VIDEO: Should Cian Healy have been red-carded?
However, they were lucky to finish at full-strength as prop Cian Healy was only shown a yellow card for this reckless shoulder charge.
Many people felt that red should have been the proper choice, with the commentators even admitting that would be the likely outcome.
However, referee Pascal Gauzere decided on yellow, explaining: "No force, no speed, yellow card."
Healy should count himself extremely lucky, as 2017 has been a banner year for the shoulder-charge red cards – the most infamous of which is the shot that Sonny Bill Williams delivered to the head of Anthony Watson in the second Lions Test.
Sekope Kepu is another recent example, with his shoulder charge in Australia's loss to Scotland.
Healy has subsequently been cited.
In a statement released by the ECC on Tuesday, it was explained that he “is alleged to have charged into a ruck and to have struck the head of the Exeter Chiefs hooker, Luke Cowan-Dickie, with his forearm in the 17th minute of the match in contravention of Law 10.4 (h).”
Law 10.4 (h) refers to charging into a ruck or maul and under World Rugby’s sanctions for foul play it carries a suspension of two weeks (low end) to 10-52 weeks (high end).
