Connacht had two players shown red cards in the opening half of their inter-provincial clash against Munster on Sunday afternoon.
Down 14-0 at the time, they were reduced to 14 players in the 25th minute when debutant Abraham Papali'i was sent off for a high tackle on Conor Murray.
"I can see eight green, upright tackle, poor tackle technique," said referee Frank Murphy before disciplining the New Zealander.
"From what I can see on the images, it's shoulder contact to the head with force. It's dangerous contact to the head."
RED CARD!
25 mins:
Munster 14-0 Connacht.
Connacht debutant Abraham Papali'i sees red for a high, shoulder-on-head tackle on Munster's Conor Murray.#MUNvCON #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/TDgM59PXCI— eir Sport (@eirSport) August 30, 2020
Just under 10 minutes later, Connacht were down to 13 players when Shane Delahunt also saw red. The hooker was sent off for leading with his elbow to the neck of CJ Stander.
In all, there were three yellow cards, two reds and a penalty try given in the opening 40 minutes. The half finished with Munster leading 21-7.
"The tacklers know their responsibilty, they know they can't do that."@stringer9 and @Gordonwdarcy were not impressed by Connacht forward pair Abraham Papali'i and Shane Delahunt's red-card tackles at the Aviva Stadium.
HT: Munster 21-7 Connacht.#MUNvCON #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/OGRzIeaBnA— eir Sport (@eirSport) August 30, 2020
