Kepu faces ban after red card in heavy Wallaby defeat
"The referee really didn't have much alternative".
Wallaby coach Michael Cheika on the sending off
Sekope Kepu became the fifth Wallaby in 118 years to be shown a red card and could miss the first few matches of the NSW Waratahs’ Super Rugby campaign after his nasty hit against Scotland.
In the shadows of halftime in Edinburgh yesterday, Kepu tried to clear out Scotland defender Hamish Watson but got his timing and accuracy wrong as the prop’s shoulder crashed into the head of Watson. It was a shuddering hit that gave referee Pascal Gauzere no option but to send the 91-test veteran from the field.
Scotland recorded their biggest victory against Australia in 90 years, 53-24.
Kepu and captain Michael Hooper did not remonstrate with the on-field official because they knew the 31-year-old was in the wrong.
Even Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said: ‘‘The referee really didn’t have much alternative’’.
Tevita Kuridrani, who scored two tries for the Wallabies on Saturday, was the last player to receive a red card. In 2013, Kuridrani was given his marching orders after a nasty lifting tackle on Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony.
The centre was suspended for five weeks and, while it is not expected Kepu will receive a ban that long, he is in danger of missing early Super Rugby matches in 2018 as these count towards a suspension. Kepu’s red card has automatically been referred to a disciplinary panel.
While Cheika accepted Kepu probably had to be sent off for the hit, he argued Watson was slipping over and therefore that is why the Australian crashed into the head region.
However, replays show that while Watson was perhaps off balance at the moment of contact, he did not fall down and there is even an argument his head was higher than when Kepu began his drive.
‘‘He’s got no intent to take the player in the head,’’ Cheika said. ‘‘The player when you watch him, his back leg slips underneath him, so he gets lowered, he goes low, lower than where Kepu is aiming ... that’s where the contact was made but there’s no intent for Kepu to go there.
‘‘That’s seen by the player not even going to the HIA [Head Injury Assessment], it’s not a strong hit. He gets back up and keeps playing. The impact of the contact is not hard. I don’t think there’s any complaints.’’
After Kepu was sent off, the Wallabies conceded a try on halftime but were locked at 17-17 with Scotland until the 46th minute.
From there, the hosts made the most of another player on the field and ran away with 36 points to Australia’s seven to seal a memorable win.
Four tries in a dazzling 15-minute spell sent the home crowd into a frenzy as Scotland, led by fill-in fullback Sean Maitland, a late replacement for Stuart Hogg who was injured in the warmup, ran away with the match in the second half.
Maitland grabbed the first after rampaging down the left flank with Jonny Gray and lock Huw Jones crossing before winger Byron McGuigan added to his first-half opener to leave the Wallabies shellshocked.
Retiring former Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore was given a warm reception by the Murrayfield crowd when he exited the field for the last time just before the hour mark, before Lopeti Timani added some respectability to the score with a closerange five-pointer that was converted by Bernard Foley.
But the misery continued for Cheika, whose side finished with 13 men after Kurtley Beale was sinbinned, with skipper John Barclay and Stuart McInally going over to bring up the half-century for Scotland.
The result was the Wallabies’ biggest loss of 2017 and largest against a team outside of New Zealand since 2008 when they were smashed by South Africa 53-8.