Yellow card ‘wrong’, ref tells SBW
Were we all too quick to condemn? Star All Black Sonny Bill Williams has revealed the referee who sinbinned him during last week’s test in Paris has admitted he got that part of the call wrong.
The experienced, and polarising,
44-test midfielder spoke for the first time following the Stade de France encounter, won 38-18 by the All Blacks, in Edinburgh yesterday.
Williams took his brain-explosion play on the chin, after being yellowcarded and also conceding a penalty try when he batted away a French crosskick ingoal, instead of attempting to catch the ball. The play he made is standard in his former sport of rugby league, but not allowed in rugby.
But Williams, who was outstanding before his 46th-minute sinbinning, also revealed referee Angus Gardner of Australia had admitted afterwards he should not have brandished the yellow card on top of the penalty try.
‘‘It was just an honest mistake,’’ Williams said of his misjudgment that was a catalyst for a French second-half comeback, taking them from 31-5 behind to
31-18. ‘‘I guess as humans we’re all allowed to make those now and them.
‘‘I remember laying on the ground and I looked up at Jimbo [Damian McKenzie] and said, ‘gee bro, am I allowed to do that?’ He looked at me and just shook his head.
‘‘It was an honest mistake, just like the ref sending me off was an honest mistake. He came out afterwards and said that he shouldn’t have sent me off. The penalty [try] was awarded, and he said he made that mistake by sending me off.’’
Williams was then asked to clarify that the referee had admitted to making an error on giving him the yellow card. ‘‘He came out and said that, bro,’’ he replied.
Williams conceded he had been copping plenty from his team-mates post-Paris, and then youngster Rieko Ioane, sitting alongside, confirmed as much.
‘‘He forgets what sport he’s playing sometimes. He does boxing and league, and he changes up between the three every now and then. We’ll forgive him for that, and we’ll forgive him for his moustache as well,’’ said the in-form wing, referring to the early stages of his team-mate’s lip ornament.