La Rochelle Head Coach Ronan O'Gara dismissed a move to 20-minute red cards in the aftermath of his side's 39-23 defeat to Toulouse on Friday night's Top 14 semi-final. The Munster and Irish legend's La Rochelle team finished last night's game with just 13 players, after red cards to Reda Wardi and Uini Antonio in the the 42nd and 60th minute respectively.
O'Gara's comments are encouraging, after World Rugby announced in March that they would consider implementing the 20-minute red card after a popular trial in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby League. In May, World Rugby outlined their red card policy, whereby:
"After 20 minutes, the offending team will be able to replace the red-carded player with one of their available replacements, leading to more jeopardy and a better contest on the day. The punishment is focused on the offending player, not the game."
There is no doubt that red card's cost O'Gara's team last night, but it was encouraging to hear him dismiss a potential switch to 20-minute red cards afterwards.
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Ronan O'Gara Dismisses Introduction of 20-Minute Red Cards After Top 14 Defeat to Toulouse
La Rochelle Head Coach Ronan O'Gara admitted that red cards cost his side a place in the Top 14 final after their 39-23 defeat to Toulouse in last night's Semi-Final, but he dismissed proposals to implement 20-minute red cards in order to reduce the punishment's impact on a game's result.
“We should have stayed at fifteen, it’s a bad habit we have to break. Without those red cards, we could have won.”
Speaking on Reda Wardi's red card, which he was shown after headbutting Toulouse hooker Julian Marchand, Ronan O'Gara commented,
“Reda’s red is red. He cracked and there’s no place for that on a rugby pitch,”
Reda Wardi’s red card after head butting Julien Marchand…
Moment of madness.#TOP14 pic.twitter.com/tGY3Cl22On— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) June 21, 2024
As for the red card to Uini Antonio 18 minutes later, Ronan O'Gara believed some mitigation could have been applied due to a drop in height from Thibaut Flament. Nevertheless, he admitted that "the best thing would have been to tackle him at the ankles.”
Uini Atonio feat Thibaud Flament, óleo sobre lienzo... pic.twitter.com/NCFN0LKCPY
— Javier Señarís Senra (@RutgerBlume) June 21, 2024
The former Munster and Ireland fly-half was asked whether or not he would be in favour of the introduction of 20-minte red cards, so that the game is not as affected. His response was encouraging:
“I’m 47 and I’m old school. A red card should have a big influence in a match. If we’d tackled low all evening, we wouldn’t be having this debate.
“Now, I'm going to try to train them a little better. I'm still proud of the group, no one gave up. I’m just disappointed with the result"
It was refreshing honest from the Munster man after his side's crucial loss last night. It was encouraging to see ROG own up to he and his players' mistakes and steer clear from siding with the controversial 20-minute red card proposal. Despite how ugly things got for his side on Friday night, it was good to see Ronan O'Gara say that it was their own undoing.
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