The yellow card given to Wanganui rugby lock Jon Smyth on Saturday will stand - and remains a full yellow even though video evidence shows Smyth had nothing to do with the tackle for which the punishment was imposed.
Wanganui Rugby Union chief executive Dale Cobb says he's "disgusted" with the news from the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRU) yesterday.
Smyth was given the yellow - his second of the Heartland Championship - by young Wellington referee Ben O'Keeffe in the match against Wairarapa-Bush on Saturday.
Cobb and team officials viewed the video of a double tackle on a Wairarapa Bush player in the 72nd minute, where O'Keeffe penalised Wanganui and yellow carded a stunned Smyth, who was some 15 metres away.
They then sought a cancellation of the card from the NZRU yesterday, but have been told by Heartland competition manager Jo Gilpin that it could not be changed under International Rugby Board regulations.
Here's the nuts and bolts of the story. Smyth was incorrectly yellow-carded on Saturday at Masterton. He was not involved in the incident that attracted the card, but somehow the referee and his assistants got their numbers wrong.
The Wanganui Rugby Union has produced video evidence to the NZRU to prove that Smyth was not the guilty party. But IRB rules prevent the NZRU from reconsidering. That means that Jon Smyth is playing under the spectre of having to face the judiciary should he receive another card this season. If that is the case, ther NZRU "might" take this gaffe into consideration, but that is far from guaranteed.
Our plea to the NZRU is to tell the IRB to stick their "no righting the wrong" rule where the sun doesn't shine, and to do the right thing by Jon Smyth. Will it happen? Don't hold your breath.
Come on NZRU; how about some Justice for Jon? Do we have to start a Facebook group?
No comments:
Post a Comment