ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Should Waisake Naholo have been yellow carded for taking out Liam Williams?

BY Grant Constable  ·  Tuesday Jun 21, 2016

This incident caused a fair bit of discussion during New Zealand’s 36-22 second Test win over Wales on Saturday, as winger Waisake Naholo collided with opposite number Liam Williams in the air. Welsh fans were incensed, adament that Naholo should have been yellow carded.

Both players went up for a crosskick and as Williams got there first, Naholo made contact with him in the air, causing the Welsh winger to land badly. In fact both players landed terribly, but the heated ‘debate’ began to see if Naholo was really going for the ball, or was actually reckless.

We ran a quick poll on twitter for a few hours to see what our followers though – hoping to get a few neutral votes too – and the results actually turned out pretty close, however the majority did feel that Naholo was lucky to get away with this one.

The thing that added fuel to the fire was the way that referee Jaco Peyper spoke to Kieran Read, appearing to almost check with the All Blacks captain if he was okay with the decision. We’ll never know exactly why Peyper said that but what we do know if that it certainly didn’t look good.

There was an incident roughly ten minutes later in the match that further angered the Welsh, as Naholo shoulder checked Williams after the impressive winger nudged a kick ahead.

Replays showed that there certainly was contact, but Williams also milked it a bit so that always makes it more difficult to judge. “He went down as if he was shot” said New Zealand commentator Grant Nisbett.

Some fans didn’t see that as relevant though, with “What will it take to get this guy yellow carded?!” appearing to be the common sentiment on social media, as tensions ran high in a Test match that Wales had competed in for at least 60 minutes.

The poll is no longer active but now that the dust has settled a bit please feel free to weigh in on the discussion – let us know what you thought of both decisions, and if they were well handled or you think that Naholo should have been sinbinned for at least one or the other.

Naholo shoulder check on Williams:

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 30 WEEKS AGO

    Fiji Drua player Lomani slapped with ban...

  • 40 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

  • 2 DAYS AGO

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

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

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

  • 4 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

  • 3 DAYS 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'

  • 4 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

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Should Steve Borthwick have brought on George Ford? Or trusted in Marcus Smith?

  • 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

View All