Wales are out

Wales started their RWC campaign with a loss by a single point and a controversy and ended the campaign in a similar fashion. Whilst in the first instance, everybody was with the Welsh, I am not sure that this was the case on Saturday.

Loads of rugby enthusiasts would have wanted Wales to win so that the finals would be a game to savour. However, this will not be the case as Wales were effectively red carded out of the game. The IRB has issued a statement which reads as follows:

Law 10.4(j): Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and/or upper body come into contact with the ground is dangerous play.

A directive was issued to all Unions and Match Officials in 2009 emphasising the IRB’s zero-tolerance stance towards dangerous tackles and reiterating the following instructions for referees:

The player is lifted and then forced or ‘speared’ into the ground (red card offence)

The lifted player is dropped to the ground from a height with no regard to the player’s safety (red card offence)

For all other types of dangerous lifting tackles a yellow card or penalty may be considered sufficient. In terms of the above laws referee Alain Rolland was spot on with his decision and Wales coach Warren Gatland’s view that Sam Warburton is not a dirty player so what’s the point in spoiling a semi-final by giving him a red card is simply not valid.

The fact that the match was a semi-final or a final or a league game has no bearing. The tackle was illegal and the player was punished. If you need any confirmation, ask a player who has been subjected to such a tackle and listen to his view. It’s not funny to land on your head – it’s downright dangerous.

France had 62 minutes of play left when the Wales skipper left the field. The quality of rugby that they produced against 14 men was pathetic to say the least. They had no game plan and just kept kicking the ball back to hand over the Wales possession.  France was not prepared to risk anything. Their usual flair was missing and they played only for territory in an attempt to keep the pressure on Wales. This tactic offered Wales a lifeline and they had nothing lose, being down to 14 men as they swept forward with a quarter of an hour of the game remaining.

The Welsh patience eventually paid off, with a dubious penalty against France’s Nicolas Mas giving Halfpenny the chance to give his side the lead. His long range kick fell just short of the cross bar. Wales then conjured an epic series of 20 plus phases in the hope of a late turnaround but their efforts were in vain as France snuffed out the attack staying well clear of the ruck and thus limped home to a rather drab victory.

The statistics indicate that France made 130 tackles against 54 by the Welsh. France won all their line-outs and the scrums whilst the Welsh success rate was winning losing one scrum on their own feed and losing 6 of the 19 line-outs. Next week’s finals could be an anticlimax – unless the French flair is on display... only time will tell. In the meantime Sam Warburton will have ample time on his hands to review his role in the untimely exit of Wales. He has been given a three-week ban for his ‘tip tackle’ on Vincent Clerc and as a result will miss Friday’s bronze final.