Coach of Scotland, irate over “inexcusable” decision, criticizes Rugby World Cup officials.

A day after a similar tackle by Tom Curry resulted in a red card, South Africa’s Jesse Kriel was spared punishment for a high hit on Scotland’s Jack Dempsey.

Following his team’s defeat by South Africa in their opening game, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has voiced his displeasure with the refereeing at the Rugby World Cup.

The defending champions easily defeated the Scots 18-3 in Marseille after taking the lead in the second half thanks to tries from Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
At halftime, South Africa led only 6-3, but the situation could have been different had Scotland’s appeal of a call been successful.

There were only two minutes left when Jesse Kriel attempted a tackle and collided heads with Jack Dempsey.
The television match official Ben Whitehouse did nothing despite attempts by the captain Jamie Ritchie and the fly-half Finn Russell to alert the referee Angus Gardner to the tackle.

Just one day earlier, England’s Tom Curry received a red card for a comparable collision, but the South African star received no punishment.
The choice was criticized by both experts and followers, and Townsend expressed his frustration with the lack of consistency in the decision-making process.
I watched it from about two screens away, he claimed.
“I was anticipating the TMO to enter because it appeared to be a head-on collision.
“.

A red card last night didn’t significantly change the match for Argentina, so he said when asked if it might have tipped the balance in Scotland’s favor.

“We were in a good attacking position outside the 22 when Finn Russell gave the TMO a body check. I was unsure of how it came to be considered a fine.
Therefore, the answer is still yes.
any time there has been a head contact.
We are annoyed by that, but we are even more annoyed by our own performance.
“.

John Barclay, a former forward for Scotland, was certain of his choice.
The confusion comes from captains talking to the referees and saying, “We are always looking,” he said on ITV.
We already have a red carded incident two minutes into the game.
There is a red card.

“He approaches from a distance, has a clear line of sight, doesn’t stoop, and uses force.
It is head-on.
Red card, please.
Whether you like it or not, that is a red card under the current refereeing system. And last night (with Tom Curry), we witnessed a very similar incident that was initially given a yellow rating before being upgraded to a red in the bunker.

This is where the game becomes a little confusing because there are times when two players appear very similar but are actually in slightly different positions due to a kick or other action.
In these cases, the player receives a red card.
Furthermore, it is unacceptable that it hasn’t even been seen or reviewed.
“.

“If there is to be consistency in the World Cup, it has to apply to everyone,” Sir Ian McGeechan continued.
Yesterday, Tom Curry received a red card; today, it should be the same.
“.