A pair of independent disciplinary panels have deemed that the weekend’s match officials got Franco Mostert’s and Harry Hockings’ sending-offs wrong.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and Japan boss Eddie Jones were both fuming in the post-match press conferences, with both annoyed by the red cards to their second-rowers.
Referee James Doleman issued Mostert with a permanent red card for what was judged to have been an always illegal tackle on Italian fly-half Paolo Garbisi.
Franco Mostert’s red card
That meant that the Springboks played the majority of the Test match with 14 men, with Erasmus reacting to the red card by making a plethora of early changes, including the likes of Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon – the latter’s first appearance of the year not even lasting 20 minutes.
It was the second week in a row that Erasmus saw one of his locks being sent off for such an act, and the head coach couldn’t hide his disappointment afterwards.
“It is what it is. What I say here can’t make a difference,” he said.
Adding, “I’m not saying anybody was wrong. I just thought the balance of calling the head shots was not equal. By that I’m not criticising. That’s what I experienced live.”
Mostert has since faced a disciplinary hearing with a report by Netwerk24 stating that the veteran double Rugby World Cup winner is free to feature for the Springboks this weekend in the highly anticipated clash with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
According to the report, Mostert and his legal team were able to prove that the Bok lock had not made direct contact with the head of Garbisi. That was a key factor in Doleman’s decision to issue the permanent red card, with TMO Tual Trainini and assistants Ben O’Keeffe and Jeremy Rozier informing the New Zealand official that head contact had occurred.
Springboks greats accuse officials of ‘fabricating’ events to red card Franco Mostert