Rugby News: Chiefs Suffer Defeat, Contentious Incident Involving Captain
In the final regular season matchup of Super Rugby Pacific, the Chiefs suffered a 31-17 defeat at the hands of the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday. However, the game was marred by a contentious incident involving Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson.
During the 60th minute of the match, with the Blues leading 26-7, Jacobson attempted to counter-ruck but ended up making head-on-head contact with Blues scrum-half Finlay Christie. The 27-year-old openside flanker led with his head and brushed past Blues hooker Ricky Riccitelli’s shoulder before colliding with Christie.
“I was surprised it was a penalty to be perfectly honest,” – Clayton McMillan, Chiefs head coach
Referee Ben O’Keeffe reviewed the incident with the assistance of the TMO, Glenn Newman, and ultimately decided that a penalty was sufficient punishment for Jacobson’s offence. This decision surprised Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan, who admitted, “I was surprised it was a penalty to be perfectly honest.”
Blues captain Patrick Tuipolutu acknowledged that he had hoped for a more severe outcome, but said “it was not a big deal that the decision did not go his team’s way.” Blues head coach Vern Cotter echoed a similar sentiment, stating, “When we saw the deliberation from Ben [O’Keeffe], I think he wasn’t sure… they [referees] want a good product as well and they’ll make a decision based on what they think.”
The incident sparked a lively debate on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with many users expressing the view that Jacobson was fortunate to escape a more severe punishment, with one user describing the decision as a “ridiculous call from the officials.”
Despite the controversial moment, the Blues managed to secure the victory, denying the Chiefs the chance to claim the top spot in the Super Rugby Pacific standings.
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