Jaco Peyper has shown that he is no longer South Africa’s best referee while Marius Jonker should long have been stripped of TMO duties.
South African referee Jaco Peyper has earned the ire of a certain section of rugby fans over his handling of the Ireland vs England Six Nations match.
With the contest still hanging in the balance, Peyper made the call to send off England’s Freddie Steward.
JACO PEYPER EMBARRASSES, MARIUS JONKER INVOLVED AGAIN
Steward collided with his opposite number after he braced for a collision but saw his elbow smack right into the head of Keenan who had stooped to collect the ball.
Former England flyhalf Andy Goode was among the first to rubbish the call, feeling it was nothing more than a collision between players that didn’t warrant any sanction at all.
Goode wrote on Twitter: “Awful call from Jaco Peyper, that’s a rugby incident never a red card for Steward.”
Former England captain Will Carling labelled the decision, ‘a bloody joke’ as he too took to social media to cry foul.
He opined: “Steward had a split second to react – after a knock on – to a man running at him. Of course his instinct should be to make himself as vulnerable as possible – there was no intent – he was protecting himself – what a bloody joke.”
It wasn’t just former England rugby players piling on to Peyper as other social media users got in on the act.
FEW ARGUMENTS FOR THE RED CARD
England cricket captain Ben Stokes was left in disbelief, but there is no DRS in rugby.
Stokes wrote: “Red card???????????. Shambles shambles shambles, Rugby being ruined.”
The decision was game-changing for England and arguably spoiled the contest for the neutral to boot.
Unsurprisingly the call also involved that man Marius Jonker being put on TMO duty yet again despite a litany of complaints about his work.
A lack of accountability from referees means that this shambles will not be addressed in any meaningful manner.
