Officials accused of bias after brutal hit on Junior Bok

VIDEO: Fans on social media have been up in arms over a tackle in South Africa’s match against New Zealand in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.

The tackle has been deemed a red, or at least a yellow card, by many fans on Twitter, but was only judged to be a penalty by the referee, as the black jersey obscured the view in the contact area.

This was the tackle:

This decision has irked many fans on Twitter, who believe New Zealand are given preferential treatment. Some fans have also cited similar incidents but with a reversal of roles, such as Bismarck du Plessis’ tackle on Dan Carter in 2013, in which he received a red card, to support their view.

While this may not necessarily indicate favouritism, it is understandable that the fans are aggrieved, particularly in the current climate in how dangerous tackles are adjudicated. Very few people would have complained if that tackle were a yellow or a red card.

What is worse is that fans are saying that the tackled player should have feigned an injury in order to evoke a different reaction from the referee. While this is something that many do not want to creep into the game, the fact that the tackled player remained on his feet perhaps made the tackle look less dangerous.

This is how the fans have reacted:

World Rugby are continually seeking to make the tackle area safer, and have subsequently made the laws much stricter in recent years. While the initial contact in this tackle was shoulder to shoulder, the tackler does seem to ride up to the neck, which is why many feel a card was warranted.

This is not the first and will certainly not be the last time that fans disagree with a refereeing decision and how the game is officiated.