The Rugby Championship is back, bringing with it some of rugby's greatest traditions: running rugby, the Bledisloe Cup, the All Blacks benefitting from some stodgy refereeing.
The latter was in evidence just three minutes into this year's competition, as Waisake Naholo tackled Israel Folau before lifting him into the air and dumping Folau on his shoulder. Although Folau wasn't thrust to the ground with a great amount of force, it was still a textbook spear tackle. Incredibly, referee Jaco Peyper (okay, maybe less incredible given Peyper's track record of being too lenient on the ABs) awarded a penalty but did not show Naholo a card of any colour.
Watch the incident below.
? Penalty the right call for Naholo's tackle on Folau?
LISTEN LIVE: https://t.co/VKegAAfjtQ#BledisloeCup #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/klU6z3hsQ1
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) August 18, 2018
Controversial decision. Thoughts? #BledisloeCup #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/LE3jdMQB2l
— TEN Sport (@tensporttv) August 18, 2018
Here's a portion of the reaction online:
Surely a yellow for Naholo?!
Folau’s arm breaks his fall!— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) August 18, 2018
If that was against the AB’s there would have been no hesitation in handing out a card for that tackle on Folau #protectedspecies #BledisloeCup
— Dave Wright (@wrights_wrants) August 18, 2018
Tip tackle on Israel folau, but its OK because its the All Blacks... Heaven forbid the roles were reversed. #AUSvNZL
— Murray Cowie (@GreytownGadois) August 18, 2018
'Twas ever thus.
