Tu’ungafasi’s hit highlights big flaw

Here’s hoping we hear from Ofa Tu’ungafasi in the days ahead. Because it would be nice if the Blues’ tighthead prop could explain what he was thinking prior to the incident that led to him being yellow carded in the 75th minute of the Super Rugby Aotearoa match in Auckland on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what unfolded during the grudge match against the Crusaders. Tu’ungafasi came off a run-up to clean All Blacks teammate and Crusaders captain Scott Barrett out of a ruck, his shoulder grazing his chin and bulldozing him backward.

Barrett, having been forced to introduce himself to the manicured Eden Park turf, looked surprised and unimpressed as he received medical attention.

He may have also been relieved. A quick inspect of the inside his mouth, hopefully, confirmed his bottom teeth were still anchored into his gum.

It was a good shot from Tu’ungafasi. It was also illegal and dangerous. Referee Paul Williams did his due diligence, TMO Brendon Pickerill was consulted and eventually they settled on a yellow ticket, instead of red. So off trundled Tu’ungafasi, his shift complete.

A chair reserved for the sinners awaited him, and he watched the Crusaders maintain their unbeaten run in SRA with a decisive 43-27 victory.

The Sanzaar citing commissioner yesterday deemed the incident met the red card threshold for foul play. Tu’ungafasi was cited, and the case was to be considered in the first instance by the foul play review committee last night.

Had Tu’ungafasi’s shoulder directly connected with Barrett’s head, the damage would have been much worse.

A red card would have been imminent for the former, while the latter may have suffered brain damage – because that’s what a concussion is – and been required to have a head injury assessment. Tu’ungafasi, obviously, wanted to blow Barrett out of the ruck. That’s clear.

But several questions remain unanswered.

The footage, especially when slowed down, does Tu’ungafasi, who weighs around 120kg, no favours; he looks like a man on a mission to maim, but it may simply be a case of his timing being out of whack.

In saying that, it could be argued he should never have targeted Barrett at all.

In a moment of madness, did he lose his temper? Or do the Blues have training drills that encourage such big men to push the envelope?

Unless we hear from Tu’ungafasi, we may never know.

Last year World Rugby issued a law application guideline for the breakdown, following the Executive Committee’s approval of recommendations by a specialist working group that included All Blacks coach Ian Foster and former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt. The focus was on player welfare and ‘‘game attractiveness’’.

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont noted the breakdown, as the most dynamic facet of the game, was responsible for nine percent of match injuries. It’s no coincidence that recently a group of former All Blacks, including former captain Ian Kirkpatrick and coach Alex Wyllie, joined Wellington businessman Douglas Catley in urging the game’s administrators to make the game safer.

All of them love rugby. But they worry about the massive collisions. Kirkpatrick, a former loose forward, was especially concerned about the way huge forwards charged into defenceless opponents at the ruck. He not only feared for those involved in such incidents, but the way it turns mums and dads off the game – and their kids.

Kirkpartick must have cringed when he saw Tu’ungafasi clobber Barrett. Tu’ungafasi’s supporters may say their man has paid his dues. He copped a yellow card, and his team lost. Had Tu’ungafasi’s shoulder been lifted a couple of inches, and struck Barrett directly in the face, the outcome doesn’t bear thinking about.

Everyone dodged a bullet, including those who run the game. Next time, someone may not be so lucky and suffer serious injury. That’s what concerns Kirkpatrick most. That’s why he worries. He wants people to listen. Something, surely, has to change.