Sporting relations between SA and Australia are not at an all-time high and after Saturday’s Super Rugby clash between the Stormers and Reds‚ they were further strained. The Stormers won a spiteful game 25-19, in which Reds tighthead Taniela Tupou was lucky to remain on the field after he escaped the referee’s punishment for launching his 130kg frame at Stormers wing Craig Barry’s head. He connected without the use of his arms but, unbelievably, referee Marius van der Westhuizen‚ who was a couple of metres from the incident‚ and his team of officials failed to act. There were several more unsavoury incidents as the Reds took Australia’s favourite pastime — pushing the line — to the limit. Tupou was later cited for his lunge at Barry for an infringement that "met the red card threshold". It was another example of weak and inconsistent officiating that left Stormers coach Robbie Fleck irritated. "They are quite a robust team and it was a bit disappointing … that the cheap shots they d...
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