Referee Carl Dixon has come under heavy criticism for not giving Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care his marching orders during the Premiership match against Northampton Saints.
Dixon earned Care his first yellow card for a high tackle on Saints star Courtney Lawes six minutes into the match at Twickenham Stadium.
Kea returned to the game and in the second half of the crunch clash, the scrum-half dived on the ball to stop a Saints breakdown inside Quins' 22.
Dixon awarded a penalty for the halfback's actions and tried to reach into his pocket to issue a card to Care, but apparently realized he had already been cautioned and did not issue one.
Danny Care controversy
Shortly after this incident, Mr Keir was replaced. The incident sparked a debate on social media platform There is.
“Criticizing referees should never be taken lightly, but unfortunately it was an abhorrent call from Carl Dixon. It was a clear yellow card for Danny Care – and it was right in front of him. There are no excuses,” one outraged fan wrote.
Another added: “Carl Dixon's comments are as outrageous as the obvious yellow flag for Danny Care, and just looking after a fellow man is terrible.”
Tight Five Rugby was also highly critical of what happened.
“Karl Dixon was about to get a yellow card there and rightly so…until he realized it was Danny Care who had already been given a yellow card. This is a huge loss for Harlequins. . Kjaa should receive a second yellow card and rest for the rest of the match,” they wrote.
A reply to their post added: Why on earth is he allowed to referee Quins? ”
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Planet Rugby has sought clarification from Premiership officials, explaining the legal complexities surrounding the decision, which resulted in no further yellow cards being issued.
It's a tackle-only situation, so Kea can dive in to make a tackle or dive onto the ball when Alex Mitchell picks it up off the ground. The ruck had not yet formed and Care came from an onside position.
However, Quins' scrum-half was penalized for pushing James Lamb instead of diving for the ball.
Care's reaction
Kjaer discussed the two calls with fellow former Harlequins player Hugo Moyn and fellow TNT Sports pundit Lawrence Dallaglio.
“We've been discussing the possibility of a second yellow card that you didn't get from your old teammate Karl Dickon. What did you think, Danny?” Moyn asked.
“I thought the ball was out,” Care said of the second incident.
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💬 “That’s the face of someone who knows he ran away! 😆”
Danny Care talks about not receiving a second yellow card from former teammate Karl Dixon…#gallagherprem | #HARvNOR pic.twitter.com/diKgvsRL1K
— TNT Sports Rugby (@rugbyontnt) April 27, 2024
Regarding the tackle on Laws, he added: I don't know how it got high enough to hit his head, but it did. That's one of them. You need to keep his head down and out of the way.
“I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed in myself both there and this time.” [the second incident], I think the ball is out. I'm trying to steal the ball. ”
Dallaglio added that he felt the second incident deserved another yellow card.
“I've spent a lot of time getting yellow cards, but after the line break I can say for sure, it's Stonewall's yellow card,” said the former England No. 8.
Mr Moyn added: “That is the face of someone who knows he has committed a crime.”
Harlequins won the match 41-32 with two tries from Kea's substitute Will Porter.
read more: Harlequins score six tries to beat Northampton Saints in thrilling Twickenham game, giving Premiership hopes