.
“He goes down quite low for a big man to make the tackle and, for me, the tackle is on the chest – you’re not seeing direct contact with the head. The actual head of the Italian player comes over the shoulder.”
Owens noted that the only flaw in Mostert’s tackle was the lack of a clear wrapping attempt, once again raising the question of whether the action was “always illegal.”
“It’s definitely not in the same space as the one before; this one is different because you don’t have direct contact with the head, but his arm is still low down by his side, so he could help himself there by getting his arm in that action ready to wrap rather than tucked in.”
He added: “I’m not seeing this as an on-field straight red card. I am seeing this as going to the bunker and then the bunker decides.
“The bunker may well have come back with the 20-minute red card because his action is always illegal and they felt there was enough danger, although there was no direct contact with the head.”
