A contentious red card to England lock Charlie Ewels has drawn the ire of Victor Matfield, who says rugby’s laws must be changed.
The Springbok centurion was replying to a tweet from Mark Keohane decrying the reduction of England to 14 men, after Ewels was sent off in the second minute of the crunch Six Nations clash between England and Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.
It’s crazy…
Law nee t be change!!!!
We want to see 15 vs 15..
Its a contact sport thats why we play he game!!
— Victor matfield (@VictorMatfield) March 13, 2022
Ewels made head-to-head contact with Ireland lock James Ryan in a collision that was obviously accidental, and which Matfield implicitly put down to a rugby incident.
“It’s a contact sport, that’s why we play the game,” he tweeted.
Matfield’s view was widely supported in the online reaction to the incident.
Probably The most noticeable impact Charlie Ewels has ever had on an international game.#ENGvIRE
— JB (@Jbeardmore) March 12, 2022
This is straightforward: bend your knees as you tackle, and you don’t make the referee make the decision. https://t.co/xjsEZEXXkI
— Sir Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) March 12, 2022
