Nigel Owens has expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to overturn Josh Caulfield's controversial stamp on Finlay Bealham in Friday's Champions Cup game between Connacht and Bristol Bears.
Connacht did all they could in Friday night's Champions Cup clash with Bristol but it was not enough to secure passage to the knockout phase of the competition.
The Westerners knew that only a bonus point win over the Premiership side would give them any chance of going through - and they delivered, with the four tries in the bag before the hour mark in a 27-10 victory.
Saracens' bonus point win over Lyon on Saturday ultimately rendered Connacht's efforts null and void, though the province will get a chance to tackle the last 16 of the Challenge Cup in the spring.
One moment in Friday's game which brought concern for Connacht was the controversial stamp by Bristol lock Josh Caulfield on Finlay Bealham's head.
Josh Caulfield recieves a red card for standing on the head of Finlay Bealham 🤕
What are your thoughts on the call?#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/nFmkWpYLIQ— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) January 19, 2024
Bealham spent the rest of the first half sidelined as injury checks were carried out though, thankfully for both Connacht and Ireland, he was able to return after half-time.
News filtered through on Tuesday morning that Caulfield has seen his suspension waived and the red card overturned - and legendary Welsh referee Nigel Owens has since shared his take on things, saying that a red card had been the correct call.
READ HERE: The Best Rugby Player From Each Of The 32 Counties
READ HERE: Scottish Fans Will Be Flabbergasted By Inaccuracy In Six Nations Netflix Doc
Connacht v Bristol: Nigel Owens unhappy to see Josh Caulfield's red card overturned
Bristol Bears shared the news on their website on Tuesday morning, saying that an independent disciplinary committee had held a video conference with Caulfield and Bristol Bears representatives as well as the EPCR Disciplinary Officer.
Caulfield did not accept that he had committed an act of foul play - something the committee disagreed with. Despite this, they judged the mitigating factors and deemed the offence not to be worthy of a red card:
The committee determined that Caulfield had committed an act of foul play, however, it found that the offence did not warrant a red card, and the red card decision was therefore overturned. Caulfield is free to play immediately and EPCR has the right to appeal the decision.
Later on Tuesday, Nigel Owens took to X/Twitter to share his take on the contentious incident.
Owens, who refereed the 2015 World Cup final as well as a record seven Champions Cup finals, said that he felt that the decision to acknowledge foul play had occurred meant that a red card should have been upheld, due to the danger posed by the collision with Bealham's head.
The Welshman then joked that he was glad he was no longer responsible for making such high-profile decisions.
How can they say this is foul play but not red card. If it’s not foul play and complete accident then play on. If It’s reckless and foul play then it has to be RC. For what it’s worth it’s a RC for me as it’s not a natural action of rucking and reckless.
Glad I retired 🙈 https://t.co/VYHam8NtgL— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) January 23, 2024
When asked to explain his comments in the replies, Owens said:
A stamp on the head is a red card. So it's either no foul play just pure accident or if it's foul play it's a red card. You're either driving over the speed limit and get points or your [sic] not and drive on
The decision to send Caulfield off in the first place last Friday polarised opinion.
Though the stamp was reckless and endangered an opponent, some rushed to defend the Englishman, arguing that the stamp was accidental.
There is no way in this world Josh caulfield has intentionally stamped on his head, every player watching that knows it too.
— Gengey (@EllisGenge) January 19, 2024
Among those were former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton and Caulfield's Bristol teammate Ellis Genge, who both took to social media to argue against the decision.
Bristol are now out of European competition entirely, having finished bottom of their Champions Cup pool. After finishing fifth, Connacht dropped down into the Challenge Cup, where they will face French side Pau away from home in early April.
Fellow Irish side Ulster face a tricky trip to Montpellier.
SEE ALSO: Powerful Andrew Porter Netflix Scene Explains Reason For Six Nations Tears
