Mike Brown hit out at the officials at Twickenham for taking no action when he was taken out in the air and hit the ground head first during Harlequins’ 20-13 victory over Wasps.
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The incident happened during the first half on Saturday when the Wasps wing Josh Bassett took evasive action after failing to beat Brown to the ball and Brown clattered into him during his descent, landing awkwardly. The referee, Craig Maxwell-Keys, took no action, even though World Rugby has a zero tolerance policy on tackles that have the potential to leave an opponent with a head injury, and he did not review the incident on the big screen at the ground.
“I am not happy with the tackle,” the Quins full-back said. “I can still feel it now. They talk about protecting players but I could have ended up with a serious injury. What is the point of going up for the ball? He [Bassett] didn’t even compete. My family was at the ground and there is a duty of care.
“I spoke to the referee at half-time. He said he did not see it. I said there was the big screen. I don’t know what the touch judge was doing just five metres away. I am sure it would have been seen if I was lying in hospital with a broken neck. It was very poor. I landed straight on my head.”
The Leinster wing James Lowe was sent off on Saturday for taking out Andrew Conway in the air during his side’s defeat at Munster and it is inconsistency that most frustrates players and coaches.
Bassett faces being cited this week, so does the Harlequins hooker Dave Ward, who has been suspended by his club for one match for stamping on the ankle of the Wasps flanker Thomas Young. Ward, who had earlier had Young in a neck roll, was sent to the sin-bin and television footage appeared to show him spitting in the direction of Young, which the hooker denied.
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“I would like to apologise unreservedly to Thomas Young, Wasps and Harlequins for my yellow card,” Ward said. “I would also like to make clear I did not spit on a player during the match. Regardless of what television footage looks like, I have never spat on a player in all my career and will never do so.”
The alleged spitting incident sparked a Twitter debate, with the former England fly-half Andy Goode attracting a response after he called Ward “cowardly”. Among those who disagreed were Quins’ England internationals Chris Robshaw and Kyle Sinckler.