Late Lavanini shot ends his Test match early against the Springboks

Argentina lock Tomas Lavanini’s game against the Springboks finished prematurely on Saturday after being sent off for a late hit on Handrè Pollard.

Lavanini charged out of the defensive line in virtually the final play of the match and hit Pollard after the fly half had already made a long pass to Damian de Allende.

Referee Karl Dickson reached straight for his pocket after seeing the incident and while there was nothing wrong with the tackle technique, the late timing of the collision was deemed worthy of a yellow card.

Tomas Lavanini yellow. pic.twitter.com/SS3x6kScYz

— shay waterworth (@ShayWaterworth) August 22, 2021

Lavanini joined Clermont Auvergne from Leicester Tigers earlier this year and during the 2019 World Cup in Japan the Argentinian was shown a straight red card for a high shot on Owen Farrell.

“It had a big impact because it was early in the game,” said Argentina coach Mario Ledesma after the incident two years ago. “But I thought it was fair.”

Aged 28, Lavanini has made more than 50 appearances for Argentina since making his debut in 2013 and has a reputation for being one of the dirtiest players in the game.

The following montage showcases the most brutal carries and dirtiest moments of his career for both club and country:

Prior to kick off South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said: “Argentina have selected a very strong and experienced squad, especially if one looks at a player like Tomas Lavanini, who is one of the more experienced guys in the team.

“They are physical and play with emotion, so physically we need to pitch up. The team that has the best discipline and executes the physical side of the game the best will win.”

As Stick predicted, the Springboks showed great physicality and discipline to take away a convincing 29-10 win at Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth. Full match highlights are available below: