Image source: balls.ie
I mean seriously!! For a game that is hell bent on protecting players and avoiding head injuries and rightly so, how had this infringement been missed by the officials during and even worse still after the match.
French referree Mathieu Raynal has a lot to answer for to be honest. You could hear the following exchange on front of the ref after the altercation/assault.
Sexton: "Sir, he elbowed me in the face."
Genge: "Yeah I did. I did."
Incredibly the ref opted to not deal with it there and then, instead opting to address it after the game. However the powers that be have made a mess of that now, as the disciplinary window for any potential red card incident in this game has now passed and no citing has been given.
You can see the video for yourself here:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Damian_Cullen/status/1373344214969430021
For me there is clear intent there and to be fair to Ellis he admits as much.
All we ask for is consistency in decision making. It's lucky that Johnny wasn't badly injured here. The pummeling he has taken over his career would make me worry about his long term brain health.
But let's not sign off on that note, instead congratulations to my Irish rugby team on an immense display against England. It was a gutsy display from 1 through 15 and all the replacements.
32 -18
It was a emphatic victory in the end and they were very worthy winners. It was a difficult choice for the pundits to pick out a man of the match and in the end they went for ex Connacht centre Robbie Henshaw who was immense throughout. There were other standout performances though, with any of Earls, Furlong, Sexton, Beirne or Conan all in the running. What an all round performance.
Image source: Irishtimes.ie
Well done lads! ☘☘
Let's build on this performance now lads. You can help looking back at the Welsh and French matches now though, both of which were very winnable on the day.
All the best to legendary Irish hero CJ Stander who played his last game in a green shirt. He's been an unreal player for us over the years and I really hope he gets a place on the Lions tour this year.
Image source: balls.ie
