Prior to the red card I thought the officials were struggling…
the head tackle that stopped a Hull try…several occasions not calling held even though both attacking and defending players were adding weight to the tackle (ending up like a maul)… the Hull fullback grounding the ball on the try line whips trying to clear the in-goal area… but allowed to play on.
Even in the set leading to the farcical red card had several incidents of contact to the head.
The new rules just added complexity to a team of officials already struggling to referee a top class sporting event. Whilst I felt for them.. there is no place for such incompetence.
Having watched all the games so far… my excitement has dissipated… there’s no flourish to the games (with odd exceptions) players seem tentative and unsure.. the game is slower… there seems less energy and desire… and the gladiatorial collisions seem weak spectres of the real sport I fell in love with!
Every game so far in SL this season seems less of a spectacle than previous encounters… and with every red card the nervousness increases…
It was so dissapointing… almost heartbreaking!