Leading forearm splits fans after player handed ban

On Saturday, the Lions claimed a 51-28 victory over Racing 92 at Ellis Park. It was a red card in the 18th minute that took all the headlines, however, after a leading forearm from Emmanuel Tshituka saw the back-rower sent to the stands.

🟥 Emmanuel Tshituka has been suspended for three weeks following his red card against Racing 92. pic.twitter.com/20WWUPn7At

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) April 4, 2023

Tshituka has been issued a three-week ban for his misdemeanour.

Former Springbok player Schalk Burger felt the sending-off was soft:

“I just feel we need to be so careful with rugby, where we are going,

“We had the Freddie Steward incident, also with an elbow to the head, but sort of clumsy and messy, a player protecting himself from another one.

“This is a player carrying the ball against someone who has quite poor technique.

“You are going to bump him off. The fact that the player then gets knocked out, that’s rugby. We play a contact sport; we have to be so careful.

“For me, it was never a red card,”

The general opinion appears split:

Think thats harsh myself, looks worse because of the absolutely shocking tackle technique and leading with his bloody head in a tackle. We teaching kids from under 7’s to protect your head in the tackle in the basically leads with it

— MelancholyTerminator (@Reallyfubar) April 4, 2023

Comments are surprising. You can’t lead with your forearm and you never have been, this has been a rule for years. What are people complaining about?

— vx1000 (@saul17afc) April 4, 2023

A little from column A and a little from column B there. Yellow them both, job done.

— Keith Dickinson (@dicko120) April 4, 2023