Former Test referee Jonathan Kaplan says he's not sure whether the Crusaders scrummed within the laws of the game against the Lions.
The Lions came under massive pressure at the scrums during their defeat in Christchurch, with tighthead Julian Redelinghuys receiving a yellow card in the second half.
The Lions went on to conceded two tries while Redelinghuys was in the bin, but Kaplan, writing for ratetheref.co.za, is unsure whether he was deserving of the punishment.
'I'm not sure I agreed with a yellow card for a player who was actually trying his very best to compete but was no match for a destructive scrum. That card then seems very harsh!,' wrote Kaplan.
'Once again, I have issues with the way the Crusaders and Crockett achieve their ascendency. I do not doubt their power, but I’ve never been convinced that the angles used are always legal.'
Kaplan also questioned the decision to hand James Broadhurst a one-week suspension for a knee to the head of Luke Braid during the Hurricanes' victory over the Blues.
'Quite why this wasn’t referred for action during the game is beyond me. It’s fine if it was missed, but it wasn’t, and it was replayed over and over. Why was no action taken? Where was the TMO?
'Of course Braid was wrong to be holding his opponent way beyond the post tackle point, but there really is no excuse for what transpired. Braid was knocked unconscious by a deliberate act, and I would hazard a guess that had any of the referees seen this, they would all have issued a red card instantly.
'The one-week suspension dished out for this type of assault is absurd. The public is outraged over this type of inconsistency and nothing ever gets done about it.'
Photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
