46 minutes? Did we also cheat by adding another 5 minutes to the second half?
Indeed my error.
41 minutes is accurate, sorry for the mistake. Still, 41 minutes playing 14 Men is a huge advantage albeit the right call to red card. I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere but that rule must change. It's plain stupid. Bin the Man for the game and subsequent judiciary review. 10-15 minutes reduced player then allow new Man to take the field to equate 15 a side.
It's grossly unfair for the reduced team as a whole, affected by one player's foul play. It's also somewhat of a hollow victory for the winning team. It mostly though, diminishes the spectacle from the spectator's point of view.
Also, I did not say anyone cheated. I pointed out that neck-rolls were present and not an illusionary or subjective view but one of reality. The blame falls squarely on the refs. The fact that this was allowed to go unpunished affected the breakdown greatly. Players in a general sense will push the rule book hard but this type of play at the 2015 WC was not tolerated and cards were issued. It's illegal due to it being extremely dangerous.
I challenge anyone here who disagrees with the level of NR's committed by the Wallabies to re-watch the game with objectivity, and all teams will have to be vigilant with gameplay at the coming WC.