"So, so wrong" - Freddie Steward breaks his silence on controversial red card
Rugby NewsWednesday, 29 March 2023 at 15:03
England fullback Freddie Steward has backed a major law change after his controversial red card was overturned.
He was dismissed by referee Jaco Peyper after an awkward incident where the Leicester Tigers man appeared to try and avoid any impact by turning his body, only for his elbow to make contact with Keenan’s head.
The coming together occurred on the stroke of half-time when Ireland winger Mack Hansen knocked the ball on attempting to offload out of the tackle and both Steward and his Irish counterpart Keenan attacked the loose ball with the Leinster man winning the race to gather it.
Watch Steward red card that has been rescinded
“When an incident like that happens it takes a lot of time to make the decision,” Steward told the Telegraph.
“There’s the time watching it back and forth in front of the crowd, the play stops so the players have to huddle up.
"Something like that where you take all the noise out of it and give it to the TMO while play continues, I think that’s a really good idea.”
He added: “It happened so fast. The ball was knocked on and then regathered very, very close to me. It was just an incident where I braced for impact at the last second and unfortunately there was contact with the head and the ref deemed it a red card.
“It is very instinctive. When you play things like that in slow motion, it looks like you have all the time in the world to change your position and move out the way.
"In real time, things are happening so fast that when two players are coming towards each other at that speed you are very much on autopilot. I suppose that is what cost me in the end, just that natural instinct to turn and brace for impact was the thing that got me sent off.
“It was not nice to have to walk off, particularly at that point in the game. It felt like I had let down the lads.”
“Fan-centric innovations” – World Rugby set to introduce law changes for 2023 Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup of 2023 could potentially see the implementation of various law modifications that have undergone trial periods during the 2023 Super Rugby season.
Time restrictions on goal kicks, set pieces and, rucks and a streamlined TMO process are among a raft of fan-centric law innovations set to make the World Cup faster and more fluid than ever before.
Referees will enforce 90 seconds time limits on conversions, 60 seconds for penalty kicks, 30 seconds for scrums and lineouts to be set, and 5 seconds for the ball to be used at rucks, while TMOs will only interrupt play for serious, clear and obvious incidents of foul play.
The key changes are summarised in bullet points below:
The referee will put a stopwatch shot clock on kickers who will have 90 seconds to kick a conversion from the time a try is awarded, and 60 seconds for penalties, from the time the referee signals a shot at goal.
Match officials will expect lineouts and scrums to be formed within 30 seconds of the respective marks being set, and the ball to be used within 5 seconds of a ruck being formed.
Scrum down for Kyle Sinckler of England Rugby during the Six Nations Championship match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 13 2021. - PHOTO: Micah Crook/PPAUK
TMOs only ‘interrupt’ play to investigate serious, clear and obvious incidents of dangerous play missed by the Match Official team.
Referees can utilise the TMO to make a Yellow Card decision, but any extended TMO video reviews will take place once the player has left the field, not before the Yellow Card is issued.
Referee, Frank Murphy goes to the TMO during the Heineken Champions Cup Match between Bristol Bears and Sale Sharks at Ashton Gate on 15 April. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
The TMO will have 8 minutes to either uphold a 10-minute Yellow Card decision or upgrade it to a 20-minute Red Card, in which case the player will not return to the field, but can still be replaced.
Referees will now also have the power to issue a full Red Card for deliberate foul play, in which case the player will not return to the field and cannot be replaced.
Referee Tom Foley shows a red card to Saracens player Robin Hislop during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Sale Sharks and Saracens at the AJ Bell Stadium on 5th March Photo: Steve Bond/PPAUK
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