18 Jun 2018

Red card from All Blacks/France match cancelled

4:25 pm on 18 June 2018

French fullback Benjamin Fall has had the red card he received in Saturday night's second test loss to the All Blacks in Wellington cancelled and removed from his playing record.

French player Benjamin Fall is shown a red card by Australian referee Angus Gardner.

French player Benjamin Fall is shown a red card by Australian referee Angus Gardner. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Fall was sent off in just the 11th-minute of the home team's 26-13 victory when he collided with a leaping Beauden Barrett and sent the All Blacks first-five crashing dangerously to the ground.

Barrett suffered concussion in the fall and is in doubt for this weekend's third and final test in Dunedin, but the punishment was widely considered too harsh.

World Rugby on Monday confirmed an Independent Judicial Committee had decided to dismiss the red card, noting specifically Fall coming into contact with All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown just moments before the incident.

"As demonstrated in the video footage, the Player, at all times, had his eyes on the ball whilst it was in the air, which showed, in our opinion, a clear intention, on the part of the Player, that he intended to contest it," the sports' global governing body said in a statement.

"From the moment the ball leaves France #10's boot the Player is observed running a line at pace to a position which he believes will put him in the best possible position to catch it. The line that the Player is running is then altered by his collision with NZ #13.

"This collision then causes the Player to lose his balance, stumble and be propelled or pushed towards the path of NZ #10. By reason of those matters the Player's attempt to contest the ball was compromised.

While they considered it unfortunate Barrett had sustained a concussion from landing on his head, the judicial committee said Fall's actions were not "deliberate or reckless".

"The Player's actions were accidental as they were brought about by his collision with NZ #13, the effect of which changed his initial running line thereby pushing him towards NZ #10.

"We did not consider that the Player would have foreseen the events which ultimately unfolded, and therefore could not have, in our opinion, given the speed of the events and the dynamics at play, taken any preventative steps to avoid the collision with NZ #10.

"Therefore, having regard to the totality of the evidence, the Judicial Committee was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the referee's decision to issue the red card was wrong. "

Australian referee Angus Gardner came in for criticism for the decision, although many noted he was probably left with no choice given the increasingly strict laws on incidents of that nature.

The judicial committee said they believed any criticism of Gardner was unwarranted.

"Unlike the referee we had the benefit of all the video footage, which showed various angles of the incident.

"Unlike the referee we had the luxury of time to deliberate and consider, in private, the incident.

"In contrast, the referee was required to make his decision in a matter of minutes in the full gaze of the public and without the benefit of all the relevant material."

The Independent Judicial Committee comprised Adam Casselden SC (Chairman), David Croft (Ex-Australian and Queensland Reds player) and John Langford (Ex-Australian, ACT Brumbies and Munster player).

- RNZ