'What a bloody joke': Sexton bows out of 6N with slam but England fume over 'utter farce'

The SBW card was a fair red card, no doubt about that. There aren't too many similarities to this instance

If Steward broke any law, there's no logic. The law needs to be amended, and quickly. Otherwise, every game will have red cards which we, the spectator, don't want.

I recall the SB card being absurd. Here I am in Aus defending an Englishman, what's the world coming to SD? However, he was harshly treated IMO and needs some support against the gloating Irish. There have been many other poor/baffling card decisions over the past couple of years across the world and innocent players have been hung out to dry. WR will be rubbing their hands with glee come WC time - look at all the opportunities officials will have to issue cards. Unfortunately, card production costs will be expensive.

I understand all of what you say. The world has become a strange place and ALL contact sports face the same possibilities in the future. WR are introducing rules and measures which are simply impossible to uphold. There have been many extraordinary card decisions over the past couple of years that beggars belief with many teams gaining significant advantages in having extra players on the field. It is ridiculous to point the finger at Steward and tell him he should have done this or he should have done that. He knows the rules and he couldn't adjust in time to comply. He's also a fullback which suggests to me he is a very clean player (although I have no knowledge of him). What did the match or WR gain by sending him off. Absolutely nothing. It was accidental and there will continue to be accidents in rugby as long as my nose points to the ground. In Aus, Rugby League and Aussie Rule face the same problems but they are handling these matters in a tough but generally accepted manner. They are both far more watchable and popular than RU which is heading South down here.

There’s too much duty of care placed on the defender, the attacker should also carry some responsibility over the position he puts himself in. There have been a number of instances where the attacker instinctively braces for the tackle by raising their forearm. I recall Blackadder 2 years ago againts the Reds coping a blow from Angus Scott-Young's elbow which went un-noticed by the officials even though Blackadder was left semi-conscious on the ground. There was also the infamous forearm from Moody on Beale, but this did result in him being cited.

Going back a year or two, Keenan wouldn't have left the field. Today's protocols over-dramatise things a tad bit. It was bad luck for him, that's all. Steward was hard done by,

I believe WR would be a better place had Pichot been successful with his bid for Chairman

Fair enough Choppy. In that situation though, with a dropped ball, the attacker lowering himself to pick-up the ball still running at a defender, the defender not ready to tackle because of the likely stoppage in play but having to brace himself without thinking and with no hurtful intent - don't you think that reasonable consideration should be given to these facts?

Not if they haven’t broken the law. That’s where the logic comes in.

Because several different collective class actions been already reported against the various rugby governing bodies (mostly national ones like the RFU but only a matter of time before there's one against WR themselves, and even before that I suspect WR would have those unions begging for help paying any settlements), are you genuinely unaware of that fact? And given the historical settlements from the likes of the NFL, WR can clearly see examples of the outcomes of those kind of cases. And why I care is however much you think red cards ruin games (and I disagree with that, a lot of times people say that because they've already made their mind up and will refuse to admit a good game was still good, like England-Ireland last year wasn't a 'ruined game', but that's a different argument), surely what will ruin the game more is World Rugby having to take a chunk of funds they use for growing grassroots/supporting T3 and further down countries, paying refs, admin, and all the other costs of an international sporting body and diverting them into a legal and settlement pot.

Interesting to get some responses on that one Tom G. I really would like to hear from one referee one day say something like " I saw that as accidental, can't be helped, no one at fault, let's get on with the game". If the ref wants to report it, then do so after the game. Please.

It was certainly a red card when compared with the farcical Sonny Bill R.C. against the Bleating and Cheating Lions when two French "referees" stole a series. If it had been a Southern Hemisphere player, (aka Superior Hemisphere), there would not have been a murmur except for condemnation of the crude Southerners.

People have CTE who have never played contact sport. CTE has been found in average Joe. It is NOT confined to footy players (NRL,RU, NFL).

Sounds to me that, despite being English, you have moved away from those shores and given up on your fellow countrymen. Cannot agree with your assessment- Steward clearly braced for contact in minimal time and never any intent to hurt himself or Keenan. Keenan stuck his head out, got whacked (accidentally), bad luck my boy. Steward now has to tell his kids and grandkids that he was dismissed in a major International match for, wait for it, bracing himself. If that was a red card, the WC is likely to see 14 against 12, maybe 13 against 11 - should be wonderful viewing = not!!! And me, just an Aussie who didn't care who was the victor in that match and who no longer can watch the game direct these days.

WR believe that all accidents involving the head are preventable. They really do. I think they all need concussion tests themselves. Try as they might, strangely enough head knocks/clashes still happening. The fix is? Just keep sending off anyone involved in such incidents (accidental or otherwise) and we'll teach them all a lesson and we'll rid the game of this disease. Oh really!!

Bad luck for Keenan but he made the situation worse for himself by dropping the ball then leading into Steward with his head. Clear red card for you? Only an Irish supporter with a few Guinness's in him would see it that way. A neutral person with no interest in either side like me sees it as embarrassing for the game.

You are assuming incorrectly Ehhh. Anyhow, why are you so concerned about lawsuits and how do you know what WR needs to do to avoid or survive them? WR has made many changes over the last couple of years to avoid proper foul play (not like the Steward incident), thuggery etc. We all must think that's a good thing. No arguments from me there. But honestly, examples like the Steward one will continue to happen over and over again - they are unpreventable. There is no purpose served in sending the guy off, it proves no point. He's not going to do anything different if there is a next time. But now he has a mark on his record he does not deserve. The game is on the slide.

So using the 'logic' that a head contact warrants a red card irrespective of intent, in the instance of two players involved in a genuine head-to-head clash do you send both of them off as they're being carried from the field??

Make laws prohibiting head-knocks?? Wow, I think we need to re-write them. I never said the ref didn't apply the law. I know he did. WR think they are doing the right thing. I think they are ruining the game. The Steward incident was unpreventable- it was an accident with no intent. Trying to analyse his actions frame by frame distorts what really happened, He had milliseconds to react - should he have turned, should he have straightened his arm or shoulder or elbow, should he have dropped to the ground - my goodness where does it end for the poor guy. Whatever he did he was going to cop a red card as the other guy lead with his head and contact was unavoidable.

Congrats MZ. Shame a card changed what was developing into a fascinating contest but a Slam was what Ireland deserved this year. Let's hope they build on this as a platform for their best yet RWC campaign.