English referee Matthew Carley is one of the best in the business when it comes to controlling big-time rugby matches.
Pitted with managing this weekend’s marquee Investec Champions Cup clash between Toulon and the Glasgow Warriors, Carley has already had his hands full at the Stade Mayol.
Dishing out two yellow cards to the home side, much to the disgust of their raucous crowd, Carley sent scrumhalf Baptiste Serin and backrow Lewis Ludlam to the bin.
During this period, Toulon, by and large, did well to hold off the Warriors, conceding a penalty try but responding with two penalty kicks of their own.
Using every trick in the book to slow the match down, Toulon would draw the ire of Carley, who had a funny dig at skipper Charles Ollivon.
Opening with, ‘I know there are two yellow cards, but you’ve effectively stopped to have a drink,’ Carley said to which Ollivon agreed.
From here, with a smile on his face, Carley reminded the former French captain about the magnitude of the contest, ‘Please, let’s keep the momentum; this is not the Top 14!’
This interaction was followed up by an interaction early in the second half where the Warriors players were counting how long the ball was in the Toulon ruck. Speaking to the Warriors scrumhalf Ben Afshar, Carley said, ‘It’s hard to count when you are counting out loud!’
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