ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Munster fans and former player incensed by Castres' dirty play and what Kockott did to Cloete

BY davidharper  ·  Tuesday Dec 18, 2018

Castres’s 13-12 victory over Munster has come under intense scrutiny, with words like “blight” and “disgrace” being used by former players to describe what went on. Throughout the match, there were several questionable incidents, some of which were left unchallenged by Wayne Barnes and crew.

ADVERTISEMENT

*Scroll down for citing update

Castres avenged last weekend’s 30-5 loss at Munster with an aggressive but controversial performance. Some obvious bad blood exists between the two sides and it materialised for the hosts in the form of a tip tackle, slide tackle and alleged eye rake.

Late in the match, Munster were attacking when Marc-Antoine Rallier was yellow carded for tackling Peter O’Mahoney off the ball with no arms. Many think he was quite lucky not to receive a straight red as O’Mahoney clearly landed on his shoulders.

Another questionable tackle from the same passage of play drew condemnation from Leinster legend Brian O’Driscoll. Munster looked to have scored a try through a brilliant chip and chase by Andrew Conway. Upon review, it was deemed that Conway had knocked the ball forward and the try was disallowed.

The problem with that decision is it completely ignored the slide tackle from Benjamin Urdapilleta.

Speaking on BT Sport, O’Driscoll made his feelings quite clear, saying: “It’s not football, you can’t have a slide tackle! World Rugby need to stamp down on that, it’s a blight on the game.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Perhaps the most controversial moment from the night was France international Rory Kockott’s alleged eye rake on fellow South African Chris Cloete.

Referee Wayne Barnes had it brought to his attention by the Munster players, so mentioned it to the TMO who had a quick look but couldn’t see anything conclusive on video.

“It’s been mentioned to the citing officier, okay? We can deal with it after,” is what Barnes reported back.

Some have questioned Barnes’s performance on the day, including former Ireland international Alan Quinlan: “I thought Castres’ discipline was a disgrace and they were a disgrace and I have no problem saying that.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“I guarantee you if Nigel Owens was reffing that game, both captains would have been called out, ‘There are things going on and if it continues I’m going to take action’ and then the next fella that does it is gone.”

Controversial calls aside, Munster didn’t take their chances when needed and came up short. With the loss, they will now need to win the remaining two pool games to have a chance at advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions Cup.

UPDATE: Both Kockott and hooker Rallier have now been cited for their respective incidents.

Credit: Heineken Champions Cup/@threeredkings/@MeinNameIstDan

Related Articles

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    Fiji Drua player Lomani slapped with ban...

  • 39 WEEKS AGO

    The sending off that rocked the Six Nations...

  • 40 WEEKS AGO

    Wrecking ball beats 10 players to score full...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Harlequins winger heralded as the next big England breakthrough after weekend's performance

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 5 HOURS AGO

    WATCH: The biggest hit from week one of the Autumn Nations Series

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    South African school boy makes the greatest tackle ever

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Huge guillotine tackle divides fans in viral footage

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Siya Kolisi makes young fans' day as he arrives at Cape Town school

View All

Funnies

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Mischievous Marcus Smith spotted engaging in the dark arts during All Blacks match

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    ‘Pitch is made of concrete’ - Fan provides much needed update following half time incident

View All

Amateur

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit opens up about his biggest shock in chasing NFL dream

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been an honour' - Wales legend retires from international rugby

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been horrible' - Wales captain to miss Autumn Nations

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    'It was an easy decision for me' - Saints star commits to future

View All