RUCK N ROLL
GAVIN RICH: Gardner deserves invective over spineless decision
The England coach’s face after referee Angus Gardner's ruling about sums up the travesty
The look on Eddie Jones’s face after referee Angus Gardner ruled against the penalty that would have given the Springboks a late chance of victory may have summed up what a travesty it was. The England coach’s face after the final whistle at Twickenham had that look that says, "Phew, I don’t know how we got away with that one." And if there was incredulity mixed with his feeling of relief, it was well founded. Of course, it wasn’t the first time in the history of rugby union that an international game was decided by an appalling refereeing decision. There have been many such instances, and iconic Test series have been decided by mistakes that were made far more frequently in the era before the advent of the TMO. But that is really what makes Gardner’s decision to allow what to most people looked like a blatant shoulder charge so astonishing, and why every bit of invective sent his way is fully justified. Those South Africans who are also Liverpool supporters in the round-ball game w...
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