In what was a slightly alarming moment for the Pumas, Tomas Lezana was on the unfortunate receiving end of a bruising hit from Australian winger Marika Koroibete during Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash. The shot left the number 8 sprawled unconscious on the turf.
Lezana was camped out waiting for the Bernard Foley restart and had just enough time to collect the kick and choose a direction before getting nailed by the incoming former League star Koroibete.
While not the worst hit ever seen, it was certainly bone-jarring in its own rite, being enough to knock Lezana out cold and subsequently off the field by way of a stretcher.
Of course, based on how it looked, the ref then felt the need to consult the TMO. After review, it was clear that Koroibete did indeed wrap in the tackle, while Lezana unfortunately lowered his chin just enough for Koroibete’s shoulder to cause the knock-out blow.
One further point of discussion was brought up by Pumas hooker and captain Agustin Creevy. As he pointed out, Koroibete – the tackler – did not get up but played the ball while lying on the ground.
If it had been deemed a violation, a penalty should have been awarded to Argentina.
As it stood, Argentina were held scoreless from that point, losing the match 20-37 and finishing winless in the 2017 Rugby Championship.
Credit: Rugby XV
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