Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie is casting the Brumbies as the villains in a blockbuster Australian derby but a series of the Reds' unpenalised incidents have caused Super Rugby confusion.
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And one of the biggest concerns out of the thrilling 19-all draw was an incident that went unnoticed when Reds captain James Horwill's boot made contact with Dan Palmer's head in what could be deemed as an alleged stomp.
The Canberra Times has obtained still photos of the coverage, which shows referee Glen Jackson could have cracked down on the Reds.
Horwill's incident came in the 12th minute as the Reds set up a driving maul.
Palmer fell to the ground and as the Reds rumbled over the top, Horwill's left boot collected the Brumbies prop in the face.
There was no penalty on the field and Palmer returned to play.
Horwill wasn’t cited and it’s understood the Brumbies weren’t aware of the incident until after the match.
The Brumbies are being painted as an ill-disciplined team by the Reds and McKenzie went on the attack after the tie, accusing them of “cynical” tactics that resulted in a “turgid affair”.
The top-of-the-table clash was built up as a blockbuster rivalry and it lived up to the hype with a seesawing contest in Brisbane.
McKenzie was furious the Brumbies weren’t dealt with more harshly as they were constantly penalised in defence, but as the dust settles it appears the Reds were guilty of unpunished foul play.
There are also a raft of incidents that could have been penalised and it’s understood they have been discussed by the Brumbies, but they did not want to comment and instead are focusing on the upcoming match against the Western Force.
SANZAR games manager and former referee Lyndon Bray did not return calls from The Canberra Times on Monday.
In reviewing the match it can also be seen that:
- Referee Jackson awarded the Reds a penalty in the 11th minute when Reds prop James Slipper didn’t roll away in a ruck. Slipper stayed on top of the Brumbies player and the Reds get a penalty for stealing the ball at the breakdown;
- Brumbies centre Christian Lealiifano was penalised for not rolling away at the breakdown despite a clear attempt to get free. The Brumbies stole the ball. But unlike Slipper’s unpenalised incident, Lealiifano was sent to the sin bin;
- On four separate occasions Queensland’s centres raced in to a maul from a lineout play despite the referee not signaling the lineout had finished and players were free to join;
- Brumbies captain Ben Mowen was penalised for being offside when cleaning up a looseball, but replays clearly show Mowen had retreated behind the line of the ruck before pouncing on a Reds mistake;
- The Reds continually tried to prevent flanker George Smith from getting around the field by holding on to him at a scrum or breakdown;
- Reds scrumhalf Will Genia was allowed to take a quick tap from a scrum penalty, despite not being on the mark or touching the ball with his foot. He sent the ball wide and the result was Lealiifano being given a yellow card for a ruck infringement; and
- Referee Jackson gave the Brumbies the all clear to steal the ball at a ruck but then bizarrely changed his mind and penalised them for gaining possession.
The Brumbies will aim to keep their lead on the overall Super Rugby ladder and the Australian conference when they play the Force at home on Saturday night.
Statistics produced by the Reds and the Brumbies last week showed the ACT side was the most penalised team in the competition.
They were on the wrong end of a lopsided 19-8 penalty count against the Reds, but it was skewed by the Reds’ territory and possession dominance.
The Brumbies spent almost an entire half of rugby defending their own line with penalties pinning them in their own half.
The building and bubbling rivalry between the teams is a good shot in the arm for the popularity of Australian rugby and their contest was worthy of a finals appearance.
Instead of giving the Brumbies’ staunch defensive effort some praise, McKenzie attacked the Brumbies’ discipline and Jackson’s decision to only send two players to the sin bin.
Being branded “cynical” will not sit well with the Brumbies playing group or coaches.
The Reds scored three tries to the Brumbies’ one and the ACT stayed in the contest through penalty goals.
McKenzie insisted his team was the only one willing to play open rugby.
But it in the corresponding fixture in 2011, the Brumbies scored four tries to the Reds’ one with the Queenslanders stealing a 31-25 win through penalty and drop goals.
