The Blues bid farewell to three key players at the weekend but it wasn’t the fairytale they’d planned as they lost 26-16 to the Chiefs. In the first half Rene Ranger was on the receiving end of a high shot that wasn’t carded, and showed his disgust at the decision.
The game was meant to be a great send off for Ranger, Ali Williams and Anthony Boric, but the red card changed things and instead the Blues had to dig deep just to stay in the contest.
Earlier in the week you saw the Kane Barrett incidents, but just three minutes after the red card tempers frayed again as tryscorer on the night Bundee Aki high tackled danger Ranger.
There wasn’t too much in it although it looked bad on first viewing, and Ranger clearly wasn’t happy, hoping for more than just a penalty. While it’s not totally clear, it looked as though he then gave the assistant ref or one of the players (maybe Aki, but he walked the other way), the finger.
Rather than state that as fact, we’ve instead got the video for you so you can judge for yourself. If it is the case, it’s surprising that there hasn’t been further action taken, as it’s surely not something that can not be tolerated on the field, especially when it’s seen on camera.
Either way, dynamic back Ranger has now finished with the Blues in Super Rugby and while it was a frustrating night for him, he’ll look forward to a good season in the ITM Cup, and then a move to France where he will join Montpellier next season.
Fans in Europe are in for a treat as Ranger is arguably at the height of his game and posseses all the flair, power and x-factor to make a real impact in the Top 14.
Until then, there’s no doubt we’ll see more great bits of play from him in the NPC, and hopefully add more to the archive of Ranger classics, some of which can be seen in the related posts below.
Was that the middle finger, and if so, should a rap over the knuckles be in order, or even a ban?
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