Squire’s reprieve is beyond belief

Nigel Hampton, QC, may well have acquitted Hannibal Lecter on the grounds that his victims changed their body positions at the moment at which he bit them. Lecter didn’t intend to rip off their ears. But because the prison guard winced just before impact, Hannibal the Cannibal found his jaws in an unnatural position.

It is hard not to imagine what fantasy world Hampton is living in after he let Liam Squire walk free on Sunday night. Squire’s behaviour in the first half of the match against the Hurricanes was a disgrace. An extraordinary proportion of his actions were illegal and designed to hurt the opposition.

But once again an All Black is excused by a New Zealand referee, a New Zealand TMO and a New Zealand foul play chairman. This doesn’t just look bad, it is bad. We are heading back into the dark days when home town officials used to say ‘‘our ball’’.

Hampton said in his findings: ‘‘At the very last moment the other player dropped down on his knees (possibly, in part, as a result of the actions of other players), and brought his upper body, shoulders and head up, directly into the line of the committed Squire.

‘‘The resulting impact between the two, which was not of significant force (and did not require any HIA), was virtually instantaneous. In these circumstances the citing was not made out on the evidence.’’

Much of this is nonsense. Firstly, there was no significant change in the position of

Perenara. Secondly, Squire was looking at him all the time. Thirdly, Squire made no significant attempt to bind, but used his shoulder as a tool to hurt. It was reckless, it was violent, it was deliberate and contact was made to Perenara’s head.

Perhaps the QC should come down from his ivory tower in the Hamptons and have a look at Squire’s behaviour in the first half of that game against the